Originating from Beijing, returning to Zhengzhou, how many old Zhengzhou people's memories do GeJi stew cakes carry?

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Some flavors have been around in this city for a long time.

Some people feel irreplaceable and are eager to recommend it to everyone;

Some people can't say that it is good, but it has always played an important role in its own growth. We understand it as identity or habit. In short, these tastes have become a part of our lives, either talking about it, or eating it, or carrying a nostalgia.

We reminisce together, those foods that have been the same for a long time, may they still move you, evoke memories, or more emotions...

— Editor's Note

I'm a child in the western suburbs.

Born here, schooled here, living here, my feelings for it are more innocent and simple than anywhere else, from the 90s still tattered roads to the endless highways today, I am full of yearning for it.

People who do not understand the western suburbs have insulted and complained about it, saying that it is not worthy of being located in this place in Zhengzhou, no background, no wind bone, but, still that sentence, I do not praise a place because of obsession and unprincipled reservation and inheritance, but I do not accept people's insults to the western suburbs purely out of venting and dissatisfaction....

For many years, people have never taken the initiative to mention the cuisine of the western suburbs, but this does not mean that it does not, only some old people who are more familiar with Zhengzhou and more familiar with the western suburbs will tell you what special food the western suburbs have. The reputation of the three major cuisines in the western suburbs is not casually spread, whether it is Heji braised noodles, Cai Ji steamed dumplings or Ge Ji stewed cakes, which are all Western suburban cultures that have been passed down countless times.

In 2009, Ge Ji stewed cake was included in the list of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Henan Province.

Ge Ji stewed cake originated in Beijing and is rooted in the cuisine of Zhengzhou. Blending the memories of old Zhengzhou, among the few old snacks in Zhengzhou, Ge Ji stewed cake occupies a place, with taste, story and memory.

More than 100 years ago, Ge Minghui, the founder of Ge Ji, was still working as an errand boy in the Qing Dynasty's Ke Wangye's mansion, and one day, when Wang Ye wanted to eat late, he temporarily went to the dining room to use ready-made jar meat, mixed with cakes and vegetables, and stewed a plate of cakes. As soon as Wang Ye ate it, he praised it greatly.

After the Xinhai Revolution, the imperial system fell, and Ge Minghui took his family to Zhengzhou to join relatives. To make a living, he opened a restaurant near the old train station that specialized in stewed cakes. At that time, the Beijing-Hankou Railway had been completed, and Zhengzhou as a railway city had begun to take shape, and a large number of railway workers and tourists came to this place with trains. The arrival of Ge Ji's stew was warmly welcomed by them, and many lonely Hebei and Beijingers even bought long-term meal tickets here and used it as their canteen.

"At that time, some railway workers came here to eat a stewed cake and drink a bowl of soup before they got on the bus, so they got on the bus and left, came back to get on the bus, ate another cake, drank a bowl of soup, and then went back to sleep."

——Ge Yongzhi, the third generation of Ge Ji

From a small county town to a provincial capital, the credit of the railway to Zhengzhou should not be underestimated, and the railway workers were also the first builders and indigenous people of the city. As a result, Ge Ji stewed cakes successfully took root in Zhengzhou.

In the 1980s, due to the transformation of the old city, Ge Ji stewed cakes once disappeared and escaped people's vision. Until 1989, Zhengzhou Catering Company decided to restore the traditional flavor and create a century-old store, only by the third generation of Ge Yongzhi in Nanqiaojiamen to restore the brand to open a store, the key production links by the Ge family members to operate, so as to ensure the quality and taste of the inheritance, and even many to Zhengzhou's old Beijing also came to taste.

"It's not just that this plate of cakes is good, many customers are here, they are discussing Lao Ge, Lao Ge's family, we are here is a platform, so that everyone can recall a lot of past events here, remember the feeling of eating a plate of cakes when they were young, as if they were like the New Year, and they are not hungry after eating a day."

——Ren Yi, the fourth generation of Ge Ji

Although I am a child in the western suburbs, I know this century-old shop, but I have never been here. The first time I went to Ge Ji stew cake, it was also a senior foodie around to go with me, the store is very large and very easy to find, located on Funiu Road, although the road of Funiu Road is not large, but because of Ge Ji stew cake, here at night the road is lined with cars, at a glance, they all come here to eat.

The stew here is different from some restaurants outside, the big and wide bread shreds are soft and fragrant to eat, the talk of bean sprouts and greens is just right, the large pieces of pork belly are fat and not greasy, so that people can't stop eating, in fact, a stew here is a large portion, completely enough for two men's meals.

If you don't like to eat meat friends do not get in the way, there are vegetarian stewed cakes, egg-based vegetarian food, with bean sprouts and greens, wrapped you up to taste delicious.

There is also the most popular eight treasure porridge in the store, it is said that the porridge that is boiled here is more than 6 hours, the beans inside are very sweet and soft, and the rarity is just right, if accompanied by a stewed cake, it is simply delicious!

In fact, there are many seasonal side dishes in the store, there are also very authentic brine snacks, whether it is a cold winter or a hot summer, here is always one of the gathering places of the people of old Zhengzhou, three or five friends, order a table of dishes, drink some wine, chat about life, is not beautiful?

Whether you are tired of the mountain treasures and seafood of The City of David, or tired of the golden street snacks of The Central Plains Wanda, you may wish to come to Ge Ji Stewed Cake, taste the taste of the century-old shop in the western suburbs, recall the hottest street food that belonged to old Zhengzhou at that time, and also listen to some momentary memories about old Zhengzhou, here, perhaps you are looking for the best destination for the taste of old Zhengzhou.

As the third generation of Ge Yongzhi said, Ge Ji stewed cake, its existence, not only to convey the familiar taste on the tip of the tongue to everyone, but also to witness the change of an era, growing up with the people of this city. It is precisely because of such an old shop and such an enduring taste that the city of Zhengzhou has a thickness and temperature, so that the people in this city have found refuge on the tip of their tongues.