SUMMER ICE CREAM TASTING AT THE MERCEDES SHOWROOM

On August 7^th ,2007 Asian Women in Business (AWIB) will be hosting an ice cream tasting event at the Mercedes Showroom on Park Avenue. They will be featuring Chinatown Ice Cream Factory’s lychee, mango, black sesame, taro, green tea ice creams. Free wine will also be provided. Attendees will also be allowed to sit in the Mercedes vehicles and take pictures.

Fancy Cars, wine, & my favorite: ICE CREAM! Sounds like a summertime blast to me!

$20 for AWIB Members, $40 for Non-Members

For more information visit www.awib.org

Comments about the recommendations on my blog

Today I realized that there is that forever recurring problem that comes along with giving people recommendations. What if the service that you get is not the same as the service that the other person gets? Would that person find all of your other recommendations invalid?

If there is any problem with any of the places that I have recommended on my blog, I encourage my readers to email me and let me know. When I recommend something, I full heartily endorse all of these establishments before putting it up on my blog.

My email: christinaseid@chinatownicecreamfactory.com

Excellent Pork Chop House

Because I spend most of my waking hours in Chinatown and because I love to eat; I know all the eateries. I really love the Excellent Pork Chop House which is located on Doyers street. It's right across the street from the post office.

The Excellent Pork Chop House is indeed "excellent". The food is oh so yummy to my tummy. I think a meal there would cost you a little under $6.

If you haven't guessed from their name; pork chops are their specialty. They are also served with one of my favorite sides: tea eggs.

This is one of many hidden eating treasures in C- Town.
The Excellent Pork Chop House (212)791-7007

CLOGGED ARTERIES

Jan is one of my favorite customers. His family is one of the oldest in the Chinatown community. He owns Sinotique (located on 19A Mott Street) and has produced a very important documentary that I think everyone should watch...

The short film talks about how affects of 9/11 on the Chinatown community. Many cars have been illegally parking on our narrow streets which makes it hard for businesses to operate. When it's hard to find parking, it's hard for us to recieve our deliveries. It also makes it hard for our customers to come into Chinatown.

Not only is this traffic congestion bad for businesses but for general members of the community. Chinatown has a very large aged population and it is already very difficult for the ambulances to navigate in the city without having to deal with this extra parking drama.

Before hearing about Clogged Arteries, I had contacted Jan for an interview for my radio diary. Out of all the interviews that I conducted (which were a lot!), I found his to be one of the most informative. Although we run a business in Chinatown, I was not aware of a lot of the issues that he brought up in his documentary.

I also shared with Jan the disappointments that I faced in my interviews. I was extremely disappointed that ome of the young people in the community didn't want to take the time to be included. They didn't seem to see the importance of telling people how our community was affected.

Jan gave me some words of encouragement that really lifted my spirits. "Young people have a responsibility to the community because they speak English. Say something and do something. Whether it's creating a documentary or picking up a mic and being on the radio, you have to do something."

I really admire Jan's activism in the Chinatown community. Awesome work Jan! Chinatown is lucky to have people like you!


It can be viewed on youtube.com. Just type in the keyword: Clogged Arteries.

BENEFIT DINNERS FOR THE ASIAN COMMUNITY

In NYC, many of us tend to splurge here and there on a fancy dinner. What cooler way to enjoy a night out on the town while supporting the Asian American community? Listed below are some of the benefit dinners that are going on in the community. I love these organizations so much, that I will personally be attending all of them.

Asian Women in Business (AWIB) Leadership Awards Dinner will take place October 16th (Tuesday) at the Hilton. AWIB is one of my favorite Asian American organizations. For more information check out www.awib.org

Project by Project's (PBP) Food and Wine Tasting Event- October 5th (Friday)
I'm the manger of publicity for PBP so I'll be working most of the night. Last year, I attended as a dessert purveyor for CICF. PBP's events are always a blast with great food!
For more information, check out: www.projectbyproject.org

NY Asian Women's Center Gala- This organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary at TriBeCa Rooftop. It will be held, October 10th (Wednesday).
www.nyawc.org/events/upcoming.html


Hope to see you guys there!

LUNAR STAGES-In Columbus Park

On May 31st, June 7th & 14th 2007 there will be free performances and screenings in Columbus Park which is located on Bayard and Mulberry Streets.

Performances will include tai chi, roving puppets and interactive art projects.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful! There's no better way to enjoy the spring than camping out with some snacks and a blanket in the park to catch a free movie and live performances!

For more information check out www.lunarstages.com

CHINATOWN'S BUSES

I find it amazing how over the years, Chinatown has managed to link itself through it's own forms of transportation to communities all over the city as well as the state.

The other "unofficial Chinatowns" are in Flushing and Brooklyn NYC which are all linked together through this shuttle bus system. For a mere $2.50 you can catch one of these buses that leave every half hour or whenever it gets full. It's cheap and convenient.

Many people outside of the Chinatown community have heard of the Fung Wah Buses which run from the NYC Chinatown to the Boston Chinatown. I think right now for a round trip ticket it is about $25 which is about what you would pay for a cab one way from Chinatown to the Upper West Side. $25 is so ridiculously cheap. You can buy tickets right next to the Buddhist Temple on Canal and Bowery.

Another bus company that runs between Boston and NY's Chinatown is the Lucky Star. My friend from Boston says that since less people know about this bus line, lines tend to be shorter.
Similar deals can be found for places such as Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Richmond Virginia. You can buy tickets under the train overpass on East Broadway & Division.

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Tomorrow is the first day of May which also marks the beginning of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APA).

For those of us who are of Asian descent, Asian Pacific Heritage Month should remind us how important it is to reflect on our history and to get involved in our community. For others who are of other ethnicities, festivities and events during this month provide opportunities to learn about our history and culture.

A huge event in the NYC area that celebrates our culture is the CAPA Festival. Throughout the day, there will be loads of entertainmentt to highlight Asian Pacific Culture. These things include Martial Arts demonstrations, Arts & Crafts tables, a Children's Program, a Theme Exhibit, a Performance Stage, a Mini-Film Festival.

If you're interested in getting involved in the Asian community, CAPA is a great event to attend. There will be information booths for various volunteer organizations. I will be at the Project by Project volunteer table, so come say "hi" to me! =) For more information on volunteer opportunities for PBP: www.projectbyproject.org.

This event takes place in Union Square Park. For more information www.capaonline.org

Other organizations to check out that are holding events are :
* The Asia Society
* The China Institute
* The Korea Society
* The Japan Society
* The Museum of the Chinese in the Americas

And of course, one of the most convenient ways to connect to the Asian community is to come to Chinatown. You can do this not only during APA month, but any other day of the year. Chinatown is so rich in culture with our museums, food, shopping and ICE CREAM!

NYU's Hong Kong Association

One of my kids, Jamie Zhen (AKA JZ) is going to be in a breakdance routine in NYU's HK Night tommorrow. It's going to take place at Kimmel Center E&L Auditorium, 4th Floor. It's only $10 for admission & $7 for NYU students. Now, I call that a great deal for anything in NYC.

There's going to be drama, dancing, raffle prizes, games & a live band performance. Sounds like a blast for those of you who haven't already made plans for tommorrow night.

I would 110 percent be there, but my sister's graduating from UMICH so I'll be out of state. I will be there in spirit.

For more information: http://www.nyu.edu/clubs/hksa/files/sensations2k7_playbill.pdf


Momma Chris loves you JZ!

GLASSES AND CONTACTS

I finally got my first pair of real glasses. I was actually surprised to find out that many of the opticals in Chinatown actually do accept insurance such as GHI.

I hear that the opticals down here have some of the best prices in the city and will get you in and out with the quickness. This goes in line with my theory that Chinatown offers the best prices for almost all goods.

I went to Mott Street Optical (located at the corner of Mott and Bayard). They actually have quite a selection of frames and brands. The optometrist that works there was very friendly and helpful. She recommended that I get a pair of reading glasses which has really opened up a new world of vision to me.

Because I am hoping to attract some smart boys who like smart girls; I grabbed the nerdiest frames I could find. So in the end, I wound up with a pair of Prada frames with the lenses and an eye exam for $245 (with my GHI).

TASTE OF CHINATOWN-APRIL 21, 2007

This event was created as part of the Explore Chinatown Campaign (www.explorechinatown.com). Taste of Chinatown offers both $1 and $2 sampling plates from participating restaurants. Different cuisines include Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Singaporean, Thai, Japanese, Asian Fusion, & more.

This year, the event will also be offering different types of cultural entertainment, such a lion dancing and Japanese Taiko drum playing. There will also be a fortune cookie writing contest.

Please keep in mind that most of these restaurants do not make a profit off of giving their tastes. This is a promotional event for the Chinatown community, so please keep in mind that the same customer etiquette pertains to this tasting event as any other day.

Although CICF does not participate in the Taste of Chinatown, we do consider it to be one of the greatest events of the year. It exposes people to what our community is about and it helps bring in interest and tourism to Chinatown.

Many thanks to all the people who have worked on Taste of Chinatown! =)

SPORTING OUR SHIRT, WITHOUT TASTING OUR ICE CREAM?

Recently I started hanging out with my old college friend Andrew Wasmuth. I just remembered how we ironically met.

I had transfered to the University of Rochester and saw that he was wearing a CICF shirt. I had told him that my family owned the CICF and asked him if he liked our ice cream. He replied that he had never even tasted our ice cream but loved our logo. I found out that Andrew literally wore our shirt everyday while working out. What a strange coincidence.

After a bonding experience like that, we continued on to be good friends. How could I not love someone who sports our shirt every other day. I told him that I would replace his shirts for the rest of his life because I do not know anyone besides myself who wears our T shirt that often.

The CICF connection remains strong even outside of NYC.

MOMMA CHRIS

I always talk about how proud I am of "my kids". Recently I have been getting a lot of strange responses to that, so I think I'll have to clarify...

We operate like a small family here. We often drive each other crazy though deep down we all love each other. I even love Frank. (gosh, I can't believe I said that).
Ling and Frank are definitely most like my real kids, because no matter how much I want to get rid of them, I still love them to death. Sofia and Jason are the least like my kids because they are the Asian models of perfection so there isn't any reason not to love them. All the other kids are just super lovable just because.

Although I am a nag and we all work very hard; we all spend a lot of time together,; holidays and all. They share stories about dating disasters and I always listen to their teenage-20year old drama. I make sure to nag them about looking both ways when crossing the street and not to drink too much at frat parties.

For Christmas, they actually had my CICF shirt embroidered with "Momma Chris" on the back. It also has a smiley face with a chef hat and a cooking spoon. Ay-Yah! Now that I'm single, who's going to want me with 20+ kids who are teenagers!!

Now it's not just the kids calling me Momma Chris, but my friends have as well.

Yes, I heard that the shirt was James' idea. I won't forget that...

ASIAN WOMEN IN BUSINESS (AWIB)

Asian Women in Business (AWIB) is a very cool organization that I recently joined. I found out about AWIB through their involvement with the Explore Chinatown Campaign.

Since 9/11, AWIB has been actively involved with economic development and providing assistance to adversely affected businesses, both male and female owned, in Lower Manhattan. I really respect and appreciate all that they have done to help our community.

AWIB provides to its members a diverse set of classes and seminars with professionals who specialize in those areas. In addition, AWIB holds networking social events so that we can all learn from one another while having an awesome time. The flexibility of how involved you want to be is a definite plus.

Bonnie, Melissa, Suja,and Lea have done an excellent job at making AWIB feel like a family.

You can become a member for as little as $50 for students, and $125 for the individual membership.

More information on AWIB can be found on www.awib.org.

HIGH SCHOOL CRUSHES

What's cool about working at CICF is that we have so many people that come in and out, that I am always reconnecting with old friends and there are tons of familiar faces. This is mostly a good thing.

Here's a funny or not so funny anecdote of the day for me.

So I'm at work and who comes in? The hottest boy from my high school! Back in the days of attending Benjamin Cardozo HS (which was ages ago), I had the biggest crush on this boy. I think most of the school had a crush on him because our boy to girl ratio for my year was like 2:8.

In my mind, I was thinking should I finally introduce myself after 10 years of him not knowing that I existed? I wanted to say, "All the girls had the biggest crush on you in high school, including me."

So as I'm scooping his ice cream, what happens? Being the klutz and dork that I am, I knock over a stack of cups as my heart skips like ten beats. Yes, I made a total fool of myself.

So I try to smile at him and cover up what I've just done, and in the back of my mind I'm worried about whether or not I have frosting in my hair or something. I am definitely not feeling my cutest in my baseball cap, although our uniforms definitely do rock.

Yep...this boy still totally doesn't know I exist. There are some things that even a decade won't change. I am definitely not going to admit that I was part of his girl crazy fan club.

Okay, lady players....cut me a little slack over my antimack skills. I haven't been single for 8 years, so this talking to guys thing is new to me!

Who will I bump into next here? Everyone eats CICF ice cream. It is that damn good!

Hopefully the next time a cute boy comes in, I won't make a fool out of myself, but I doubt that.

Blogout!

CHINATOWN FAMILY

Today I received an email from Will who has been the Communications Director for the Museum of the Chinese in the Americas (MOCA). He's actually leaving to Cali to follow his dreams of pursuing a career in the performing arts.

He wrote that he would be "sad to leave the MOCA family". I told him that he hasn't realized that he has also been part of a bigger family; our "Chinatown Family".

Will is about my age (more or less), and we don't hang out or anything, but I am going to miss him so much!

When I was doing my radio diary for WFUV (www.wfuv.org), I interviewed Will as a representative for the MOCA. I went on thinking that the MOCA was just going to be one of many interviews. Will proved me wrong, because he shared with me a personal story of how 9/11 had affected his family's business...

After over two decades of being in business, they were forced to close because the aftermath of 9/11 on Chinatown's economy was just so harsh. I was deeply moved by his family's experience and inspired by their strength to move on. I think that was one of the interviews I learned the most from.

Sometimes in our jobs, we wonder if we make a difference. This holds true whether you're a doctor or a scoopologist. During his time at the MOCA, I have seen Will in action; trying to help the MOCA as well as the greater Chinatown community with all of their events. This blog is dedicated to Will. All of your work really made a difference in our community and I am sure that it'll continue on.

By the way...when you make it in Cali and you're some fabulous celebrity, tell them that the best ice cream is from CICF. Just kidding. =)

ICE CREAM AS A COMFORT FOOD

Ice cream is one of those all around feel good foods. People mostly associate ice cream with happiness. I've been touched that there have been many customers that have made sure to have our ice cream at some of the most sacred occasions in their lives.

One man brought two heart shaped almond cookie cakes from us as a way of asking his girlfriend to marry him. He told me that she loved our ice cream more than anything in the world! I was very touched. I definitely took a lot of extra time and TLC to prepare their cakes. I'm sure that she said "yes" to his proposal. How could you turn down a guy who buys you almond cookie ice cream from CICF?

We have many other customers who insist that our ice cream is part of their holiday and family tradition. One customer commented that "the holidays would just not be the same without our lychee ice cream".

There are also those occasions where people need some cheering up. It could be a breakup with an old beau or a death of a loved one where some sort of comfort food is definitely needed. I noticed that because we are situated a few blocks away from one of the city's busiest funeral parlors that many people come in after services. It's really nice to know that our product can help ease some of the solace of losing someone.

And lastly, there are people like me who need no reason at all to eat our ultra premium ice cream. I seriously eat it all day. It's my 6th food group. (That's probably why I need to run 12 miles a week to keep it off!) Ice cream makes everyone happy!

SNOW IS BAD FOR BUSINESS

They say that March goes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Judging from the nasty weather today, I would say that the old adage holds true.
We had a relatively warm winter here in NYC, but today it was snowing and hailing cats and dogs!

Yes, business was bad for us, but it was bad for all of Chinatown and for everyone else in the city. I remember as a little girl, I would really worry when business was bad because I could see that no money was coming in. One time I asked my dad how he could be so calm about not having much business and not stressing out about the snow. He said to me, "If everyone else has no business, how can you expect to have business? You don't control the weather and I don't control the weather so we can't worry about what we have no control over." That really put things into perspective for me.

George Bodarky from NPR commented on how small businesses like ourselves really have to still do a lot of work even though we aren't generating much revenue. Small businesses have many struggles that people just don't see. In spite of not making money and the bad weather, businesses have to still open up and pay their workers and pay their bills. We still have to shovel the snow and do all of our daily tasks although we know that we will be taking a loss for the day.

Working here at CICF, I have really grown an appreciation and understanding of how other businesses struggle as well as our own. I also teach our workers to have respect for others in service jobs and for other business owners (especially in Chinatown).

FREE PERFORMANCE BY THE CHEN DANCERS

The Chen Dancers are an organization that is based in Chinatown that we at CICF regularly try to support. We usually do things like donate coupons for free ice cream and such for their volunteers.

Excitingly, they are having a free performance at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center of lower Manhattan on March 23& 24th (Friday and Saturday). The Chen Dancers are AWESOME so I'm sure that after one show, you'll be hooked. They are based in Chinatown, so I think that this free performance will give them a lot of great exposure. Good luck to them and I will try my best to be there!

They will be putting on their performance of Apple Dreams which uses the refuge of palm trees as the setting for a spiritual journey to find meaning and beauty within the cracks of an urban world.

For more information www.htchendance.org
212-349-0126

PLACES TO EAT LATE AT NIGHT

Yesterday night after partying, I headed back to Chinatown (my favorite place in the world!) with my friends. It really is the best place to satisfy your late night munchies.

We went to 69 Restaurant (69 Bayard Street) for some beef chow fun and chicken wings. I don't think that the chicken wings are on the menu because they aren't very Chinese but you can request them. This establishment is open till 4 am so it's a great place to hit up on a saturday night.

What's also cool about this restaurant is that it has all these dollar bills posted on their walls. They let the customers personalize their dollars and stick them up. Although I have posted my dollars up, I have realized that they periodically replace them. =(

Another restaurant in Chinatown that is also open late at night is NY Noodletown (located on Bowery and Bayard). I like the cha siu (Chinese pork) noodle soup here.

I think Chinatown is the only place in NYC where the food is so yummy and dirt cheap. It is hands down the best place to eat at all times of the day.