Chinatown Neighboring Businesses

The restaurant Yee Li on the corner on Bayard and Elizabeth street had a gas fire a couple of weeks ago. The noise was so loud that it woke up everyone in the neighborhood. A good portion of the restaurant was burned out and renovations are currently taking place. This restaurant is owned by the same people who own Hsin Wong mid block.

Today, I went to Hsin Wong for my regular "som bow fan," where you get 3 dishes over rice. The owner insisted on treating me to dinner because I had treated him to ice cream on occasion a few months before. I was very touched by the gesture. Even though one of his restaurants just burned to a crisp, he chose to offer me a free meal.

Chinatown is beautiful in that way. It is a real community that cares about each other. Even though not all of us physically live in the area, the space connects us all.

CUPCAKES FOR AAWW

The Asian American Writer's Workshop is having their Literary Awards Reception today and they requested for some of my CICF cakes.

My friend, Ken Chen is the Executive Director of the workshop. Ken has been making efforts to be more involved in the Chinatown community so when he asked for 200 cupcakes, I couldn't turn him down. ( I think it could also be the fact that in his past career, he was a lawyer and convinced me without me knowing?) Just kidding...

In short, I was up all night making pandan cupcakes. For those of you who are unaware of what pandan is, it's a Malaysian leaf used to flavor a lot of desserts. If you ever go to a Malaysian bakery and wonder why all their pastries are green, it is probably because they are pandan flavored. This cupcake I created was inspired by our pandan ice cream that has been a big seller at our shop.

For more details on the Literary Awards Reception, visit http://www.aaww.org/

CHINATOWN, NYC

Chinatown is definitely my favorite place in NYC. I'm not only saying this for obvious reasons (such as we have the best ice cream) but because Chinatown has so much culture. It is always so lively, bustling with people.

Here, you can buy some of the best quality items for the cheapest prices. I will not buy my seafood, produce or meats anywhere else. Growing up, my father would always buy things fresh from Chinatown and cook them in our home in Queens. To this day, I still continue this tradition.

Chinatown also offers a variety of cusines. Some of the varieties are Cantonese, Shanghainese, Fujianese, Vietnamese, and Malaysian. Where else can you eat a delicious meal for about $5. That's even cheaper than fast food.

We also have museums, shopping, and our occasional festivals and parades. For more information you should check out www.explorechinatown.com.

And by the way...whatever you do in Chinatown, make sure to save room for ice cream! =)