When I think back on my trip to Club Med Guilin, one of the most memorable experiences wasn't the mountains, the shows, or even the Zen pool. It was a simple bowl of Guilin mi xian (rice noodles).
What makes this dish special isn't just the noodles themselves, but the way you prepare before you eat this dish. You don't just sit down and slurp — you build it. Start with the soft, springy rice noodles, add a ladle of the broth/brine, then toss in your toppings: fried peanuts, Guilin chili, sour pickles. Most people will also add chopped spring onion and coriander but I won't.
Next, mix it up, taste, and adjust. Maybe you'll want a little more crunch, a bit more sour, or an extra kick of spice. In the end, no two bowls are ever exactly the same.
And that's when it hit me: Guilin mi xian is more than food. It's a reminder that life is meant to be customised. You don't have to follow the same "recipe" as everyone else — you get to decide how spicy, how simple, or how bold your own bowl should be.
That felt especially true for me in Guilin. At Club Med, the schedule is packed with activities — trapeze, pool games, archery. But instead of running around trying to do it all, I chose to slow down, sit back, and savour small things. Like a mojito at sunset. Like the mist curling around the mountains. And yes — like this bowl of noodles, layered with flavour, just the way I liked it.
Sometimes the best memories aren't about doing everything, but about choosing what to mix in and what to leave out. Just like Guilin mi xian, life is better when you make it your own.
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