In the early 1980s, I worked as a temporary worker in the factory, working three shifts a day, and one meal per shift was eaten in the factory staff canteen. This kind of cauldron rice is the same, and the real delicious food is very limited. A kind of green onion cake made with half-hair noodles is my favorite, and every time I buy half a sheet, drink a bowl of porridge, and I am satisfied with a dish. When I am bored of eating, I will worry about the street canteen, and I am deeply impressed by the mapo tofu of the Jufengyuan Hotel on Jiefang Road.
Xi'an Jufengyuan Hotel is located in the southeast corner of Jiefang Road East Fourth Road, a four-story Western-style building is simple and clear, the first floor lobby window is clear and clean, there are snacks, stir-fried vegetables, a corner of a vertical like a gasoline can in the jar with loose beer, every summer, nearby residents will take the warm bottle to play beer, beer 0.25 yuan a pound, a thermos up to 4 pounds, is the best drink to spend the summer.
Xi'an Jufengyuan Hotel introduced Xi'an from the founding of the People's Republic of China to adapt to the masses of the "small stir-fried meat" dominates, like the Kung Pao chicken cubes, fish flavored meat shreds, mapo tofu, pot meat slices, dried sauté beef shreds, etc., which are all fast and affordable popular light meal dishes that I often go to the meal to eat. What is particularly gratifying is that another important part of Jufengyuan Sichuan cuisine is "minced cowpeas, white meat with garlic paste, squeezed vegetable meat shreds, even pot soup, river bean flower" and other home-style dishes, which are convenient to use, not new, easy to operate, and more popular with ordinary people. During that time, the pocket was shy, the mouth was boring and needed to be adjusted from time to time, and it was a luxury to go to Jufengyuan (which had been renamed Xi'an Chuan Restaurant at that time) to play a plate of mapo tofu, although a plate of mapo tofu was only 0.35 yuan, and it was difficult for children to understand now, but it was not a casual thing at that time.
I rode my bicycle to Jufengyuan, first issued a ticket at the counter, bought a plate of mapo tofu, and then knocked on the waiter to hand the ticket and lunch box inside, and began to wait patiently. Mapo tofu is the representative dish of Sichuan cuisine, which is both close to the people and cheap, and was my favorite during that period. From the moment the lunch box was handed in, the mouth has gradually had a taste, the spicy and fragrant taste has long been lingering in the nose, you say how hungry! There was no way, although I could eat enough at that time, there was still less oil in my stomach. You may not believe it, from 1980 to 1997 in the last century, my weight has been maintained at about 103 pounds, on time is healthy, but for the hard work of me, weight is seriously underweight, thin and small makes the image and actual age greatly reduced.
In a few moments, when a lunch box of hot mapo tofu was handed out, at this time there was no other way, and quickly pedaled back to the factory and feasted in the locker room. As soon as the lunch box was opened, it immediately attracted countless hungry insects, and although everyone had eaten it, they still had to taste it again. A quick spoon scoop up to the mouth, who knows, this "numb, spicy, hot, fragrant, crisp, tender, fresh, live" tofu as soon as the mouth is hot, spit and reluctant, just exhale, suck, suck, scream, let people can't help but be funny. I have to admit that this mapo tofu is a perfect match for rice, with this dish, you have to eat two or two more meals!
I became acquainted with Jufengyuan not only because my neighbor's family worked here, but also because of my father, who was born in the ranks. In order to resist the wind and cold during the war years, in addition to "pouring" me to drink from an early age, whenever there were many people who led me to drink, the task of queuing up to buy wine fell on my head. The impression is that my father has never ordered stir-fry dishes regardless of whether he plays liquor or beer, but it is only a bag of peanuts and rice, but for stir-frying, his father is good at it.
In difficult times, my father often entrusted "delegated" the villagers in the countryside to buy lamb, yellow eel, loach, etc. for the family, because it was too fishy to enjoy when it was young, and it was a vegetarian dish that was very palatable and still fresh in memory. The ingredients are green chili peppers, washed and cut open, spread a layer of loose noodle sauce, sprinkle a little salt, then put a layer of sauce, sprinkle salt, fill it up and steam it, and then come out of the pot after about 10 minutes. After the steaming, the noodle sauce green pepper is no longer like the posture when it was plated, and there are many soft beds, so when you use a sandwich of steamed buns that have just come out of the cage, you can plump up both the taste and the thought. Slowly chewing three mouthfuls, drinking a mouthful of thick jasmine tea, steamed buns, peppers, sauces, tea aromas intertwined, a full burp in the ear to remember "full grin, drink swollen grin, and the emperor and his second father the same grin..." And then later learned that his father's family dish is an improved version of the "tiger skin pepper", the oil is not enough to eat the noodle sauce to fill the number, this is the survival of the older generation.
In the following years, there was more contact with Jufengyuan, which had been restored to its original name. I often come here to play the tooth festival, invite friends to have a light meal, and the authentic Sichuan restaurant here has a taste, spicy and distinctive, with fiery characteristics, but also symbolizes our friendship, career is booming. I remember in the autumn of 1987, I gave my brother a wedding banquet here (please forgive the unripe wheat first yellow), just when my friends have a great joy in life, because I often go out and can't contact, the result is a double happiness in Jufeng garden! Now that 30 years have passed, Jufengyuan has also been moved to other places with the demolition of Jiefang Road, but I still linger on the plate of Mapo tofu of that year.
In terms of taste, people can't end up with one in their lives, and they are always changing. Lack of oil and grain when the taste is heavy, partial meat, more spicy; in middle age, the taste is light, even after eating a lifetime of peppers, basically quit, this may be the palatable Jane! Jufengyuan's mapo tofu has always been on my heart.