HUNGRY GERALD

These were the dishes HG ate on date night with HG’s beautiful teenage girl friend. Neighborhood Chinese restaurants were cozy, welcoming—and cheap. HG would order pork chow mein and HG’s shapely companion would order shrimp chop suey.  We shared. This was preceded by egg drop or won ton soup. Dessert was almond cookies. Cost for the meal: $1.00 (Fifty cents each). HG found the food delicious and would bring back memories by ordering yummy and messy chow mein sandwiches at the Nathan’s outpost near Times Square (Even Mimi Sheraton, the former NY Times food critic, wrote nostalgically about her Brooklyn chow mein of the past and wished it would return.) Chop suey and chow mein were introduced to America by the Chinese cooks feeding the workers building the cross country western railroads.