Did you know that in the United States, there are more Chinese restaurants than all the McDonald’s, Burger Kings and KFCs combined?
This may be less surprising to you if you live in the Bay Area, where one can find delicious Asian hole-in-the-walls on practically every block. To help you sort through the overwhelming number of options in the area, we welcome back in this issue one of the only all-Asian restaurant review features in the country — Asian Eats (previously The Picky Eater).
This new weekly section will cover the well-known Asian dining holes you have come to know and love (like this week’s review of San Tung on Irving Street), as well as introduce you to the best new places to tickle your palate, and it will continue the tradition of highlighting affordable eateries. And we promise never to include anything about chop suey or fortune cookies.
Asian Eats will highlight the diverse gamut of dishes out there and prove that Asian food is more than just fried rice and sushi. Unlike typical food reviews, this column will also reveal the stories of those behind these restaurants — stories that we can all relate to as Asians who also have dreams of success in this country.
Food, especially for Asian Americans, is more than just sustenance; it’s a way to build community. Because many Asian dishes are served family-style instead of a la carte, meals bring us together in the spirit of sharing. Eating with others nourishes our souls, as well as our sense of tradition and culture.
And, as Angela Pang reports in this issue, food can also be a means to a better life. Studies show that elements of the Japanese diet may stave off health problems like cancer, stroke, heart disease and high cholesterol, which may explain why Japan has one of the world’s highest life-expectancy rates (81.25 years, as of 2006).
So, go on and have seconds without the guilt — and let our new reviewer be your guide on a gastronomic journey each week.