Gastrolust

Another day on the road, and another so-so Chinese restaurant meal.

I was in Orlando yesterday, with limited time for food, so I made a convenience stop at China Lee, Express China Lee, #1 Express China Lee–or whatever the real name is. This restaurant is basically a take-out joint with just four tables. I ordered “L32″–Hunan Shrimp–and I can’t think of anything special to say about it. Didn’t even take a photo, for a change!

These little Chinese restaurants I find myself frequenting remind me to mention an interesting book I just read: Jennifer 8 Lee’s The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. She describes the influx of Chinese people to the States and how they spread across the country opening restaurants.  As at China Lee, many have a young person who speaks English working the front counter, and elders (with limited English) in the back doing the food prep. Jennifer 8 (like the name?) also tackles topics like the history of General Tso, the connections between Jewish people and Chinese food, take-out boxes and soy sauce packets, and her search for the best Chinese restaurant in the world. (Her top pick, in Richmond across the Canadian border north of Seattle, is now temporarily closed.)