永年

Thanks to my friend Ford, this year I have been one of the biggest fan of the local Wing Lin Store.

For the readers who do not know this restaurant, here you are some rough history. The Store has been in Yuen Long for around 30 years, run by a family. You know what, it started with a moving story like 阿信 (おしん). The mother of the current owner (which is the tall bald man) used to sell Chu cheong fun (豬腸粉) with her trolley around Yuen Long to earn the living for her family. It was simple, but not easy, because she risked herself being charged by Health Officers on the street. Be it a sunny day or a rainy day, her fight went on as the wheels of the cart rolled, until she got the enough capital to launch a shop. This was where Wing Lin Store began. That time, they sold Chu cheong fun in the morning, and cigarettes and drinks in the afternoon.

No sooner the tall man took the charge of the store, he decided to make a change by selling Cart Noodles (車仔麵). Its name may be misleading to some extent: It is a restaurant and not a store only; It sells noodles regularly at one place (also providing a comfortable dining place for eaters), rather than a cart selling noodles.

Anyway, it has become one of the best restaurants in this town: Radish, Chicken Wings and Chitterlings, and never forget its mysterious spice (Also the rude attitude of the staff). They have become the trademarks of this very place. Everyday, people in this town or people travelling from other places dare to get a taste of them (including the attitude). They have made a long queue outside. People who know the truth never wonder about it. People who do not are stunned.

I was not particularly fond of this restaurant when I was in secondary school. Actually it is hard for students to queue up for long time at the expense of precious lunch time. Chances usually came after football games, when we would try to grab a bowl of noodles in weekends.

The noodles are challenging to our bodies. The spice has a chemical effect to stimulate our sweat glands to profuse, but at the same time, it also boosts up the activity of our nasal and throat secretion that makes us sneeze and cough. Even worse, our stomach (so as the whole gut) will burn whenever the spice rushes in. Looking at each other's embarrassing response is indeed a fun. The store is so good that it also sells tissue papers (and many soft-drinks).

Speaking of the spice, I am perhaps one of the few customers who request a lot. Ordinary customers will request "little spice" (which is around 1/5 of the spoon they use) when they get the noodles. But to me, my usual request is two whole spoons of spice. My friends always wonder how I can end up finish the whole noodles, and at the same time emptied the whole bowl (with the spicy soups). The trick is simple. Because I never drinks during eating, so my glands will be desensitized at the first time. Eventually, I could try the spice and at the same time not look silly, using a lot of tissue papers.

But today when I ordered the noodles with a request of 3 spoon of spice, the bald man told me "Don't try so much. I've known some people who challenged themselves with our spices, who took similar amount as you did, died from gastric ulcer or intestinal bleed."I was scared.  "I will help you this time, but you should try to taper down it next time."

With his advice, I finished this bowl of noodles cautiously. I knew he did not fake. The stimulation has been enormous but I tried to ignore it. But my body has no doubt suffered from it.

Be true to yourself! Don't fake it! And don't be late until the problem comes. These were the words on my mind when I finished the noodles, leaving the bowl filled with the soup. I have decided, thereby, I will not request any spice in the future. Be true to myself. It is hard to endure, so don't pretend it is easy.

Seemingly it is a trivial thing. But in conclusion of everyone's life, what really is a big thing?