Eat all the water

Text/Chen Honghua

The night is particularly alluring. Late night snacks are more like human fireworks.

The shadows of street lamps, several steel sheds, and a row of grills are immersed in the noise of street lamps and streets. The sizzling sound of grilled skewers evokes bursts of meaty aroma in the rising smoke. The strong charcoal fire is like a raging flame, igniting the passion of the summer night.

"Life is like a dream, and there is so much pleasure." A plate of salted edamame, a plate of fried snails in sauce, and a handful of skewers have become the best partners for draft beer, and I don't know how many people have been intoxicated.

Steamed raw yak, razor clams, charcoal-grilled eggplant, leek sprouts, crayfish on a tray, minced with garlic, thirteen-spice, braised, and steamed, all available to cater to the tastes of diners .

Busy shopkeepers shouting from front to back, figures walking around or sitting still, and the heat is diffused in the mix. People walked in naturally as they were hungry or moving on to the next show.

The first thing people think of when eating late night snacks is to go to the riverside.

At Fenshui Qiaotou, turn right towards Lantian Hotel. This street is worthy of its name as a night snack street. Here, "Ye Kee BBQ", "Revolutionary Xiaochuan", "Gaolaozhuang" and "Yaxing BBQ" are connected together; opposite, "Lao San Restaurant" and "Northeast BBQ" have tables close to each other.

Under the setting sun, barbecue grills, side dishes and condiments, tables, stools, bowls and chopsticks quietly occupied the sidewalk. Those grilling skewers, making hot pot, frying dumplings, and taking orders. The small circle of friends became quiet, the beer was opened, and the smoke of fireworks under the night began to disperse.

The town is not big and there are many familiar faces. In the past, it was bustling, people walking around the table toasting, drinking and drinking among each other, enlivening a worldly relationship.

The late-night snack street starts from here, along Binjiang Road, and extends to "Wanziqianhong", then turns right to "Yuanshi Paper Barbecue" opposite the Rural Commercial Bank on Nanmen Avenue. Along the way, dimly lit, there are "Nangan Noodles under the Big Tree", "Hao Zao Tuo", "Zhu Da Lobster", "A Tu Barbecue", "Wanzhou Grilled Fish", "Three Kingdoms Grilled Fish", and "Lao La La" which has been transformed and upgraded for late night snacks. , "Minji Recipe", "Jiang Xiaoqi Lao Hot Pot", etc.

The long iron ladle "bang" twice, the bottom of the pot is lifted, and a bowl of fried rice noodles with rice noodles comes out of the oven. Three or four iron pots are turned on at the same time. Fried rice cakes, fried noodles, and egg fried rice are stir-fried in the pot at the customer's command. Shredded cantaloupe, shredded pork, Chinese cabbage, dried tofu, and any other condiments can be used. Everyone comes here for the "Noodles Dried under the Big Tree" because the whole thing is "fast", and the dried noodles have the smell of "Cooker". When business is good, the boss is shirtless and works standing up, with a towel on his shoulders to wipe sweat at any time.

I opened a bottle of beer, served a spicy duck head and some chicken feet, and devoured a sweaty midnight snack, just like that.

With the gradual formation of habits such as "eating whatever you want at noon" and "no drinking at noon", coupled with the epidemic, there are fewer and fewer Chinese customers, and the restaurants and restaurants in the town have also changed accordingly. The business is run in a different way, thinking about the continuity between dinner and midnight snacks, trying to stand out from the crowd and create a more profitable space and atmosphere.

The owner of "Min Kee" has been in the business for more than 20 years. This chef who focuses on farm food has returned to the road of late night snacks. "There are only a few tables of individual customers at noon, and there is not much business." He sat down on a white chair and blew out smoke rings. "Work in shifts, work harder, and try it." Chef Fei's Baotou fish, Pickled fish, smelly mandarin fish, local chicken and crayfish always make people miss them. Their popularity is built up through hard work.

The "hot" restaurant next door has already made late-night snacks its main focus. The crayfish and various hot dishes here have won the love of many customers, and it is natural to be busy until the early morning.

The "Yuanshi Paper Barbeque" across the road is very popular among young people. In addition to the exclusive "self-service late night snack", the store also offers free drinks during the summer. We also conducted small marketing campaigns such as "Graduation Season, Group Prices" and "Students, Check Here". Students from Tongzhong Middle School enjoy half price at Yuanshi.

Those who score more than 400 points will enjoy Yuanshi Super Value 50/person. In addition, new products are often released, such as the hot and sour lotus root slices, a summer appetizer, which are available in limited quantities and at affordable trial prices. For late-night snacks in the summer, stores launch some profit-sharing promotions, which are welcomed by customers, so it’s natural to “turn tables”.

“Come to Ayan and have something to eat.” Mr. Lin called me. He is one of the few friends who can persuade me to eat late-night snacks. "The braised food and crayfish there are pretty good." Many people have mentioned this small shop on Kowloon Road that started selling braised food. The braised beef, braised duck, braised chicken feet, pig ears, crayfish, raw yak, etc. are all famous and sold out every day. When the weather gets hot, I cook some more food and start making midnight snacks.

There are not many people in the small streets and alleys here, and it is relatively quiet. A small table is set up in front of the store, and some salted edamame, fried screws, and a few simple dishes to go with wine are enough to sit and sit down. , a small wish to have a few drinks.

Brother Jian likes to take care of the "little yellow croaker" business. The owner of "Chuanfu Hotpot" on the second floor of Nanmen Supermarket has been doing barbecue for many years in addition to taking care of the business in the back room. The second floor platform is empty, and it is right at the exit of the cinema and supermarket, so you can clearly see it. Get a big barbecue grill, set up two or three tables, and you can get started. In addition to regular customers, there are also many people who came after watching the movie and were attracted by the "little yellow croaker" and the smell of meat. Crispy "little yellow croaker", various barbecued meats, and grilled skewers are like a set of tongue punches, waiting for you.

Qingyun Road between China Mobile and Bank of China can also be called a late-night snack street. "Old Neighbors", "Ge Ma Cuisine" and "Hao Shi Hui" are booming and often close at two or three in the morning.

"Old Neighbor" focuses on the noodle shop business and also takes orders for cooking. There is also a private room on the second floor. The "salt-braised chicken" and pickled fish here are very popular.

"Ge Ma Cuisine" focuses on barbecue. The operation room is separated from the dine-in food, and the space is quite large. The roasted pig's trotters, fried steamed buns and stinky tofu with sausage are very popular, and Meituan's takeout volume is quite large.

"Haoshihui" has spicy braised duck, raw stir-fried chicken, and pickled fish, as well as mild pickled beans, salted edamame, and dried green pepper fish. It also braises Quzhou duck heads in-house. , chicken feet. The chef's mastery of simmering over low heat and reducing the juice over high heat will naturally bring out the rich flavor of the braised pork brain and tofu fish. "Good Food Club" will take care of guests' tastes and has a rich menu.

The night snacks in the small town are much more than that. In the spring and summer of 2020, under the epidemic, the small town's economy also suffered a big impact. Many breakfast restaurants have also set their sights on the late-night snack business. A few shops opposite "Kangjia Hospital" and the "Xiaoman Noodle Shop" at Wenhua Road also lighted up their night lights. They not only sell noodles and dumplings, but also serve all kinds of snacks, stir-fries and braised dishes to welcome regular customers. Thinking about it, I brought more guests. Wusheng Ancient Street also has a good place for late night snacks.

“Last night it rained and the wind blew, and I couldn’t get rid of the remaining wine after a deep sleep.” The charming small wine on the corner of the ordinary alleys in the small town is the most fireworks.

So, do we need to pay attention to late night snacks?

Some people are trying to maintain health and lose weight but refuse to eat. Some people just have preferences, no matter what.

Sometimes, I feel that what I eat is very important. Sometimes, I feel that what I eat really doesn’t matter.

It’s always good to have somewhere to eat late at night. You don’t have to go if you don’t like it. If you think about it, make an appointment, be uninhibited and indulge in freedom.

After dinner, I walked along the "late night snack route map" of the town that I had drawn in my heart. In the dark, I felt uneasy and even took photos secretly. In fact, there are small surprises and slight worries. After all, under the epidemic, the recovery of late-night snacks will still take time.

On one side is the land and water, on the other side are the people, on the other side are the diners, and on the other side are the feelings.

Nightlife is expensive, and late-night snacks are not cheap either. Those hearty feasts, sweating and sweating, every night mixed with appetite and emotions, are lively and endless, nourishing the life of the town.

And the sound of time, at that moment, was forever engraved in the night of Fenshui River.