THE CHINESE FISH

Every year about this time we white people go through a "Chinese Phase". Here in the Bay Area, at least. We hear about Chinese New Year (which happened on January 28 this time), and decide to acknowledge the great five thousand year-old culture and spirituality of our neighbors -- who have probably been here longer than us, because this region was populated by Italians and Chinese way before the Irish came here -- by either spouting meaningful stuff about Buddhism and the animal under which we were born, OR dining at Chef Dong's down at the strip mall.

Egg foo young and egg rolls.

Sho' nuff.

Because "Chinese food" isn't really "Chinese food".

Somewhere there's a Cantonese person, at this very moment, looking at a can of tuna speculatively and wondering whether it would benefit from ginger and scallion. Tuna chow mein. Total breakfast.
He'll take the plunge, and then fine-tune the recipe for family events.
Outer-Sunset Tuna Noodle Casserole.


Here is some real Chinese food:

CHE JAI MIN (車仔麵)


The Chinese have been doing 'fusion' longer than anybody else. As anyone who has ever eaten cooked lettuce or black bean asparagus chicken can attest. Also, for some bizarre reason many of the restaurants that cater to a primarily Chinese clientele near my neighborhood have broccoli beef on the menu, which more than anything proves that they'll happily incorporate inedible white stuff in their cuisine. Broccoli, good lord.

Broccoli is probably great with canned tuna.

Perhaps they'll eventually try chicken chow mein.



Yes, the Chinese do consume canned tuna.
No, I haven't tried a 吞拿魚包。




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