Thanks to its tropical climate, the south is the ‘rice bowl’ of China. Farmers have been planting and farming rice since ancient times, making the grain the staple of the south.  Dishes tend to be served with rice instead of noodles, and even when they eat noodles, they’re usually made of rice! (米粉 mǐfěn) ON THE CONTRARY || The north of China is more suited to farming wheat. So, noodles (面 miàn), steamed buns (馒头 mántou) and bread are the typical staples here.