I am fond of certain places for two primary reasons, two secondary reasons.
Primary reasons: the food, and the people who work there. These two are inextricably linked, as good food tastes much better with good people, and one can only think positively about someone who serves you something nice to eat. When your mouth is filled with buttery crumbs, your mind must smile.
Secondary reasons: price, and the presence or absence of tourists. These two are also linked, as often the lower priced places scare away foreign tourists, who at most wander in, say something unintelligible, look confused, and possibly buy a can of Coca Cola and/or the most recognizable item, to be shared by several people. Then wander out again as fast as their pudgy legs can carry them.
Discombobulation is fun to watch.
I'm a meanie.
My day-off jaunts to Chinatown are usually in the afternoon, because the other person in this apartment is a non-smoker, so I need to let the place air out for several hours to erase the odour of my indulgence.
Chinatown folks don't object to smoking on the street, whereas the downtown business district is infested with ultra-sensitive white people who start screaming at you if there's a pipe in your mouth.
Unless it's a pot pipe. Pot is green and therapeutic.
Vegans use it to boost their weak appetites.
Because they eat boring food.
Mary Jane.
PC.
Food items I really, really like, in no particular order: flaky charsiu rolls, egg tarts, red bean pastries, lienyong bing, pork floss buns, pork siu mai, rice sheet noodle with shrimp, chive and pork dumplings, chicken buns, rice porridge, rice stick noodles in any number of ways, five layer pork cooked with salt vegetables, bitter melon stirfried with pork or chicken, fish-flavour eggplant, steamed fish, mustard stalks with oyster sauce, steamed pork patty, roast duck, steamed fish, grilled pork, steamed fatty pork, long beans, spare ribs, and little bokchoi.
You will note that beef is not on this list.
Boo, beef industry, boo.
So, what significant things can I learn about myself from keeping a running list of the various eateries in Chinatown I visit regularly?
Other than that I am somewhat neurotic and cheap?
And off Monday, Wednesday, Thursday?
Plus a creature of habit.
Of course.
March 11: New Hollywood; morning snack.
March 12: Yummy Bakery; late afternoon tea.
March 16: Blossom Bakery; teatime.
March 18: Capitol Restaurant; dinner.
March 19: New Fortune; late lunch.
March 23: Yummy Dimsum & Fast Food: late lunch.
March 25: Blossom Bakery: afternoon snack.
March 26: Washington Bakery & Restaurant: snack.
March 30: New Fortune; lunch. Yummy Bakery; tea and snack.
April 1: New Moon Restaurant: roast duck rice. Blossom Bakery: teatime.
April 2: Washington Bakery & Restaurant; kongsi saammanji.
April 5: House of Dim Sum; snack. Capitol Restaurant; dinner.
April 6: New Fortune; lunch.
April 8: Man Kee; roast goose rice (late lunch).
April 9: Mexican somewhere on Polk Street; burrito de carnitas sin frijoles, con salsa picante.
April 13: Blossom Bakery; teatime.
April 15: Washington Bakery & Restaurant; kongsi saammanji.
April 16: House of Dim Sum; lo mai gai & wu gok.
April 20: New Fortune; late lunch.
April 22: Blossom Bakery; late afternoon - pork floss bun, egg tart, milk tea.
April 23: AA Bakery; two flaky charsiu rolls and milk tea at 6:30 PM.
April 27: Lan Tin on Powell; sesame ball and coffee at teatime.
April 29: Washington Bakery at suppertime; kongsi saammanji.
April 30: House of Dim Sum: dim sum at teatime.
May 4: New Moon Restaurant; roast duck rice.
May 6: Man Kee; roast goose rice.
May 7: AA Bakery; very late teatime.
May 11: Blossom Bakery; late teatime.
May 13: New Fortune; lunch. Washington Bakery & Restaurant; teatime snack.
May 14: stayed home all afternoon.
May 18: Kampo on Powell; early dinner - roast duck rice.
May 20: Washington Bakery and Restaurant; kongsi saammanji.
May 21: Blossom Bakery; teatime.
May 25: Capitol Restaurant; early dinner - chicken and bittermelon over rice.Washington Bakery & Restaurant; just a cup of hot milk tea after finishing a pipe.
May 27: New Fortune; late lunch - lo mai kai.
May 28: AA Bakery; very late tea time - charsiu turnover, egg tart.
June 1: New Moon Restaurant; late lunch - roast duck rice.
June 3: New Fortune; late lunch.
June 4: Blossom Bakery; teatime.
What jumps out is that roast duck trumps milk tea.
The places where I ate it did not have milk tea.
Teatime (4 - 5 PM) is extremely important.
And for some reason I cannot fathom I have an urge to eat a club sandwich every three weeks or so at the Washington Bakery & Restaurant. Perhaps it's the view of the street and the facing alley way from my preferred seat in the window. And the excellent milk tea.
Places visited most: New Fortune on Stockton for late lunch, Blossom Bakery on Waverly at teatime.
批：平園咖啡店&新華僑餐廳 。
You know, I very seldom have pie these days. I miss the Ping Yuen Coffeeshop, and also Sun Wah Kue. Both places had excellent pie.
Counter or table service, ice cream on top if you wished.
Pie is no longer really a Chinatown thing.
Next week, I think I'll have a kongsi saammanji.
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