Happy long life noodles to you all!

When I was living in Adelaide, I would often buy packets of dried "Long Life Noodles" from a little shop in Chinatown, near the Central Market. They were a pantry staple of mine and I would use them as a standby in case I couldn't get fresh noodles for a dish I was making.

It wasn't until recently when I took my wife, Ellen, on holiday to Adelaide that I found out they weren't called "Long Life Noodles" for their excellent shelf life, but for their use in celebrating birthdays in China!

Last week marked my fourth birthday in China - although I'm actually 10 times that age. Turning 40 was something of a milestone to me, so I intended to celebrate it in style.