"So good-ah, so good-ah!"

Racks of lamb flown in daily direct from Xinjiang.

Tonight was probably one of the best meals of my life. Or at least, in the last few weeks. Which is saying a lot, because I've sure had my share of good food. Tonight it was the Yisila Restaurant, the Xinjiang provincial office associated restaurant, with a fun-loving group of friends with whom I play foosball (incredibly poorly, I might add) after lunch often.

OMG.

I kind of wish I'd been born Uigher or something, so I could eat this kind of delicious food every day. Started with delightfully light, sweet, and tangy sheep's milk yogurt garnished with nuts and seeds.

Then, the very typical Uigher dish da pan ji, literally "big plate chicken," a huge dish of juicy chicken marinated in some magical sauce, over strips of handmade flat noodles.

Next came the yangrou chuar, or grilled lamb skewers dusted in spices, and two "sheep legs," which were pretty much just the bones with some meat clinging to the ends of it. There was a delicious tomato-based beef soup that was thickened with, I think, potatoes, very hearty and flavorful.

And then, the star of the evening, la tiao zi, or hand-pulled noodles. To look at them is not to be impressed, because it just looked like ordinary linguini in a bell pepper and onion sauce. But oh, oh, to slurp them up and chew them is heaven. There is nothing like fresh, hand-made noodles, so chewy and delectable, so unlike anything I've ever had in the States.

I want to cry to think that I won't be able to get this once I leave. I seriously consider taking one of the chefs home with me so I can start a Xinjiang-style restaurant in the states.

On the way home, Armin looked at how silly I was being and he's like, man, you don't need to drink at all, do you, you just eat food and it has the same effect as getting drunk. I was like, yup. I'm high on life, baby, high on life. :-P