Defining Dishes is a new IndyEats column that explores the significance of food at key moments in our lives. From recipes that have been passed down for generations, to flavours that hold a special place in our hearts, food shapes every part of our lives in ways we might not have ever imagined. My earliest memory of Taiwanese beef noodle soup is the first time I compared the version my mother makes and then going out to eat it at restaurants. It was just terrible outside the walls of my home, just a sad watery soup with no flavour. I was born in Washington DC but grew up in Orlando. In America, and even in some places in Taiwan, there are a lot of places that are lazy when it comes to making beef noodle soup. They just whip up a thin broth with ginger, spring onions, some type of chilli. Then there are other places trying to do expensive s***. They’ll try and promote it by saying, “Oh, I use dry aged beef” or “I use this super expensive stock”. But that’s all unnecessary. What Taiwanese beef noodle soup needs is time, not anything fancy. What do we do when we cook? We apply the right level of heat to the proper amount of time to the proper ratio of ingredients. That’s it. With this dish, the longer you let it simmer, the better it is. The flavour develops and becomes richer, the beef becomes fall-apart tender. It’s so simple and humble, all it takes is time. I make mine using two separate stocks. I make a master stock, which begins with simmering meat and bones for a long time so it becomes really flavourful. Then I make another stock with my aromatics – including ginger, spring onions, garlic, fresh chili peppers and dried red chili peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns – and sauces, like dark and light soy sauce and rice wine. Doing it separately allows me to strain the aromatics out and keep the broth really clean so that each bite is consistent. For the protein, I use beef shank and oxtail. The thing that sets my beef noodle soup apart is that I use chilli oil as well as fresh chilli for that acid kick. That’s something I haven’t seen other people do, most dishes use just chilli oil. I’m also quite loyal to tomatoes in my beef noodle soup. A lot of people make it with either tomato or no tomato, it’s one of those divisive things. People will ask, “Are you a tomato beef noodle soup guy or you’re not a tomato guy?” I’m a tomato guy because it gives the dish more umami and another layer of acidity. The chillies and tomatoes combined deliver different levels of acidity. Between those three, they cut through the fattiness of the beef. I don’t over-skim my soup either, I leave all the globs of fat in there to keep it rich, but the acidity stops it from being excessive. I’m agnostic about the type of noodle I use in my soup. I served it once to my homies with a really good number 10 Italian spaghetti, which is a finer noodle than regular spaghetti. They were like, “Yo, this is crazy”. It totally changed the dish, I’ve never had it like that. Most people use a Chinese wheat noodle, some do knife-cut noodles and others do hand-pulled. They’re all fine for me. I’m mainly here for the broth, which I’ll just drink a lot of the time. I do like knife-cut noodles though, I would love to try that. But mostly I will serve it with a Chinese wheat noodle or spaghetti, because it’s the closest you can get to wheat noodles if you can’t get them. The difference between my mum’s beef noodle soup and mine is that she doesn’t add the chilli oil and fresh chillies. But I have to say that my mum will tell you that my beef noodle soup smokes hers. It’s just that much better. She does not f*** with me anymore. There are certain dishes that I practice so much and she just says, “I’m not playing with you anymore, right?” But she’s still the best at home-style small dishes and stir fries, like baby dried fish with peanuts, red-cooked pork or lion’s head meatballs. But some other dishes, my mum gives me the nod. She doesn’t make them anymore, she’s like, “You make it”. It’s fun to say, “Alright, you taught me and I really, really mastered it”. I was never one to do it just like my mum. I was always going to learn how she does it and then I’m going to make it a little bit better. Beef noodle soup is incredibly close to my heart, it’s the only dish that occupied an entire chapter of my memoir, Fresh Off The Boat. I wrote at the time that the best part of beef noodle soup is that there are no rules and you can add whatever you like as long as it has the essentials: beef, noodle, and soup. I like it the most because there is nowhere to hide with this dish. Just take your time. Eddie Huang is the chef-founder of Baohaus. He wears many hats, including author, presenter and director. Read More Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’

RIJSWIJK, Netherlands & BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 10, 2023--

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With Wimbledon underway and Nick Kyrgios already out due to injury, is tennis actually any good for you? Every tournament brings fresh injuries into the public eye, but the sport’s praises are often sung by fitness fans all over the world. So, how does it weigh up health and safety-wise? Is it worth investing some time in the sport if you enjoy Wimbledon? Tennis elbow The most common injury in tennis is tennis elbow, says Lucy Macdonald, physiotherapist at Octopus Clinic, and it’s something which has affected the likes of Andy Murray and Venus Williams. “Tennis elbow is the generic term for pain in the elbow, normally where irritation of the tendon runs over the elbow.,” she says. “It is often caused by a sudden overload on a tendon, in a way it is not used to, and it cannot cope with the forces that are on it. Treating it involves modifying what you are doing. “It can also be caused by other racket sports, and even things like breastfeeding a baby or cutting hedges and gardening,” she explains. But, it isn’t the end of tennis dreams. You can treat it. “Do not completely rest, modify the load going through the elbow, reduce the frequency and longevity of playing tennis, but things like physical support and tape can also help. “Changing your technique to take pressure off the tendon can help,” Macdonald explains. “The long-term treatment is to gradually build up the resilience of the tendon – a top spin stroke adds the most pressure – and alongside that, use static contractions – exercises that are just contracting the muscle, holding it and then relaxing.” Wrist injuries Kyrgios has pulled out of Wimbledon already, due to a wrist injury. “People may get wrist injuries if they fall and fracture the wrist. Or if they get a repetitive strain injury – if you use your wrist a lot in terms of the strokes you use with a lot of topspin – you can get some overuse and cause a flare up,” says Macdonald. Ankles and knees “Being on a slippery court, it can be easy to go over on your ankle,” she continues. “It happens in a lot of sports, if you’re running for a ball or trying to change direction. “You might get some knee problems, as they take such a hit generally with any propulsive sport – you get wear and tear on the knees, and sudden twists could impact your medial meniscus. Strength training is the best thing for that.” The benefits Should you be worried about all these injuries if you want to start playing, though? “The main cause of injuries in tennis is the sporadic nature people play it. If they suddenly go and play once every few months, the body is not used to the movements required in tennis, ” Macdonald notes.“You may suddenly run across the court and strain your calf or rupture your Achilles, because you haven’t run in months. “If you play it regularly and are consistent with the amount you play, it can be really beneficial,” she says.Any exercise is good, but the social aspect of tennis is hugely motivating, if you’re meeting up with three friends to play tennis, you have to show up – it gets you exercising regularly if you do it consistently. Tennis is beneficial for “increasing your heart and breathing rate, which is really good for your cardio and respiratory system. It keeps the range of motion in your shoulders, improves your balance with direction changes, and reduces your risk of falling,” says Macdonald. So, don’t let the risk of injury put you off. “There are so many positives that outweigh the negatives. Exercise, in general, extends your life span, and every illness out there is reduced by doing exercise. Even though it may have some impact on our musculoskeletal system, it is overwhelmingly positive for your mental and physical health.”

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