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From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Asian Dining Rules'

There is this Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown NY, Cong Ly, one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants, that has a "House Special Rice" on there menu. There is no description. You think to yourself, is there meat? Are there veggies? Am I going to get frogs and feet with rice? Sometimes I find it difficult to order from Asian places (and I'm Asian American) because it has the worst description. But what I've learned is, always order a house special dish even if you don't know what you'll be getting yourself into. It happens to be one of their best dishes on their menu with grilled porkchops, shredded pork and a steamed egg cake which is fabulous!

This brings me to my next point of hidden things beyond the exterior. There are many Chinese restaurants where there is a "secret" menu that's all in Chinese. Most likely, when you walk in, and you're not Asian, even if you are Asian but you look like you don't know how to read and speak, they'll give you the "tourist" English menu which normally has microwaved food. So note to self, always bring someone who knows how to read Chinese or ask for the Chinese menu and hope that there is English on it too. Some of the Chinese menus still have scarce English descriptions on it.

From Serious Eats: New York

Dim Sum at 88 Palace in Manhattan Chinatown

you should go to Guangzhou restaurant 136-59 37th Avenue (between Main and Union streets)

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From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Asian Dining Rules'

There is this Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown NY, Cong Ly, one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants, that has a "House Special Rice" on there menu. There is no description. You think to yourself, is there meat? Are there veggies? Am I going to get frogs and feet with rice? Sometimes I find it difficult to order from Asian places (and I'm Asian American) because it has the worst description. But what I've learned is, always order a house special dish even if you don't know what you'll be getting yourself into. It happens to be one of their best dishes on their menu with grilled porkchops, shredded pork and a steamed egg cake which is fabulous!

This brings me to my next point of hidden things beyond the exterior. There are many Chinese restaurants where there is a "secret" menu that's all in Chinese. Most likely, when you walk in, and you're not Asian, even if you are Asian but you look like you don't know how to read and speak, they'll give you the "tourist" English menu which normally has microwaved food. So note to self, always bring someone who knows how to read Chinese or ask for the Chinese menu and hope that there is English on it too. Some of the Chinese menus still have scarce English descriptions on it.

From Serious Eats: New York

Dim Sum at 88 Palace in Manhattan Chinatown

you should go to Guangzhou restaurant 136-59 37th Avenue (between Main and Union streets)

From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Asian Dining Rules'

Just realized I never formally announced winners here in this space. My bad. We all had a look-see through the amazing stories here, and these emerged as our faves once we balloted in secret and compared notes:

jellybeans
tina_eats
astiles55
cdziuba
pequenalooloo

Thanks -- I think ;) -- to everyone who shared their stories of mortifying proportions. We cringed as we went through this thread.

From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Asian Dining Rules'

We were all out eating dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse, doing the Hibachi thing one evening. All of us consisted of myself, my husband, and our two daughters, ages 3 and 5 at the time. The girls love to eat with chopsticks, even though they were still using the ones fastened with a rubber band, to make it easier for children to use. Well, my older daughter was playing around, and threw her chopsticks at her daddy. He retrieved them for her, and in a stern voice, told her to do it again, and see what happened. He was being sarcastic, of course, and meant for her to not do it again. Well, she did as she was told, and threw them at him again, as I busted up laughing at him. I had to gently remind him that children her age do not 'get' sarcasm yet, and she was only doing as he said. He sheepishly had to agree with me, and even though I was trying hard to regain my composure and stop laughing, I was also a bit mortified at the actions of my child AND my husband.

From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'Asian Dining Rules'

I've taught our daughter to try something new every time she has the chance. Well, that's tough to say when her dad orders the same thing every time we go out for asian food: Teriyaki chicken. The last time we went out to eat, she shocked both of us by ordering sea urchin sushi. Oh, my!

From Serious Eats: New York

Dim Sum at 88 Palace in Manhattan Chinatown

Mantou (cantonese - mahn-tuhw) is usually served steamed in Canton/Guangzhou China for 'Drink Tea' - aka Yum Cha - aka Dim Sum
It is also served with some dinners.

Steaming is of course lighter and therefore healthier than heavy, oily, fried,... You can also soak up sauces,.. AND it's semi palate cleansing so you can taste delicate flavors in your next dish.
Enjoy!

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