Chai Cuifen (柴翠芬), the owner of a well-known rice noodle shop, introduces her signature dishes in Jinning County, Kunming. [Photo/ Zhou Mi]

Chai Cuifen (柴翠芬), the owner of a rice noodles(noodles that are made from rice) shop, earns herself a nickname of "Hualaonai" (Laonai is the nickname of grandmother or the senior women in Yunnan). She enjoys creating new ways to cook rice noodles. Her shop is called Hualaonai Rice Noodles with Tofu Pudding. It is well-known with the growing customers in Jingning County of Kunming.

One night in 2004, her business was temporarily suspended for decoration. It was a real opportunity for Chai to enjoy the early sleeping. However, she was awaked by a knock at the door. "Excuse me and sorry for disturbing," said a man whose friend had returned to China from abroad and changed his schedule on special in order to have a taste of Chai’s rice noodles. Unfortunately, they met the shop under decoration and had to come to Chai directly.

Rice noodle is a common Yunnan cuisine which can be found in every corner in Kunming, but why a bowl of rice noodles is so attractive?

Inheriting from her mother's, 26-year-old Chai stalled and sold the cool rice noodles thirty years ago. Though offering only two flavors, this stall witnessed numerous customers. Chai had considered diversifying the menus and offering more choices for her customers.

Obsessed by attempting new dishes, she tried to cook new flavors if she had tasted something new. The dinner table at home had worked as the "experimental lab" for her new recipes. Later, she launched more than ten signature dishes.

With good reputation, her shop has attracted more than Chinese, and one can found people with different accents and even foreigners here.

Crowding customers queue up outside the shop during festivals. So Chai planned to open some outlets and extend marketing channels, expecting more people's acquaintances in the urban areas of Kunming and Jinning County.

Chai registered her trademark and founded Hualaonai Catering Limited Company in 2004. Optimistic and fondness of colorful cloths, Chai had become a symbol of her shop and people usually ignore her name and call her “Hualaonai” gradually.

People who wanted to share the recipes of "Hualaonai" rice noodles visited her frequently, but none of them succeeded. "I prefer putting quality before quantity," said Chai who preserves the good reputation and recipes which she had gain through toilsome work.

(Editors:Lynn, Minnie Mao)

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