Luodai: Hakka Village Food in the Land of Chiles

A broad stone-paved pedestrian boulevard leads to a five-tier pagoda. Shopkeepers beckon with bubbling soup tonics, leaf-wrapped sticky rice on sticks, and tiny cups of sweet yellow rice wine. People gather in courtyards under leafy trees to drink tea and shuffle mahjong tiles in a noisy click-and-clack. Some sit back to have their ears cleaned by a slender man equipped with long-handled scoops and brushes to dig wax and debris from the ear canal. Customers line up to buy bowls of hand-cut rice noodles with a choice of spicy toppings. Shiny black rickshaws with red seats attended by gray-uniformed drivers stand ready to serve riders. People leisurely stroll by.