Only days after telling you of the record number of fires breaking out around Liuzhou, I spot yet another. This one is more interesting from a gastronomic and a linguistic viewpoint, however.
The fire in question took place in a small noodle shop which specialises in Liuzhou's most famous dish, Lousifen (pronounced Low Si Fun). I’ve eaten here. Lousifen is rice noodles in a snail stock with chilli, greens and various other flavourings. A cheap and simple dish. But hot!
It seems no great damage was done. But I do spot somethng of interest. The sign on the shop front (to the right) advertises the lousifen using the characters below.
The headline to the article uses these. (The first three characters of the headline.)
As you can see the second character is different. Whch is correct?
This is something I've come across before. Despite it being Liuzhou's signature dish, few locals can write it correctly. A few years ago, I asked a class of local university students to write it down. Around 50% got it wrong. Later that day, I asked their lecturers and professors to write it down. They all got it wrong!
I’ve seen both variations on lousifen shops.
Here, the shop is correct; the news report is wrong.
It should be

It is heartening to know that it is not just we laowai who get Chinese wrong, although we do infinitely more often!
tags: lousifen noodles fire liuzhou ?? writing china
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