Swallow Your Noodle....

Asia. It's the world's biggest country after the United States (Go USA!!!).

And one thing that is common throughout all of Asia is a love for noodle soup.

This past week Jules was in town, so we decided to check out two types of noodle soups from different states in Asia: Japan and China.

Believe it or not, the soups from these two places are very different. It's kind of like comparing the McDonald's in different parts of the US. What's up with the "special sauce" in California? I think they make it with avocado or some other over priced hippie product...

Anyway, whenever I go for Japanese Ramen soup in the East Village I start off by getting some Japanese snack food called takoyaki (translated literally as 'little shit fried dumpling hi-ya') on East 9th Street. There's this little tiny place on the south side of the street between 3rd and 2nd ave.

Here they are. They put mayonnaise and barbecue sauce on them. Apparently Japanese people have a penchant for mayonnaise, just like me! Who would have thought?

After that we went to Rai Rai Ken on East 10th.

The broth at this place is amazing.

Jules got a large miso (pronounced 'me so') soup.

When she got it I exclaimed, "Me so impressed that you got that. Me so happy for you. Me so not paying for this lunch you cheap-o bastard."

Poor Jules. She always buys me lunch. As she should....

Anyway, heres a pic.

It's tough to see because of all the steam (it was coming from my ass, not the soup). But there were these little black sesame seeds in the broth.

They're really really yummy.

The next day Jules flight was canceled because of snow (YAY!) and we went with our friend Matt to Chinatown to a place I've been going to for years, Corner Wonton. Matt and I used to play Dungeon's and Dragons together in Kindergarten. No lie. And we played in a band all throughout high school. And he still claims that he didn't make out with the 7th grade love of my life, Michelle, while I was stuck in detention. Yeah right.

Anyway, Matt has a PHD in ethnomusicology and is really smart, so we kept on calling him Dr. Matt.

But Dr. Matt thought he was the doctor of noodle soup, which is of course completely false.

Both he and Jules got the same thing (go figure): roasted duck in wonton soup.

Dr. Matt was pissed that the soup was the best he ever had, as he thought that he knew where the best place in the world was.

He thought that giving me the "bird" would offend me, especially when he kept on saying "Duck you," over and over. But I just laughed.

Then he started pontificating about the differences between arcane types of singing in India and Beyoncee. I'm sorry Dr. Matt, but as sophisticated and subtle as that Indian music is, it's no match for just a few seconds on Beyoncees's ass jiggling on my flat screen.

Dr. Matt was confused by this:

Here's Jules getting "ducked." This photo is the perfect aesthetic symmetry of nose, lips, teeth, duck meat and fingers.

Anyway.

Noodle soup is good.

Get yee to chinatown.