In Search of a Chinatown

             I love food. Probably a little bit too much. I am not embarrassed to say that 90% of the time the local cuisine is the single greatest factor for me in choosing a travel destination (okay maybe a little bit embarrassed).

(Oyster Omelettes in Taiwan)

            Honestly, how can you not love food? There are so many meats, vegetables, insects, sauces, and M&Ms (y'know, the five food groups) out there to try. Quaffing down bizarre and fascinating foods often lead to some of the best travel memories. The unforgettable experience of gobbling down SIX balut in Vietnam, much to the wide-eyed horror of the other American and British tour group members, is one that will stick with me forever.

(BBQ Duck Fetus... MMMmmmm)

            When I travel, there’s something I do that is a little bit weird. Yes, I always eagerly dive into the local delicacies, but so do a lot of people. I also have been known to get a bit home sick on longer trips and find a local burger place. I like American food too. So do a lot of people. Sue me. But there is a third food culture that I look for in every country that I go to: Chinatowns.

(Philly's Chinatown has a lot of the fun, chaotic energy of the actual country)

            Chinese food is incredibly popular all over the world, but it is also completely different in every country in which it is eaten. The process of industrious immigrants taking local ingredients and incorporating the local palate into their cooking has led to a virtually unlimited number of local variance in how dishes are prepared. These local variances are where the fun comes in. If a Chinese restaurant is going to be successful, it needs to appeal to the people that are native to the town. Chinese restaurants in metro Detroit need to be appetizing to Detroiters, just as Chinese restaurants in Lima need to be tasty to Limeños (yeah, that's right, I know all my demonyms).

(Peruvian Chinese Food is called "Chifa", which is probably a bastardization of "Chi Fan" or 吃饭, which is Mandarin for "to eat rice")

            This obsession, er, hobby of mine definitely started when I moved to China for a year. After growing up as a huge fan of "Chinese food", it was really quite a shock for me to experience the real McCoy (Or the real Huang, as it were). Chinese food (or as it's more commonly known in China: food) was so completely different from what I had grown up eating that it really blew my mind. The flavors were deep, complex, spicy, and intoxicating. Sauces were sweet without being sugary, and no one in China had EVER heard of "General Tso's". 

             Hands down my favorite place to eat in all of China was the tiny Sichuan place less than a block from my apartment. I went there so often during our year in China that the entire family came to know me. The owner lady was always patient when I tried to speak Chinese to her, and she was always eager to offer me her favorite dish (which was pig colons, by the way. They tasted good but smelled like you'd expect). Her two daughters were always very cute, her husband was always very helpful, and her 95 year old grandmother eventually warmed up to us enough that she stopped grimacing and spitting at our feet! (Just kidding... she never stopped doing that).

            My curiosity led me to a wonderful book by Yong Chen called Chop Suey USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America. I recommend it whole-heartedly, and it gives the history of one of the USA's most unique food cultures much more eloquently than I can. I happened to read this book while taking a train trip through Thailand, and it got me thinking: If the USA and China have such distinct takes on Chinese food, then what could Thai Chinese food be like?

(Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the world's oldest and largest)

            Ever since that fateful (and HOT.... oh my God I'll never forget the HEAT) train ride, I've made it a mission to check out every Chinatown I can. By my count, I've now been to more than 10 Chinatowns all over the world. These stops include:

• Detroit, Michigan (Detroit used to have a very small Chinatown, but it no longer exists. I've been to the intersection where it used to be, as well as to Madison Heights, Michigan where a very large Chinese American community lives)
• Chicago, Illinois
• Orlando, Florida
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Toronto, Canada
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Lima, Peru
• Manila, Philippines
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Singapore
• Java, Indonesia

(Singapore's Chinatown is more touristy and less of an actual town)

             I've also eaten Chinese food in Germany, and obviously experienced a variety of different regional cuisines in China itself (not to mention Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).

            During these different experiences eating and sightseeing in Chinatowns I have learned much. Some of my most memorable moments are as follows:

• Ordering a "Chinabox" in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. The husband and wife who owned the restaurant couldn't speak English, and I couldn't speak Chinese, but we both were able to speak German. It was a surreal experience ordering Chinese food from Chinese people auf Deutsch.
• Discovering Barrio Chino, the "world's smallest Chinatown", in Mexico City, Mexico. It was barely 1/2 of a city block, and the city appears to have set up a dilapidated boombox in the corner to play classical Chinese music 24/7. The waiter at the restaurant was sure to bring out lots of extra peppers and hot sauce for our dishes.
• Going to "Snake Alley" in Taipei, Taiwan and ordering the local specialty: snake soup. It tasted kind of like chicken and was extremely boney. The shop owners were so impressed that an American wanted some snake that they gave me a round of "medicinal liquors" made from snake bile, snake venom, and snake blood. They were gross, but when you're in snake alley and the woman selling snakes is telling you to drink her snake blood you do it.
• Taking my mother out for real Dim Sum in Detroit shortly after I got back from China. It was incredibly fun sharing the food I'd spent the last year eating with her, and she honestly couldn't believe some of the stuff that was being offered. She was a good sport, but was unwilling to try the chicken feet.

(There was much more of an emphasis on seafood in actual Chinese food)

            Food-based travel is a wonderful opportunity to learn (and a great way to justify gaining a few pounds: "I have to eat this weird candy bar, because I'm LEARNING about it"). Despite our differences, humanity the entire world over gathers together to eat and share food. It is an important piece of every culture, and one that is perhaps the most accessible. Do not limit yourself food-wise when traveling. Every meal (and in-between snack (I can hear your judgement from here, stop it)) can teach you more about the place you are visiting, as well as teaching you more about where you come from. Eating food that is from a third country entirely can give you insights into how other countries view one another when you aren't "in the room". Plus, if I haven't hammered this point home enough, most food is just real damn good.

(But I'll be honest, some of the food in China was kind of shitty)

            Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and get a snack...