Ngentsimbi ye-10 kusasa, isiphithiphithi sasedolophini sasingekavuki ngokupheleleyo. Ndahamba ngendlela engenamsebenzi, ekugqibeleni ndafumana indawo yokutyela encinci yaseJapan ifihliwe kumgangatho ophantsi wesakhiwo sendawo yokuhlala. Yayivuliwe iminyaka emihlanu. Indawo yevenkile yayincinci—ingacacanga kangangokuba abantu abadlulayo babenokuyijonga ngokulula ngaphandle kokuba beyifuna ngenkuthalo.
Ndathi ndakuvula ucango, ndaziva ndivuthelwa livumba elimnandi lomgubo wengqolowa.
UKing, umnini, wayesele exakekile ekhitshini. Lo somashishini emva kweminyaka yoo-85 wema phambi kwenkampaniI-HICOCAumatshini we-udon, enyamekela ngenyameko yonke inyathelo—ukuxovula, ukucinezela, ukuqengqeleka, nokusika—ngokugxila okungagungqiyo. Ivenkile yayingekavulwa ngokusesikweni, kodwa wayesele engene kwihlabathi lakhe: ihlabathi le-udon.
"Ndiphanda oku kangangeminyaka emihlanu."
UXiao Kong akazange ajonge phezulu, amehlo akhe ejonge kwiibhloko zentlama kancinci kancinci
iphuma ematshinini. Intlama ephumle ngokupheleleyo yayibonakalisa ukuthamba okugqibeleleyo, ubume bayo buthambile njengolusu lomntwana.
Amanqanaba okuqengqeleka ali-12.
Yi leI-HICOCAEyona nto imangalisayo kuyilo. Ayikuko ukubumba okukrwada, okunenyathelo elinye, kodwa yinkqubo eqhubekekayo, eqengqelekayo ngesandla. Ukucinezela ngakunye kuvuselela inethiwekhi yegluten ngaphakathi komgubo, kuyithunga ibe yinethiwekhi engabonakaliyo—kodwa eqondakalayo—yokuthamba.
Xa uXiao Kong wacofa kancinci isikrini sokuchukumisa, imicu emhlophe ye-udon yawa ngokulinganayo kwisisiki yaya kwitreyi yokuqokelela. Ngaloo mzuzu, ndabona ukukhanya emehlweni akhe.
Yayikukukhanya kwengcibi eyayibona iphupha layo lizaliseka.
“Jonga,” wathabatha inqwaba yeenoodles ezisandul’ ukunqunyulwa waza watsala kancinci. Zatsiba kabini emoyeni. “Le yindlela i-udon efanele ibukeke ngayo.”
Wazicoca ngobuchule iinoodles ngestarch ukuze zinganamatheli, waza wazibopha kwiibhokisi. Iintshukumo zakhe zazihamba ngokuguquguquka, ngokungathi wenze oku izihlandlo ezingamawaka.
Kwisithuba esingaphantsi kweyure, iikati ezingama-50 (malunga neekhilogram ezingama-60) ze-udon zazibekwe kakuhle.
Ukuba yenziwe ngesandla, le mali yayiza kufuna ukuba igcisa eliyingcaphephe lisebenze lingayeki usuku lonke. Apha, ukusebenza kakuhle kunye nomgangatho kwakungasafani.
“Bendisoloko ndifuna ukugxila kwi-udon,” uXiao Kong ekugqibeleni waphakamisa amehlo, esula ukubila kancinci ebunzini lakhe. “Kodwa andikwazanga kufumana izixhobo ezifanelekileyo. Oomatshini abakwimarike benza iinoodles zibe nzima kakhulu, babengenazo iziqholo, okanye babeziva ngathi basebenza nzima kakhulu—bengenamphefumlo.”
"Ndide ndidibane neyakho."
Ndancuma, ndisithi kancinci. Ngelo xesha, ndandilangazelela ngakumbi isitya seenoodles esiza kuphakwa.
I-Thai Golden Curry Prawn Udon
Imizuzu emihlanu yokulinda ayinde, kodwa kumntu owayesandula ukubona yonke le nkqubo, yonke imizuzwana yayibuhlungu.
Ekugqibeleni isitya safika.
Ivumba lekhari langena kakhulu empumlweni yam. I-shrimp etshisiweyo enesosi yegolide, ngelixa umlinganiswa ophambili—i-coil ye-udon—wayelele ngokuzolileyo esityeni, elinde izinti zam.
Ukuluma kokuqala.
Ndingayichaza njani loo texture?
Ndanditye kwivenkile edumileyo eTokyo, ndibizwa ngokuba yenye ye "Japan's Three Great Udon," kwaye ndacinga ukuba ndiyazi ukuba yintoni i-udon elungileyo. Kodwa oku kuluma kwandimangalisa.
Yayingekuko nje “ukutshixa”. Igama elithi “ukutshixa” lincinci kakhulu ukuchaza ukumelana okuncinci okuvakalayo xa amazinyo enqumla i-noodle. Kwaye yayingathambile kwaye ityebile, njengoko elo gama lingachazi ivumba lengqolowa elahliweyo kunye nencasa emnandi ephuma ngexesha lokuhlafuna.
Yayibubulukhuni, ukufuma, Ubuthambile, Uburhabaxa.
Yayiyi-symphony emangalisayo yezi mvakalelo zidibene emlonyeni. Ngokuchanekileyo, umatshini wawuphindaphinde "imbangela" yokwenza ngezandla, wavelisa "isiphumo" esigqithileyo. Uthungelwano olugqibeleleyo lwe-gluten, olwakhiwe ngamanqanaba ali-12 okuqengqeleka, lwaqinisekisa ukuba yonke i-noodle igcina uxinezeleko olufanelekileyo emva kokupheka—ingabi yiqhwalela kwaye ingenamilo kwaye inzima kwaye kunzima ukuyihlafuna. Yayitsiba kancinci phakathi kwamazinyo, kwaye kanye xa uza kuyijonga, yakhupha ivumba lokugqibela lengqolowa.
"Abathengi bethu bangabantu abaqhelekileyo."
UXiao Kong wayehleli ecaleni kwam, endibukele ndisitya ndanelisekile. Uncumo olukhethekileyo kubanini beevenkile—olwaneliseko olupheleleyo—lwasasazeka ebusweni bakhe.
“Abanye basibiza ngokuba ‘yivenkile edumileyo kwi-intanethi’ kwaye bafuna sikhuthaze ngakumbi iXiaohongshu kunye neDouyin,” utshilo, enikina intloko. “Kodwa andizange ndivume.”
“Kutheni?” ndabuza.
“Kuba igama elithi ‘ivenkile edumileyo kwi-intanethi’ lisisithuko kuthi.” Ilizwi lakhe lalizolile kodwa liqinile. “‘Iivenkile ezidumileyo kwi-intanethi’ zisukela izithuthi kunye nokuthandwa okwethutyana. Esikusukelayo kukuba, kwiminyaka emihlanu okanye elishumi ukususela ngoku, abantu baya kuqhubeka bekulungele ukunqumla le ndlela ngokukodwa ukuze batye isitya seenoodles.”
"Siphila ngomgangatho. Siphila ngentliziyo."
Ndabeka phantsi izinti zam ndaza ndajonga inkwenkwe eyayiphambi kwam ngononophelo. Kwiminyaka emihlanu eyadlulayo, wavula ivenkile encinci kule kona ifihlakeleyo, egcina ukuzinikela okuqinileyo ekutyeni kwaseJapan. Kwiminyaka emihlanu kamva, ekugqibeleni wafumana izixhobo ezifanelekileyo, evumela iphupha lakhe leminyaka emihlanu le-udon egqibeleleyo ukuba likhule. KwayeI-HICOCAndinethamsanqa lokuba yinxalenye yale phupha.
Abanye bathi oomatshini babanda, basebenza kwimizi-mveliso, kwaye abanamphefumlo. Kodwa abazi ukuba oomatshini zizixhobo nje. Umphefumlo uhlala uvela kumntu osebenzisa bona.
UXiao Kong wayengasebenzisi lo matshini ukuvelisa iimveliso ezisemgangathweni, ezihambelana nomgca wokudibanisa. Wayesenza kanye isitya seenoodles awayesiphande iminyaka emihlanu. Wayelawula ixesha lokuxova, ejonga ukucoca intlama, elungisa uxinzelelo lokuqengqeleka, kwaye efaka ukuqonda kwakhe kuzo zonke iinkcukacha. Yayikukuchaneka komatshini, kudibene nokuzinikela komntu, okwadala loo mzuzu wolonwabo olukhulu.
Njengoko ndandihamba, ndajika ndajonga okokugqibela ivenkile encinci. Indawo yevenkile yayingacacanga, indawo yayifihliwe. Kodwa ndandisazi ukuba emva kwaloo mnyango, umfana othile wayesenza isitya sokwenene se-udon ngendlela "ebubudenge" kodwa enobulumko kangangoko. Wayelinde iminyaka emihlanu ukuze afumane umatshini ofanelekileyo, waza wasebenzisa ukuzinikela kwakhe kwemihla ngemihla ukuguqula elo xesha lide libe yi-"惊艳(ulonwabo olumangalisayo) olufumaneka kwisitya ngasinye sesidlo sangokuhlwa.
Le ayisiyovenkile "edumileyo kwi-intanethi".
Le yivenkile ekufanele ukuba unqumle isiqingatha sesixeko ukuze uyityelele.
I-Postscript
At I-HICOCA, sidibene nabantu abaninzi kwishishini lokutya neziselo. Abanye basukelana ngesantya esiphezulu, benethemba lokuba oomatshini bakhawuleza kangangoko; abanye babeka phambili ixabiso, befuna iindlela ezingabizi kakhulu ezikhoyo; abanye bajonga izinto ezilula, benqwenela oomatshini "abangaphambukiyo" kangangoko kunokwenzeka.
Kodwa sikwadibene nabantu abanjengoXiao Kong.
Abalandeli ukutya okukhawulezayo, okungabizi kakhulu, okanye okungabizi kakhulu. Into abayifunayo yiloo nto imnandi "ifanelekileyo".
Umatshini wethu we-udon noodles wazalelwa ngqo abantu abanjalo. Unamanqanaba ali-12 okuqengqeleka okulinganisa umaleko wokwenza ngesandla ngomaleko, iiparameter ezichanekileyo ezilawulwa ngobuchule, kunye nojongano olusebenziseka lula—ukhetho ngalunye loyilo lwenziwe kungekhona ukuthatha indawo yobugcisa, kodwa ukuvumela iphupha legcisa ukuba lingcamlwe ngabantu abaninzi.
Ukuba ungumntu onjalo, ukuba nawe unesitya seenoodles olinde ixesha elide ukuba zigqibelele—wamkelekile ukuthetha nathi.
Mhlawumbi into oyilindeleyo ayingomatshini nje kuphela.
Mhlawumbi into oyilindeleyo liqabane elinokudlulisela ngokuthembeka ukuzinikela kwakho, ngokupheleleyo, kubo bonke abatyelayo.
Ixesha leposi: Matshi-14-2026