Oodles of Noodles | Stacey Wei: Part 1

Oodles of Noodles | Stacey Wei: Part 1

Artist, fellow noodle enthusiast, creative director and Boston turned Shanghai local, Stacey is the talented illustrator behind our latest print. Don’t you just love it?
 
Stacey Wei

Her knack for illustration was sparked by necessity, after realising the gap in education in China regarding health and hygiene. After weeks of doodling caricatures of strangers on buses, she wrote and illustrated a playful book for young Chinese girls called ‘Big Auntie is Coming’ – about menstruation, of course. 
And when we say ‘noodle enthusiast’, we don’t just mean she likes the odd bowl. Stacey is currently working on a Chinese Noodle Encyclopaedia, as both a platform for cultural understanding and an excuse to eat more noodles. 

Stacey Wei wearing Oodles of Noodles print


We asked Stacey to take us through the noodles featured in our "Oodles of Noodles" print.
 
Oat noodles - 莜面栲栳栳 
oodles of noodles - oat noodle
Soft, light texture with a mild taste, these iconic noodles are commonly found in Shanxi province and/or between our chopsticks. Paired with a small bowl of thick, rich tomato and garlic sauce, you simply tuck a napkin over your new linens, peel off a single noodle and dip it on it. Slurping essential. 

Knife cut noodles - 刀削面
oodles of noodles - knife cut noodles
Much like there is an art to creating your summer wardrobe, there is an art to crafting knife cut noodles. Though unlike your linens, noodles are cut, peeled or shaved from a large block of dough, then boiled before forming the base of soups, stir-fry or served alongside braised meats. In that regard they are quite different. 
 
Hand pulled noodles - 拉面
oodles of noodles - handpulled noodles
Known today by most as ‘Japanese ramen’ these noodles have deep roots in the mitts of Chinese chefs since way back. ‘La mian’ is traditionally twisted and stretched by hand, then banged against a table to produce the preferred thickness. What’s a savoury treat without a little table banging, am I right.   

Ummm...Anyone else hungry?
 
Shop Oodles of Noodles