Friday, November 25, 2005
Canard Laque
Today is the best day I have had in Paris. Unfortunately, it wasn't because I was at the Louvre, prayed at the Notre Dame or had gone up to the top of the Tour Eiffel. It was because I went to Paris's Chinatown!
Located at the metro Porte d'Italie, Chinatown is spread over a few metro stops s,ituated in the 13eme arrondisement. It is, by far, the largest in Europe. No kidding. I truly believed I was in Hong Kong until the harsh cold Parisien wind snapped me back to reality. It is amusing to watch Chinese people speak impeccable french while I can hardly pronouce "moderne".
My friend, An, and I had planned to go to Chinatown since last week while watching 'Elizabethtown' (not worth it) when we watched the trailer for "Seven Swords" (will be worth it-opens 30th November. Sorry Harry Potter, you'll have to wait). We both screamed with delight as the swords clanged and the cute chinese actors looked at us with a serious delicious eyes. We swore to go to Chinatown that night and today the dream was fulfilled.
Chinatowns all across the world look alike. A bunch of chinese restaurants and convenient stores are mushed up together with a few patches of grass, a chinese school and always a McDonalds situated at the center of the town with chinese characters inviting the chinese people to skip the rice and go for a big Mac because we all know that McDonald's smushed slab of meat with every chemical added to kill you is better than a plate of friend noodles.
Paris's chinatown is sadder than most chinatowns to look at because it wasn't built to attract tourists. It was built for all the 'boat people' that came abroad for a new life. There are cheap apartments with lots of space and so all around there is construction. Add the on-going work for the Tramway and you have an ugly scenery of barricades.
However, An and I did not let that deter us from oohhing and ahhhing over the smell drifting into the open air from over 150 restaurants int he area. An and I succumbed to our stomachs' growlings and went to one of the restaurants which serve chinese, vietnamese (because An is vietnamese) and thailand (we didn't know any thailand people though) food. Thinking back , we were both probably a little too excited because we ordered half a barbequed duck, vietnamese noodles (they were so good! it's called bao cao ... something), chinese chicken noodles, ha kao, siu mai (dim sum food) and two iced milk-teas.
Halfway through the meal we were beginning to fall off the chairs because we were so full. We had way too much food. If we had left some room we would've gotten dessert but alas, that was not to be. Four hours later, as I write this, I am still suffering the effects of way too much good food which only cost altogether, 32 euros.
I am sure that many people will raise their eyebrows in wonder as to why two asian girls in Paris would want to go to Chinatown and eat chinese food when Paris is well known for their fine cuisine. Truth is, nothing beats chinese food. It is just so much cheaper for more value (isn't that the asian way?). French food is fine but one can only ever order one thing and halfway through eating a rabbit (which is very good by the way) you get sick of it and wish it would just disappear all by itself. Chinese food is always in small proportions and is prepared to be shared. Western cuisine just does not understand the concept of "collective eating".
And that is why An and I love east-asian cuisine; because we can share it.
Today is the best day I have had in Paris. Unfortunately, it wasn't because I was at the Louvre, prayed at the Notre Dame or had gone up to the top of the Tour Eiffel. It was because I went to Paris's Chinatown!
Located at the metro Porte d'Italie, Chinatown is spread over a few metro stops s,ituated in the 13eme arrondisement. It is, by far, the largest in Europe. No kidding. I truly believed I was in Hong Kong until the harsh cold Parisien wind snapped me back to reality. It is amusing to watch Chinese people speak impeccable french while I can hardly pronouce "moderne".
My friend, An, and I had planned to go to Chinatown since last week while watching 'Elizabethtown' (not worth it) when we watched the trailer for "Seven Swords" (will be worth it-opens 30th November. Sorry Harry Potter, you'll have to wait). We both screamed with delight as the swords clanged and the cute chinese actors looked at us with a serious delicious eyes. We swore to go to Chinatown that night and today the dream was fulfilled.
Chinatowns all across the world look alike. A bunch of chinese restaurants and convenient stores are mushed up together with a few patches of grass, a chinese school and always a McDonalds situated at the center of the town with chinese characters inviting the chinese people to skip the rice and go for a big Mac because we all know that McDonald's smushed slab of meat with every chemical added to kill you is better than a plate of friend noodles.
Paris's chinatown is sadder than most chinatowns to look at because it wasn't built to attract tourists. It was built for all the 'boat people' that came abroad for a new life. There are cheap apartments with lots of space and so all around there is construction. Add the on-going work for the Tramway and you have an ugly scenery of barricades.
However, An and I did not let that deter us from oohhing and ahhhing over the smell drifting into the open air from over 150 restaurants int he area. An and I succumbed to our stomachs' growlings and went to one of the restaurants which serve chinese, vietnamese (because An is vietnamese) and thailand (we didn't know any thailand people though) food. Thinking back , we were both probably a little too excited because we ordered half a barbequed duck, vietnamese noodles (they were so good! it's called bao cao ... something), chinese chicken noodles, ha kao, siu mai (dim sum food) and two iced milk-teas.
Halfway through the meal we were beginning to fall off the chairs because we were so full. We had way too much food. If we had left some room we would've gotten dessert but alas, that was not to be. Four hours later, as I write this, I am still suffering the effects of way too much good food which only cost altogether, 32 euros.
I am sure that many people will raise their eyebrows in wonder as to why two asian girls in Paris would want to go to Chinatown and eat chinese food when Paris is well known for their fine cuisine. Truth is, nothing beats chinese food. It is just so much cheaper for more value (isn't that the asian way?). French food is fine but one can only ever order one thing and halfway through eating a rabbit (which is very good by the way) you get sick of it and wish it would just disappear all by itself. Chinese food is always in small proportions and is prepared to be shared. Western cuisine just does not understand the concept of "collective eating".
And that is why An and I love east-asian cuisine; because we can share it.
# posted by Mare @ 7:25 AM 
