Episode 2 --Discovering Chinatown

There is something I cannot shake off by being a Chinese girl. For example, I thought that I had a pretty   good appetite to explore food from different countries. But it turned out that only those traditionally cooked Chinese plates can really comfort my stomach. Given the fact that my roommate and I cook in our dorm, we don't usually dine out very often. But once a week, we'd go check out some of the recommended Chinese restaurants in town. So far, I have tasted four Chinese restaurants and two food trucks on campus. As a tradition, this Saturday, which was pretty chilly, we set out to have a food hunt at Chinatown.  

This is the restaurant we tried out. My roommate said, "This is exactly what it tastes like in China." Give some credits for this Lan Zhou Drawn Noodle! 

This is noodle that I ordered. In it, there are shrimps, sirloin, spinach and of course the delicious broth and chewy noodles. 

I figure someone looking at this is already mouthwatering !! Haha~  

And Chinese calligraphy under the table.  What an authentic Chinese vibe! 

This restaurant is by far the most authentic Chinese noodle place in town, comparing with other restaurants or food trucks that I have tried. If you are a sucker for noodles or Chinese food like me, you should definitely go and try it out yourself. I probably will be going there a couple of more times to test out some other items. 

There are some clarifications I'd like to make about Chinatown in philadelphia or in other states of the US. Because I have been to New York Chinatown ( probably the largest one in US) , San Francisco Chinatown and Philadelphia Chinatown, the conclusion is if you take it as what you are going to see in China, then you are wrong! Some of the second-tier cities in China look way better than the view you get from there, let alone the big cities like Beijing or Shanghai. Chinatown is  like a miniature of a tiny bit of China ( I didn't mean to criticize or despise,  I just want to clarify some people's prejudgement. ) not the whole package. I grew up in Shanghai; I define myself as a city girl. And if you would like to see the truth image of China, take a trip over there. You will find a huge difference between what is across the Pacific and what it looks like here. I can vouch for that. However, the food tastes similar. It is the best medicine for some people who can easily get homesick. 

Finally, wish you all have a wonderful weekend and get prepared for the incoming week!