Foodhism Monthly - The Noodle Issue - 2026

Welcome to The Noodle Issue of Foodhism Monthly

There is something quietly profound about a bowl of noodles. It doesn’t matter where inthe world you find yourself — a plastic chair on a Hanoi street, a grandmother’s kitchen inWarsaw, a Roman trattoria, or a late-night ramen counter in Tokyo — noodles have a way of making you feel like you belong exactly where you are. This issue is a love letter to thatfeeling.

Inside, we travel the world one bowl at a time. Oliver Finch takes us to Rome for the pastasthat built a culinary legacy. Marcus Webb sits down on that tiny plastic chair in Hanoi for a bowl of bún chả and a quiet tribute to Anthony Bourdain. Ali Parker sets the record straight on what real pad Thai actually tastes like, and Arthur Telman untangles the age-oldquestion of chow mein versus lo mein once and for all. Janet Stevenson explores theremarkable cultural weight carried by a single, unbroken strand of changshou mian. And Thomas Hughes offers something a little more tender — a short story about an 80-year-oldnoodle master, and what it means when a door closes for the last time.

Our featured chefs bring the noodle spirit into the home kitchen with warmth and creativity.Chef Eva explores how culture and technique shape the way we eat with her recipe for biang biang noodles. Carol goes culinary detective on Yum Woon Sen. Brontë brings farm-fresh pho ga to the table. Michele serves up shrimp and clams, Casa Michele’s style. Agata’s Polish rosół comes with homemade noodles. Glenda reinvents a childhoodfavourite with a lamb twist. Jenny works her magic with a creamy chicken saffron pasta. Lygdda brings a little bit of Italy to the islands with her Puerto Rican spaghetti. And Lora rounds things out with her beloved Vegetable Hakka Noodles. Chef Caleb Trembley also returns to the Foodlab with a deep dive into San Marzano tomatoes, and Chef Marco Dellavecchia breaks down the mystery of pasta numbering once and for all.

Whether noodles take you back to a childhood memory or somewhere you’ve never been, we hope this issue reminds you that the most meaningful meals are rarely complicated. They just need to be made with love — and maybe a really good pot of boiling water.

Ken Berry, Editor-in-Chief

No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!