Temple-goers in Taiwan often pay special tribute to deities on their birthdays. In Tainan, locals have found a rather special way to send their well wishes to the Earth God — using noodles.
Inch by inch, shop workers twist thin vermicelli to form noodle towers. The treats are special offerings for the Earth God, whose birthday is this Saturday, the same day as the Mid-Autumn Festival.
But these noodles aren’t going to make themselves. Forty members of the community come together to help out, taking part in the noodle pulling.
The 100-meter-long noodles are then stacked into 6-kilogram boxes, ready for sale.
Noodle maker Chen Shu-fen is the fourth generation to run this 100-year-old Tainan pastry shop. She says it’s the noodles’ high moisture content and flexibility that allows them to be twisted and stacked into the unique towers.
She says before, when celebrating the god’s birthday, people would eat the noodle without cutting it.
One patron says the noodles take a lot of skill to make.
Many say shops like these are a part of Tainan’s living history.
City Councilor Chen Yi-chen says the towers show Tainan’s unique culture.
Temples, gods and noodles. What could be more Taiwanese than that?