Birthed in the 1970s and now available for purchase at Smorgasburg, Shorty Tang’s cold sesame noodles are the stuff of both legend and existentially gratifying eating.
The noodles — which were synonymous with the New York “Szechuan” food of the ’70s and ’80s — are plush and slippery, and come dressed in a scanty negligée of sweet, nutty sauce that’s got just enough spice to cool you off and make you sweat all in the same bite. Garnished with a scant few scallions, they slide down your throat and into your dreams, and make you long for a white cardboard takeout container, a pair of splintery chopsticks, and endless reruns of Cheers.
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