My mom was and always has been plugged into the Chinese church, and it was there that she realized beef noodle soup far from her homeland could be more than what she was making. An elderly Taiwanese woman was making lunch for the congregation one day, and my mom begged her for her recipe. But she refused. Prized recipes weren’t shared willingly — many of the women in the church had one or more signature dishes that they prided themselves on and kept close to their chests.