Here's the beef ... noodles

By Ian Bartholomew
Staff Reporter, Taipei Times
Thursday, Nov 01, 2007, Page 13

You only need to be in Taiwan a couple of days to know that beef noodles is the dish most widely regarded as the nation's signature culinary achievement. There are beef noodle stores everywhere you look, and the dish takes many different forms. More often than not, it is a thoroughly unremarkable concoction of limp noodles, salty soup and tough beef that has been marinated in soy sauce to within an inch of its life. But when made well, it can also be the ultimate comfort food, but seeking out the beef noodle shops of distinction is no easy matter.
This of course is what the 2007 Taipei International Newrow Mian Festival (2007臺北國際牛肉麵節) is all about. The qualifying round last Sunday has reduced the field to five contenders each in the traditional dark broth, light broth and creative categories, with finals scheduled for this coming Sunday to find the best of the best in the field of beef noodles. For the participants concerned, victory in this competition is no small matter, for the shops that gain recognition from the panel of judges can count on packing their restaurant for the next year and beyond as people line up to taste the best beef noodles in town.
To put the "international" into the event, there will be an "International Teamwork Intercourse Competition" -- the title given on the event's Web site shows off the Taipei City Government's unique flair with the English language -- will bring in six teams of international chefs who will put their own spin on Taiwan's beef noodles on Saturday. This event, and the local competition finals on Sunday, will be held at the Xinyi International Club (信義公民會館). Over the two days, there will also be a variety of performances and an estimated 20 stalls selling beef noodles, so the public to get a taste of the huge variety of dishes that are encompassed under the label of "beef noodles" -- or "newrow mian" if you subscribe to the Taipei City Government's interesting take on romanization.
In announcing the finalists last Sunday, Cheng Yan-chi (鄭衍基), chief judge of the panel who presided over 45 bowls of beef noodles under consideration, pointed out that a primary consideration in assessing a bowl of beef noodles was balance between the broth, the noodles and the meat. Cheng, a former chef to ex-presidents Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), praised the high level achieved by the competitors, and underlined the complexity of achieving that elusive balance, even in a competition were all commercial considerations were removed. "A bowl of noodles that cost NT$800 to make will obviously taste different from one that sells for NT$80 in the shop," he said. An event like this can do no more that point customers in the right direction, and for this coming weekend, it will provide an opportunity for the public to try many different preparations at a single venue.

What: Taipei International Newrow Mian Festival
When: Saturday from 3pm to 6pm; Sunday from 9am to 2pm
Where: Xinyi International Club, 50 Songqin Rd, Taipei (台北市松勤街50號)
On the net: http://www.new-rowmian.com.tw/en/index.html (English)