Exploring Manhattan’s Chinatown

When people hear that I’ve been living in China for two years and that I’m about to head back for a third, they inevitably ask how my parents feel about this. The assumption is that my parents must be begging me to come home, but that could not be farther from the truth. Although I’m sure they wish I could be home for Christmas (and I do, too), they are immensely supportive and, it must be said, a tad jealous.

So for Father’s Day this year, when I was still in China, I promised my dad that when I got home for the summer, we would spend a day exploring Chinatown. I had planned a whole itinerary of eating, shopping and museum-ing, and yesterday, we finally got to complete it. As the day began, I wondered: In the 21st century, does an authentic Chinatown still exist in Manhattan?

You know you're not in China when... everyone follows traffic signals!

We cheated a bit with our first stop, Xi’an Famous Foods. The restaurant has branches in Flushing, Queens (home to New York City’s largest Chinese community), as well as Manhattan’s Chinatown, but for the sake of air-conditioning, we went to their brand-new location in the non-ethnic neighborhood of the East Village. We stuck to the specialties that have earned them the praise of NYC foodies high and low: one spicy cumin lamb burger, “tiger vegetables,” and an order of cold 凉皮. The lamb sandwich — which isn’t really a burger since the meat isn’t formed into a patty — was a thing of dreams, as good as any roujiabing I’ve had in China, and the noodles and salad were also spicy and delicious.

Very happy to be reunited with the shaved-ice drink of my dreams.

Ever since it got hot, I’ve been jonesing for cendol, a Malaysian shaved ice drink made with coconut milk, palm sugar, pandan jellies and red bean. Internet queries for cendol in Manhattan didn’t turn up anything, but I was still hopeful. When we walked by the Singapore Cafe on Mott St., I stuck my head in, and lo and behold, they had it! Frosty drinks in hand, we walked down to Columbus Park, where we watched more than a little illegal gambling go on in games of Chinese poker.

Our only non-foodie activity was a visit to the newish Museum of the Chinese in America. It reminded me a bit of similar Chinese-diaspora museums I’ve visited in Malaysia and Singapore. The main exhibit still has some kinks — it has lots of cool artifacts and texts on display, but needs more overarching explanations — but it was a good reminder of the complex history of the Chinese in America, from their early exclusion to their later status as a “model minority.”

Even QQ candies have made it to America!

Our last stops of the day were the Hong Kong Supermarket and Deluxe Food Market on Elizabeth St. My dad is an aficionado of Chinese smoked ham — 腊肉 — and I’ve occasionally smuggled some back in my luggage. But we wanted to find a more legal supplier. We found it, and plenty more: custard-apple juice, Malaysian coffee powder, Chinese vegetables, and on and on.

All in all, it was a great chance to share my love of all things China with my dad, and to explore a slice of Chinese culture much closer to home. It’s made me way more excited for my imminent return to Beijing. Not just because of the delicious foods that await me, but also because I’ll once again be immersed in a culture that makes me more curious every day I’m there.

Related posts:

1. Snapshot: Chinatown Dragon Fighters

Tagged as: Chinatown, grocery store, Manhattan, New York City, USA