You can be certain of finding one food anywhere in China.
在中国有种食物绝对是你随处都能找到的
Here in Beijing, noodles are on almost every menu.
在北京这里,所有的菜单上几乎都有面条
If you are the manufacture of instant noodles, then you are onto a good thing.
如果你是方便面生产商的话,那这可是你的大好机会
The Chinese consume more instant noodles than any other nation in the world, getting through 40 billion packs a year.
中国人所消费掉的方便面比世界上其它任一国家都要多,每年的消费量足有400亿包
But noodles are more than just a convenient snack, they are part of the culture.
但面条不仅仅是一种方便的小吃,同时也是文化的一部分
Chinese archaeologists even discovered them in the ruins of a 4,000 year old house.
中国的考古学家甚至发现4千年前的房屋遗址中就有了面条
They are particularly important for birthdays and Chinese New Year
面条在生日和农历新年里尤其重要
while one noodle in particular and that is the longevity noodle
特别是其中一种面条,它叫做长寿面
because it is supposed to symbolise long life.
因为它被认为有长寿之象征
Now don't think of longevity noodle as a single strand like spaghetti.
但可别以为长寿面就是像意大利面那样是一条条的
It is actually made in one enormously long length and producing them is quite an art.
它实际上只有很长的单独一根面条,而且做起来简直就是一种艺术
The longer the noodle, the more luck and long life you get.
面条越长,就有越多的运气和寿命
So I travelled an hour outside Beijing to meet the chef Li Hui,
所以我离开北京花了一小时,来会见大厨李辉
holder of the Shanghai Great World Guinness record for the longest handmade noodle.
他是上海大世界吉尼斯纪录中最长手工面的保持者