Steaming cauldron of Congee!

Also tonight at Hong Kong Noodle, we ordered this US$8 ... cauldron... of chicken congee. That order was enough for 7 servings! (Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!)

Read more about wonderful congee at our weninchina article: http://www.weninchina.com/Food/Congee.html

Yum, yum, Dim Sum!

We just didn't have the time to take in a real Guangzhou dim sum brunch when we were there to adopt our daughter. However, in our travels since then we've experienced a Saturday brunch in Chicago's Chinatown, and done the weekday dim sum at a great place in Hong Kong. We've also sampled the dim sum dishes at restaurants in other places in North America, too.

We have posted an article recently to share dim sum background and tips.

The single best piece of advice is to go with as many people as you can! The more your group can order, the more each person can try. Don't worry about ordering too much, as each dish is literally just a few bites. It's more fun in a big group, and you can be more fearless about taking items you don't recognize.

Take as long as you like - the food just keeps coming. Wow, I'm getting hungry just writing about it...

Dim Sum: http://www.weninchina.com/Food/Dim_Sum.html

Love of Groceries

We enjoy shopping at our excellent local Asian Market (United Noodles in Minneapolis) and usually go at least once a month. Not only is it a great way to stay connected to Chinese culture, but prices and selection for vegetables, spices, rice, noodles, and frozen foods are amazingly good, even better than the warehouse stores!

When we walk in the door, the scents immediately remind us of China. Our daughter gets to see many more faces that look like her own. It feels like "home."

And we get to explore the great variety of familiar and unfamiliar foodstuffs on the shelves. The labels remind us of what American food used to look like twenty or thirty years ago.  (How I miss the old Red Owl chain...) Love the artwork - check out that mackerel in the bottom photo!