Arrived at LaGuardia Airport following the usual flight delays and discomforts. Friday night traffic in New York was a mad maze and HG/BSK were mighty hungry after checking in at the Hanbee Bowery Hotel in Chinatown. SJ provided the remedy. A block from the hotel was Ninh Kieu, a wildly eccentric Vietnamese restaurant with steaming bowls of beef pho, crispy spring rolls, stir fried water spinach and thin squares of pork grilled with lemongrass. Next morning HG/BSK met Vancouver pals Jamie and Karen, plus HG’s Restaurateur Daughter Victoria at Big Wong King, a traditional Cantonese restaurant on Mott Street. Grim decor. Abrupt service. Super busy (with good reason). This is real Chinatown. Fresh, flavorful cheap food. The group had two types of congee — pork and fish. No stinting on the ingredients. Just the best congee ever. Spicy Mo Pu Tofu and exquisitely cooked firm slices of eggplant in garlic sauce. Crispy Chinese crullers accompanied the congee. Rice crepes and tea. A happy meal for next to nothing. Tonight is the 50th Wedding Anniversary Party for HG and BSK. Dim Sum A Go Go is the venue. Some 50 years ago, HG and BSK’s first date was in Chinatown. So, the non-stop Chinatown fressing brings back many joyous, tasty and sentimental memories.
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