So far most of my blog posts have been about environmental policy or politics or something academic, but now a little about my life — After being away from China for almost two months, I really need some good Chinese food.  Not some greasy Chinese-American restaurant that has no real Chinese food and serves lo mein and egg foo young, and not some upscale Chinese restaurant where they have to explain to patrons what eating family style is, no one speaks Chinese, and where steamed broccoli is $10, but an authentic Chinese restaurant that gives me a rice bowl and chopsticks, uses fresh ingrediants, cooks with chili oil, and has Chinese eggplant in the kitchen.  I’ve tried both of these options and then some, eating at various local Chinese spots and even befriending the owners and cooks.  Even when I order off the menu (in Chinese), these restaurants just lack the proper ingredients or the cooks no longer know how to cook authentic dishes as well as their parents/grandparents.

We will be embarking on an adventure to a Chinatown in Boston, NYC, or Montreal as soon as possible to fill this desperate need.  If you know of an awesome and authentic Chinese in Boston, NYC, or Montreal, please comment with the name and address.

(Note: I did have an actual Chinese grandmother cook at the Chinese restaurant I went to today.   She was very nice and spoke Chinese to my kids.  The food was better, but she said they didn’t have the ingredients for what I wanted in the way it should be cooked, even though it was on the menu to be cooked in the way for Americans–think tofu in a thikc BBQ sauce rather than a light chili oil and bean sauce.)

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