One of the best things about returning to Chinatown was the opportunity to enjoy more Chinese food. After stopping by Portsmouth Square, I had dinner at a Cantonese restaurant. When I had dinner in Chinatown on Day 7, I had calamari and only calamari. I was determined to get veggies this time. To ensure I got my greens in, I had the chicken salad (marinated roasted shredded chicken breast, crispy vermicelli, lettuce, and parsley mixed with salad dressing).
For my “main course”, I had diced chicken breast sauteed with snow peas in a spicy X.O. sauce. I never head of X.O. sauce. Turns out, it’s a spicy sauce made with chopped dried seafood. It was developed in Hong Kong in the 1980s. So I guess that makes it authentic Chinese (and appropriately Cantonese), but not traditional Chinese.
I put quotes around “main course” above because both items I ordered were full-size portions. I was stuffed and satisfied when I was done.
When I returned to Chinatown once more to see the Chinese Culture Center, I dined at a Vietnamese restaurant. As I often do at Vietnamese restaurants (and at Thai restaurants too), I got a dish that seems pretty Chinese. I also switched to seafood because I had doubled up on chicken on the previous dish. I got fresh veggies and shrimp with vermicelli. It was plenty good, and I certainly got plenty of vegetables.
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