Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Chicken & Ducks

Chinatown in Lower Manhattan is the largest and one of the oldest Chinese settlements in the United States. The first group of Chinese immigrants came to New York City in the mid-1800s to set up laundry businesses and restaurants. Today it is estimated that there are over 300,000 ethnic Chinese people living in the area. There are also smaller Chinese enclaves in New York City, specifically Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

Chinatown is a favorite haunt of many locals and tourists alike because of the huge number of restaurants, street vendors and supermarkets in the neighborhood. Some of the best Shanghainese, Cantonese and Szechuan restaurants are found here.

This photo was taken at one of the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. You can see the roast chicken, Peking ducks and roast pork prominently displayed on the window to entice hungry people to come in for dinner. My favorite dish here is the white (well, yellow) chicken on the lower right, which is usually served with chicken flavored rice and pickled vegetables. Yummilicious!!! Do you have a favorite?