What I learned from noodles

A lot of us don't know what to do with diversity. As a nation we understand that the crux of who we are is rooted in our differences, but whether we fully accept that idea is an interesting question. Most of us have a set of preconceived notions when we encounter new situations. Sometimes it's an expectation and other times we are surprised by what we learn. It is important to keep an open mind, and like everyone else - for me it can be harder said than done.

As a holiday tradition at my new job we embarked on a noodle lunch in Chinatown. I've tried asian noodles before with my friend Kat - who is a ramen aficionado, but this was about hand-pulled noodles from the Chinese city of Xi'an. My expectation was for spicy, schezuan-type cuisine or possibly a noodle soup- something I knew. However, what I got was completely different: cumin-infused, papardelle-like noodles with lamb and cabbage. It was an intersection of Chinese and Middle Eastern flavors, and a nod to the importance of noodles in Chinese and Asian cuisine. I was pleasantly surprised.

Similar to New York City, Xi'an is a melting pot. It was the starting point of the Silk Road, which was a network of interlinking trade routes that connected Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, and parts of Africa - essentially a mass dissemenation of ideas, cultures, and goods. It is on this route where silk was brought to Europe, where Marco Polo (possibly) showed Italians what noodles were, and isolated cultures were exposed to urban areas.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, this is the first of many experiences I will have in 2013 to help me understand more about my purpose. What I've taken away from my noodle lunch is that it is only with the exchange of ideas that great, new things (like cumin noodles) can happen.For instance, so much of what makes NYC great today would not have happened without the influx of immigrants and their cultures to New York Harbor in the 19th century. Little Italy, Lower East Side pickles, Pan-Asian cuisine- the list could go on forever. When we are able to keep an open mind and evolve with the influences that surround us the output is usually something quite surprising.