I'm Turning Chinese - I Really Think So

If you don't already know this, my husband, the Engineer, is Chinese-Canadian.  More accurately a CBC (Chinese Born Canadian).  Which in turn has made me an honorary Chinese person.

My Chinese husband and I on our wedding day

In my head.

Actually, it was my mother-in-law who once said over dim sum that I'm Asian now so maybe it isn't so much in my head.

But mostly it's in my head.

And it makes me do embarrassing things.

I  slip it into any conversation I am having with an Asian person that my husband is Asian.  The Engineer thinks this is ridiculous.  He doesn't tell every Caucasian person he meets that his wife is white.

I think I feel it qualifies myself a bit more.  That I'm one of them.  It does not.  Unless I am in Chinatown. And then it does.

For example, when purchasing a wok last year for Chinese New Year, I was haggling (well, in BBC terms - that's British Born Canadian - that means I was going to pay the asking price) with the saleslady.  She tried to downsize me to a frying pan so I told her that I couldn't properly cook the recipes my mother-in-law had given me (brazen lie - I just wanted a wok).  She eyed me up and down and asked what sort of recipes my mother-in-law had given me.  I properly pronounced the word "mein" (meee-yen) so she asked "is your mother-in-law Chinese?".  When she heard the answer, suddenly I was a different person.  She went back to the best wok in the store and knocked $25 off!!  See?  It did qualify me that I was now Chinese in her eyes.

Chinese New Year parade. 

Granted, maybe this was not the wok that my mother-in-law would actually approve of.  Nor did I probably get the best price.  I probably paid the white-girl-thinks-she's-Chinese price.  But heck, it's better that just the plain old white girl price.

To be fair, I loved the Chinese culture long before the Engineer was ever in my life. My parents used to take me to dim sum in Winnipeg's Chinatown back in the 80's.  I've been using chopsticks for forever.  I've read every Amy Tan novel.  My condo in Vancouver is on the edge of Chinatown.  I've been frequenting one of the best Chinese bakeries for years.  I actually earned points with my MIL (mother-in-law) when I first started dating the Engineer because I new about New Town Bakery and their amazing steamed buns & coconut buns.

New Town yummy

It has been said (by me) that I am more Chinese than my Chinese husband.

Our tea ceremony during our ceremony

Maybe when you do marry someone you marry their heritage by proxy. 

After all, we were at dim sum last week and the cart lady spoke to me in rapid-fire Mandarin.

Then she opened her eyes and noticed my whiteness so turned to my husband.  Who also can't speak Mandarin.  Or Cantonese. 

My grandmother once told me that we, the Groundwaters, were Scottish.  I said to her that she was not a Groundwater.  Well, I married a Groundwater so now I am one - was her reply.  Even though my grandmother's lineage points to Irish waaaaaaaay back (her family was actually from the Southern States prior to the Civil War and we think even to the Revolution), she felt that she was Scottish by association in marrying my grandfather.

I have recently turned a corner to doing something even more embarrassing than telling any Chinese person that will listen that I am married to a Chinese guy.  I have started to say 'Xie Xie' (shyeah, shyeah) which is 'Thank you' in Mandarin when I buy things at the Chinese bakery or to the random Chinese food delivery guy.

It. Just.Comes.Out.Of.My.Mouth.

Before I can stop it.

The Engineer couldn't stop laughing at me after grabbing our two egg tarts.  It's like when my dad says 'ta' after getting a cup of tea from my mum's cousin.  It just sounds weird (Ta is slang for 'thank you' and used by my family in Northern England) coming from a non-British person.

If my MIL is right and I am in fact an honorary Chinese person, then I am happy.  The Chinese culture is rich in history and beautiful.   And Chinese food is delicious (well, except for the chicken feet).

My dogs during Chinese New Year.  To be fair - Mr. Mop's robe was GIVEN to me.  By one of my CBC friends I'll have you know

For those of you who are in the Lower-Mainland and have not yet been to New Town Bakery I highly suggest you go.  Their coconut buns are AMAZING - especially when bought hot out of the oven. I once watched a friend who never eats carbs/sugar, scoff two down before I could even say co-co-nut.  Their pineapple buns are also delicious - they are stuffed with the same yummy coconut but have a very large sugary topping shaped like a pineapple.  Or their steamed buns filled with pork.  I am drooling now so must go find a Chinese bakery here in Toronto I love as much.

It's true!

delicious

Pineapple buns!

Coconut Bun

BBQ Pork Bun

- Mrs. Law

The Big Apple According to Sarah: Part Two

Now that I've praised the many virtues of my favorite borough, Brooklyn, it's time to move over to what most consider the main attraction:  Manhattan.

There is so much to see and do in Manhattan and there is never enough time.  I mean I spent two years plus the many trips I still do back there and I still have more to see.

My advice for the first timer is to not worry about all the museums/sites, etc but try to just wander and get lost (although this is very difficult in NYC) in the many streets and avenues.  You will always discover something interesting.  I also advice doing that hop-on/hop-off bus tour - it's a super easy way to get your bearings and see many of the sites all at once.

In no particular order, here are some of my favorite Manhattan things:

1.  Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side

I LOVE the Lower East Side.  It isn't the prettiest part of NYC, but the history makes me think it's beautiful.  And the Tenement Museum is a perfect way to introduce yourself into the LES.  1 in 4 Americans came through Ellis Island (and Ellis Island was only open for 32 years!) and practically all of those immigrants who landed in Ellis Island landed in the LES (not to mention the thousands for immigrants prior to 1892).  Needless to say, the LES was home to many immigrants who built the United States and therefore offers a unique and interesting history.

Lower East Side Tenement Museum

97 Orchard Street

LES back in the day

Tenement Museum

The Tenement Museum offers an incredible glimpse into many of these immigrants lives during different periods.  From Russian to Jewish to Irish to German, there are various tours that show you a glimpse of what life was like in this area.  They also offer kitchen talks and a great walking tour.  I have been to all of the tours, they are all wonderful. Even for a Canadian, it gave me such an appreciation for what my own ancestors had to do in order to start a new life in Canada.

Tenement Museum

Tours are often sold out so book in advance.

2.  The Pickle Guys also in the LES

 Once you eat a pickle from these guys, you will be ruined for pickles forever (luckily they ship!).  I didn't know pickles could be this tasty and I already love pickles!

These guys pickle everything. You walk in and see several barrels with all sorts of pickled products:  carrots, peppers, garlic, etc.  Eating one of their FULL SOUR pickles is like eating a garlic bomb of awesomeness.  If you take them to go, ask for them to make half-hot.  It's delicious.

These pickles are legendary. I was once carrying a container when I went to the MET and was at first turned away because you aren't allowed food/liquids in the museum.  But when I told her where they were from, she knew the value and let me take them in!  HA!

Me and my pickles

YUM!

All sorts of pickled goods

Be careful! It's closed on Saturdays

3.  Katz's Delicatessen (LES)

When in New York you have to eat a pastrami sandwich.  So you may as well eat the best at one of the most famous delicatessen's in NYC. This is where that famous scene in When Harry Met Sally was filmed.

Take cash.  And try a New York Egg Cream

Pastrami yumminess!

Inside

The famous scene

4.  Doughnut Plant (LES)

See a theme here? I like my food!

Doughnut Plant is DELICIOUS.  They are all about filled-doughnuts which they have shaped into a square so that with each bite, you get some filling.  Their flavours change daily (as well as their usual suspects) and you can have peanut butter & jelly or coconut chai cream - all are delicious!

Doughnut Plant

Daily menu

Flavours!

Drool

Coconut Cream

Yummy bite

Loving this doughnut

5.  The Back Room (LES)

I go here more for the novelty than anything else.  The Back Room was a speakeasy back in the day and plays up it's illegal roots.  It's unmarked save for a bouncer and often a line.  You walk down some stairs, under the building and into a sidedoor.  This door leads you into a lush room with couches and velvet easy chairs. There are several bookcases (actual exits where people would hide from the cops) and hanging chandeliers.  Cocktails (1920's inspired of course!) come in a tea cup and beer in a paper bag.  
Definitely a fun thing to do for a cocktail or two!  Fun fact:  the reason honey appears in a few of their cocktails is that when alcohol was illegally made in the 1920's, it was often terrible. So they used honey in cocktails to mask the bad flavour.

Lush interior

Not so lush entrance

6.  Foods of New York Tours (various locations)

Hands down one of the BEST tours I have ever done!  I did the Greenwich Village tour which literally set the Engineer and I up on what to eat and what we now go back to.  The guides are incredible (ours was Canadian!) and the amount of food you try is definitely worth the price.  My parents did the Chelsea tour and spoke very highly of it.

What better way to learn about New York than to eat it?  Which brings me to the next few places to eat . . .  .

7.  Joe's Pizza

I didn't know a simple cheese pizza could taste so good!  As our Foods of NY tour guide told us, Joe's is an institution that uses proper semolina flour and San Marzano tomatoes.  Seriously GOOD pizza.  You can eat like a real New Yorker and fold it in half.  But I don't like that because I feel like my taste sensation is over in half the time.

8.  Palma

I love this place!  I love it for the yummy food and I love it for the lovely back garden where you sit under fairy lights and feel like you are miles away from a busting city.  They even have a perfect coach house you can rent (at a super reasonable price) for a private dinner party (Bill Clinton & Brad Pitt have done it!).  For my 30th birthday, my friends and I sat at the window table which was open letting in the warm fall air and had an incredible time.

Lovely garden

Palma

9.  Amy's Bread

Around the corner from Palma is this yummy bakery that sells everything a bakery should sell PLUS this pink layer cake that I have a love affair with.  It's a perfect place to sit down for a break from all the walking you will be doing in the village.

I love this cake

Eat a sandwich here

Cakes cakes and more cakes

Layered cakes of yumminess

10.  Murray's Cheese

What really can I say about this place other than it is a cheese lover's heaven?  Just go in to smell it!  A great place to gather a little picnic of foods to eat at Washington Square or grab one of the yummiest grilled cheese sandwiches you will ever eat (the one with the Murray's secret blend is a gooey heaven).

11.  Le Gigot

Another lovely place for dinner is this delicious French restaurant serving some of the best duck confit I have had outside of France.  Cute and quaint, perfect for a night in the West Village.

Le Gigot

Le Gigot

12.  Ippudo

Across town is the best ramen I have eaten (well, outside of Japan).  The engineer and I would go all the time, at 5:00 like old people to beat the long waits.  The restaurant itself is a fun experience of loudness and communal eating.  And the ramen is wonderful.  Try the Shishito - so yummy!  Hot peppers and salt.

Ramen for your tummy

Get there before the line starts!

13.  The Spotted Pig

This is a MUST when in New York and I only discovered it after we left!  Now I go back to it each time I visit and for two things:  the Burger with Roquefort cheese & shoestring fries and the Sheep's Milk Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Crispy Sage.  April Bloomfield is the famous chef of this gastropub who refuses to allow for substitutions and you must eat her burger (medium rare) the way she makes it.  There is always a line-up so either go early or really late.  Or do what I do, and snuggle up to the bar.  You might even see Jay-Z & Beyonce or other celebrities chowing down on the best burger ever!

Inside Spotted Pig

Spotted Pig

The menu

April Bloomfield

Amazing burger

Gnudi will make you cry with happiness

14.  Mad For Chicken


This is a very random restaurant that is also a regular haunt when we go back.  You can't get this chicken in Canada!  When you walk to the address on 5th Ave you can't even tell there is a restaurant here.  But up some sketchy stairs and into this Korean haven with beer served in lava lamps and these delicious drumsticks of double-fried chicken.  That's all you need:  chicken & beer.  It's delicious!

Lavalamp Beer

Drool

15.  Cafe Habana

There are two locations in New York.  One is in Nolita and the other is an outpost in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.  There are always lines but at least the Brooklyn location has a ton of outdoor seating.  This is my other MUST GO when in New York.  For the corn.  Oh the corn.  The delicious, amazing corn that is grilled and then smothered with cheese and mayonaise (trust me on this- it's incredible).  It's so incredible that once I took a friend here and after having one order (two cobs), she promptly ordered more.  You can't get this corn anywhere ELSE IN NORTH AMERICA.  Okay, that is a <slight> exaggeration. You can't get it in Toronto or Vancouver.  As I write this, I am seriously debating jumping on a plane just to get some corn.  It's that good.

The best corn you will ever taste

Fort Greene Outpost

16.  Bryant Park

I think this is a pretty standard place to visit but I just want to re-iterate the need to go here.  I just love Bryant Park.  There is something about it.  I love it all year round too.  At Christmas the skating rink and Christmas market are perfect for filling your heart with happy seasonal feelings.  In the spring, sitting at one of the tables and having a picnic/coffee on the first warm days of the year.  Summertime, strolling past the old men playing chess, borrowing a book from the outdoor library, getting some much needed cool shade and sipping on an iced coffee.  Also, random fact, the public bathrooms at this park are awesome.  They are clean, play classical music and even have flowers!  So if you need to pee when around here, this is your stop!  And if you happen to be in town when they have their outdoor movie festival, I say take part!  The Engineer didn't love waiting with anticipation and then running to a spot with our blanket hours before the movie but I did. I loved that we sat with hundreds of other people and watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  I also love that we ordered a pizza and had it delivered to the park!

17.  Shake Shack

There are many locations and they are often really busy.  I find the Brooklyn or Upper East location to be the least busy.  But if you head to the Upper West location you <might> see Tina Fey.  Not that I ever did, but I've been told she often grabs a burger to go!  They make awesome burgers with some sort of magic Shake sauce as well as something called 'frozen custard' that is a weird mix of ice cream/frozen yogurt/pudding.  Just go and try.

Drool

Frozen custard

18.  Metropolitan Museum of Art

Again, this is <probably> on your list.  It's always on mine.  If you are short for time in NYC, maybe skip the museums and just walk around.  But if you do have time, go to this museum. This might be my most favorite museum of all time.  I was a member and would just go for an hour or so at a time.  Don't worry about seeing the whole place in one day because it is impossible.  I love the Medieval wing because they make it look like you are in a Medieval Cathedral.

19.  Alice's Tea Cup

After a few tiring hours at the MET, pop over to the Upper East side location of this adorable chain for a spot of tea.  It's just plain cute.  And yummy.

Cuteness

Tara and Sarah with tea

Yummy scones

Tea!

20.  40 Carrots at Bloomingdale's

If you don't want tea after the MET, go for some ridiculously delicious frozen yogurt at 40 Carrots in Bloomingdale's.  It's on the 7th floor and tucked behind the bedding.  I don't know why, but it's amazing.

21.  Picnic at Central Park with goodies from Zabars

You've seen the iconic Zabar's orange & white bag on shows like Friends, Sex and the City, and 30 Rock.  It's a staple of the Upper West and has been serving traditional Jewish foods forever.  It's a great place to grab meats, cheeses, breads and salads for a picnic and then head over to Central Park.

I could take a nap here

Shopping for a Central Park picnic

OLIVES

Our picnic

Happy in Central Park

22.  H & H Bagels

When in New York, you need to have a bagel. Obviously.  These are some of the best in town.  And if you are lucky, you can get one hot off the press!  I also love Brooklyn's Bergen Bagel

H & H Bagels

Bagel goodness

23. The Duplex

This is a cabaret and piano bar in Greenwich Village that is a true NYC experience.  Basically, a man plays on the piano and you give him sheet music and then sing.  Eventually, the whole bar sings along.  It's awesome!  I definitely enjoyed myself on my 30th birthday but can barely remember the night due to some very strong Long Island Iced Tea's!

24.  Eataly

This is 50, 000 square feet of absolute Italian heaven in the Flatiron building.  It opened just after we left much to my dismay.  Each time I go back, I spend quite a few hours eating my way through this massive place.  I love the coffee and gelato. I love the pastries.  I love that you can stand and drink wine and eat meat.  I love that I saw Randy Fenoli eating pizza (which I also love).  I just love love love this place.  Out of all the eateries in Eataly, my two favorites are the wood-fired pizza (sit at the bar and watch as your pizza goes in!) and Manzo.  Also, they have a rooftop beer garden that I have yet to go to but have heard wonderful things.  And you can never beat a rooftop in NYC! 

There are places I am sure I am forgetting and places I have yet to discover!  New York is one of the most magical cities in the world and part of that magic is discovering it for yourself.

Too much wine at our picnic makes for dancing in Central Park

Have fun :)

- Mrs. Law