In Dali Old Town, I ate Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles in the clouds.

As the March Street Fair filled the old town with hustle and bustle, I turned into an alley next to the Martial Temple. Pushing open the weathered wooden door of the Yi Jia Courtyard 🏡, I was greeted by a miniature cloudscape formed by 150°C broth— It turns out *A Bite of China* wasn't lying. The ritual of Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles truly transcends time and space. 🛵 Location: No. 53 Bo'ai Road, Old Town, right by the Wucheng Gate of the Martial Temple; 🍜 Their Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles is a 98% Instagrammable performance art: 1⃣️ A black pottery bowl filled with 270°C boiling broth (the waiter repeatedly reminded me to poach the quail eggs first) 2⃣️ A 12-compartment wooden box containing the secret code of snow mountain matsutake + Erhai Lake shrimp 🦐 + Nuodeng ham 3⃣️ The moment the rice noodles enter the broth, the steam transforms the wabi-sabi style dry landscape into an ink painting ❤️ What struck me most was the hidden Dali code: The broth is simmered with Cang Mountain spring water for 6 hours. On my third sip, I suddenly realized— "Hey? Isn't this the taste of a moonlit night on Erhai Lake mixed with the moss at the foot of the ancient city walls?" The owner has elevated wabi-sabi to a philosophy: ➊ Cracked earthenware pots filled with seasonal flowers 🌼, more appealing to the artistic soul than any retouched photo ➋ Paper lanterns 🏮 hanging from old wooden beams, reciting the poems of Li Yuanyang after nightfall ➌ The most stunning feature is the courtyard pond—water flows from a hollowed-out Cang Mountain stone, exuding a sense of Zen A little secret: Even the tea served while waiting is in Song Dynasty blue and white porcelain style, and it's delicious! Before leaving, I glimpsed a line on the wishing wall: "May everyone who eats this bowl of noodles receive the aura of Dali" So I left behind half a riddle— 【Broth → Meat → Vegetables → Noodles】or【Noodles → Broth → Vegetables → Meat】❓ What's the order of your Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles ritual? Share it with me in the comments, and @ the person you'd most like to share this bowl of "clouds" with.