Stop ordering spicy noodles with no spice

A personal message from the CEO of Xi'an Famous Foods.



Look, if you go to Xi'an Famous Foods and order your noodles "not spicy" -- honestly, what's the point? -- then complain that the food is "too bland," that shit is on you. I'm sorry, but you have made a bad life choice.

The New York City noodle chain has an important advisory for its customers: "Not Spicy = Not As Good." Xi'an's CEO Jason Wang recently posted a "personal message" to customers at the company's 14 locations, warning people that if they order certain menu items as "not spicy," they may be disappointed. You can have it the way you want it. Just know that the way you want it... does not taste good.

How Anthony Bourdain helped a Flushing family food stall become a New York noodle empire

Xi'an Famous Foods will donate 100% of Friday's net sales to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.



The tragic news of Anthony Bourdain's death by suicide stunned fans and colleagues of the internationally renown chef, television personality and world traveler, with a deluge of tributes to his unique life, career and legacy pouring out Friday across social media and beyond.

One such remembrance came from Jason Wang, CEO of New York City noodle chain Xi'an Famous Foods, who shared about the time Bourdain visited and ate at his family's tiny basement food stall in Flushing for Travel Channel's No Reservations in 2007. The endorsement lit a spotlight that helped propel Xi'an from a small noodle stand to a popular restaurant mini-empire boasting a dozen locations and counting.

Wang was still a college student at the time (and no idea who Bourdain was). But years later, he had the opportunity to tell Bourdain how that visit to his family's restaurant had changed their lives.

On Friday, June 8, in honor of Anthony Bourdain's memory, Xi'an Famous Foods will be donating 100 percent of all net sales to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Here's Wang's tribute, shared on social media:

The Princess of Asian Fusion

This is a really interesting Los Angeles Times profile on high-end Asian fusion restauranteur Elizabeth An, who says her experience living in a refugee camp as a child was a lesson in resourcefulness: How I Made It: Elizabeth An.