Breaking Wet Noodles

Chinese Communion— Breaking Wet Noodles

For almost 2000 years, Christians have ‘broken bread’ together during Communion (Shèngcān 圣餐). But what about Christians who don’t have bread to break?

Until the mid 1990s, Christians in Xīnjiē Church celebrated communion not with bread but little squares of noodles. Personally, I liked the chewy texture, and the Chinese wine packed more punch than the grape juice.

Though now I see why communion cups are so tiny: to make sure we’re in the Spirit and not in the spirits.

Alas, Xiàmén churches have modernized. Now they use the round, flat imported bona fide communion wafers that look and taste like Styrofoam. Granted, they look nice, with that little cross stamped on them. It would have been tough stamping those crosses on wet noodles. But I kind of miss the noodles.
The wine’s still good, though.