The price of noodles in China

Noodle Prices Rise, Along With Chinese Tempers

One difference between China's remote west and the rest of the country is what people choose to put in their stomachs. Noodles, not rice, are the favorite dish, none more so than the steaming bowl of beef noodles named after this decaying provincial capital on the Yellow River.

So in February, as noodle patrons across the city arrived for their morning fix, an unexpected notice awaited them: The price of a bowl of Lanzhou pulled beef noodles was going up. A large bowl, once only 27 cents, would now cost almost 31 cents.

Four cents. An amount most of us wouldn't think twice about is enough to cause a full-blown controversy for those living on the margins.