Chronicles the author’s culinary and personal journey along the ancient Silk Road—from Beijing all the way to Rome. As a newlywed, Jen Lin-Liu becomes curious: how did noodles migrate and transform across cultures? This curiosity sends her into kitchens, markets, and private homes across China, Central Asia, Iran, Turkey, and into Italy. Along the way she samples and helps cook dumplings, manti, pasta, and other noodle-based dishes, listening to stories from home cooks, exploring cultural connections, and reflecting on migration, identity, and marriage. Her discoveries show how food can carry history, memory, and human connection across borders