The night is particularly sultry. Food taken late at night is even more earthly.
Street lamp shadows, several steel sheds, a row of grills, are in the noise of street lamps and streets. Handfuls of kebabs sizzle, and in the rising smoke, they induce bursts of meat fragrance. Want Want's charcoal fire, like a flame, ignites the passion of summer night.
"Life is like a dream, for joy geometry", a dish of salted edamame, a dish of sauce-fried snails and a string of them have become the best partners of draft beer, and I don't know how many people are intoxicated.
Steamed raw yak, razor clam, grilled eggplant and leek buds, crayfish packed in trays, mashed garlic, thirteen spices, braised and steamed, all of which cater to the tastes of diners.
The busy shops before and after shouting, the figures walking or sitting quietly, are mixed with hot air. People are hungry, or go on to the next game, and naturally they walk in here.
When people eat supper, the first thing they think of is going to the river.
Divide the water at the bridge, turn right to the Blue Sky Hotel, and the midnight snack street is worthy of the name. "Ye Ji Barbecue", "Revolutionary Brocade", "Gao Lao Zhuang" and "Yaxing Barbecue" are connected together. Opposite the "Laosan Hotel" and "Northeast Barbecue", the table is also next to it.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the barbecue grill, side dishes, tables, stools and chopsticks quietly occupied the sidewalk. Kakebabs, hot pot, fried dumplings, help with the menu. The circle of friends grew smaller, the beer started, and the fireworks at night dispersed.
The town is not big, and there are many familiar faces. In the old days, people were busy, taking a toast at the table and making a fuss, which enlivened one side's worldly feelings.
The midnight snack street starts from here, along binjiang road, and extends to "Colorful", and then turns right to the "Yuanshi Barbecue on Paper" opposite Nanmen Avenue Rural Commercial Bank. The lights are dim all the way, including dried vermicelli under the big tree, good stove, Zhu Da Lobster, Atu BBQ, Wanzhou Grilled Fish, and Three Kingdoms Grilled Fish, as well as "irritable", "Minji menu" and "seven old hotpot with sauce" which are transformed and upgraded to make supper.
Long iron ladle "crash" two, the bottom of the pot, with a bowl of rice crust Friedvermicelli out. Three or four iron pots fire at the same time, and stir-fry rice cakes, fried noodles and eggs. When the guests here give orders, they stir-fry in the pot over there, with shredded cantaloupe, shredded pork, Chinese cabbage, dried bean curd and any seasoning. Everyone rushed to "dry powder under the big tree", and the whole word was "fast", and the dry powder smelled like "crispy rice". When business is good, bosses always work with bare arms, stand up, put a towel on their shoulders and wipe their sweat at any time.
Open a bottle of beer, add a spicy duck head, a few chicken feet, and have a big, sweaty supper, so I sent it away.
With the gradual formation of the habit of "eating casually at noon" and "not drinking at noon", and under the epidemic situation, there are fewer and fewer Chinese food guests, restaurants in small towns have also changed their business operations, found another way, and tried to break through the tight encirclement and create a more profitable space and atmosphere.
The boss of "Minji" has been in business for more than 20 years, and this chef who focuses on farm dishes has regained the road of midnight snack. "At noon, there are only a few tables for individual guests, and there is no business," he plopped down in a white chair and puffed out smoke rings. "Work in shifts, work harder, and have a look." Chef Fei's Baotou fish, pickled fish, osmanthus fish, native chicken and crayfish always make people feel a little nostalgic, and their popularity is saved up by every effort.
The "burning" next door has already taken supper as its main position. The crayfish and all kinds of hotness here have won the favor of many customers, and it is natural to be busy until the early morning.
Across the road, the "barbecue on paper in Yuan Dynasty" is quite popular with young people. In addition to the exclusive introduction of "self-help midnight snack", drinks and drinks are free to drink in the summer shop. Also engaged in "graduation season, group price" and "top student, come and see" small marketing. Students in Tongzhong enjoy half price at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. If you score more than 400 points, you will enjoy an extra value of 50 yuan/person. In addition, some new products are often produced, such as hot and sour lotus root slices, an appetizer in summer, which are limited in supply and are introduced at early adopter prices and affordable. In the summer snack, the store launched some profit promotion activities, which were welcomed by customers, and it was logical to "turn over the table".
"Go to Ayan to eat." Mr. Lin paged me. He is one of the few friends who can make me eat supper. "The halogen goods and crayfish there are good." Many people have mentioned this small shop on Jiulong Road, which started from selling pot-stewed food. The braised beef, braised duck, braised chicken feet, pig's ears, crayfish and raw yak are all famous there, and they are sold short every day. It's getting hot, and some more goods are marinated, so we can make supper.
There are not many people in the small streets and alleys here, and it is quiet. A small table is placed at the door of the store, plus a salted edamame, fried screws and a few simple snacks, which is enough to satisfy the small wish of sitting and drinking a few cups.
Brother Jian likes to take care of the "small yellow croaker" business. The owner of the "Chuanfu Hot Pot" army on the second floor of Nanmen Supermarket has been barbecuing for some years besides taking care of the inner business. The platform on the second floor is empty, and it happens to be at the exit of cinemas and supermarkets, so you can see it clearly. Get a big barbecue grill and set two or three tables, and you can get started. In addition to the old guests, there are also many movies that are attracted by the "small yellow croaker" and the meat fragrance. Crispy "small yellow croaker", various kinds of barbecues and kebabs are like a combination of tongue-tip punches, which are well served.
Qingyun Road between the mobile company and the Bank of China can also be called a midnight snack street. The "old neighborhood", "Gema cuisine" and "good food exchange" are flourishing, and they often close at two or three in the morning.
The "old neighborhood" focuses on noodle restaurant business and also takes orders for cooking. There is also a private room on the second floor. The "salted chicken" and pickled fish here are very popular.
"Gema Cuisine" focuses on barbecue, and the operating room is separated from the dining room, and the space is still large. Roasted pig's trotters, fried steamed buns with sausage and stinky tofu are very popular, and the US group's take-out volume is not small.
"Good Food Exchange" includes spicy braised duck, raw fried chicken and fish with Chinese sauerkraut, clear pickled beans, salted edamame and dried green pepper, and braised Quzhou duck head and chicken feet. The chef's skill of stewing slowly with a small fire and collecting juice with a big fire naturally makes the braised pig brain and tofu fish taste delicious. "Good Food Club" will take care of guests' tastes, and the dishes are also rich.
The midnight snack in the town is far more than that. In the spring and summer of 2020, under the epidemic situation, the economy of the town has also suffered a lot. Many breakfast shops have also set their sights on the midnight snack business. Across from Kangjia Hospital, Xiaoman Noodle Restaurant at the cultural intersection also lights up at night, not only in the noodle dumpling business, but also holding out all kinds of snacks, stir-fried dishes and braised dishes to welcome guests, making regular customers remember and bringing more guests. Wusheng ancient street also has a good place for supper.
"Last night, the rain was sparse and the wind was sudden, and a deep sleep did not consume alcohol." Small wine with amorous feelings on the corner of ordinary lanes in the town is naturally the most fireworks.
So, do you have to pay attention to supper?
Some people keep healthy and lose weight, and resolutely don't eat. Some people just have a preference, regardless.
Sometimes, what you eat is very important. Sometimes, it really doesn't matter what you eat.
It's always good to find a place for supper. You don't have to go if you don't like it. If you think about it, make an appointment, and indulge in love and freedom.
After dinner, I walked along the "midnight snack road map" drawn in my mind. In the night, my heart was uneasy, and continuous shooting took a photo secretly. In fact, there are small surprises and a little worries. After all, under the epidemic, the recovery of midnight snack will still take time.
One side of the water and soil, one side of the people, one side of the diners.
Night is expensive, and supper is not cheap. Those hearty, sweaty nights, mixed with appetite and feelings, are lively and endless, nourishing the livelihood of the town.
And the sound of time, at that moment, is forever engraved in the night of Fenshui River.