Szechwan slurpings in Oakland Chinatown
What would you prefer to order, something whose name you don’t understand, or something whose name you do understand but the combination of ingredients is strange to you? The biggest problem we face at Chinese restaurants in Chinatown is that the waitresses don’t know much English, and we know zero Chinese. We can’t ask about the dishes and have to rely solely on the English description, if it is written, which leads to the second problem: all the descriptions are the same.
Not just that. If you are not Chinese and have spent many years eating $7 Chinese buffets like me, you probably know that there’s hardly any difference between Szechwan chicken, orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and whatever chicken. Same goes for fried rice, chow mein, vegetables, and other edibles, which appear identical everywhere (unless it’s really bad). So imagine my excitement of spotting “tai lou mein” and “pickle and pork rice noodle soup” as I flipped through the menu at Szechwan Restaurant on 8th Street. We’ve never heard of those things.
The tai lou mein is, unexpectedly, a bowl of noodle soup. (We thought we’re in for stir fried noodles.) It’s the same thick round egg noodle in chow mein, drenched in a very slightly corn-starchy sweet broth with fresh bamboo shoots, shrimp, pork, chicken, mushroom, carrots, and a cracked egg (which the waitress called “scrambled egg”), topped with green onions. It turns out a safe good bet. From a reliable source we learn that perhaps the pinyin transcription of the name should be da lou mein instead of “tai lou mein”.
The pickle and pork noodle soup (榨菜肉絲麵 zha chai rou si mein) is my new love. Compared to da lou mein, it has far fewer visible ingredients, but the balancing of flavors and healthiness are superb. I’ve never had pickles in noodle soup, but the idea is not too far stretched from Vietnamese sour soups with pickled bokchoy (canh dưa chua), so why worry? The pickle (zha chai) in zha chai rou si mein is made from knobby stems of a type of mustard green. Sliced into short strips, zha cai resembles stir fried bitter melon in texture (solid and crunchy with a soft core). Eaten alone, zha chai has a salty zing to keep your tongue on its toes (and Mudpie away from the bowl). Meddled with shredded pork and noodle, the zing diminishes almost completely. Its sourness clears and freshens the broth like white paint on old walls. Rice noodle makes an even better match. On a sick or cold day, I’d rank zha chai rou si mein right up there with phở and bún mộc.
The two giant bowls cost under $6 each, and unless you have a whale stomach it’s unlikely that you would have room for dessert. Now, if you do want to order dessert (soybean curd, almond jelly, and some two other things), it’s best to get a menu and point it out to the waitress, or speak Chinese. The waitresses do not know the word “dessert”. And be patient, because they are very cordial to you. 🙂
Address: Szechwan Restaurant (Oakland Chinatown)
366 8th Street
Oakland, CA 94607-4241
(510) 832-7878
Wohh precisely what I was searching for, thanks for putting up.
1Good day! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thanks a lot!
2It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
3Nice post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I’m inspired! Extremely useful information specially the remaining part 🙂 I take care of such info much. I was looking for this certain information for a long time. Thanks and best of luck.
4Oh my goodness! a tremendous article dude. Thanks However I am experiencing issue with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting an identical rss drawback? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx
5I really appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thanks again!
6Keep working ,fantastic job!
7you’re in point of fact a excellent webmaster. The website loading velocity is amazing. It sort of feels that you’re doing any unique trick. In addition, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a magnificent task on this topic!
8I really like your writing style, superb information, thank you for posting :D. “Inquiry is fatal to certainty.” by Will Durant.
9I enjoy the efforts you have put in this, thankyou for all the great blog posts.
10Good write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s blog, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.
11Real nice design and style and great written content, very little else we want :D.
12It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I am satisfied that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
13Howdy this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
14Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any problems with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing many months of hard work due to no data backup. Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?
15I conceive you have mentioned some very interesting points, regards for the post.
16Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa? My website discusses a lot of the same topics as yours and I think we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the way!
17Hi my friend! I want to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include approximately all vital infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
18Very nice style and good written content, absolutely nothing else we need :D.
19I think this web site has got some really great info for everyone. “He who has not looked on Sorrow will never see Joy.” by Kahlil Gibran.
20I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…
21I have to point out my respect for your kindness giving support to those individuals that really need guidance on the theme. Your personal commitment to getting the solution all-around had been wonderfully functional and has continually permitted those like me to arrive at their pursuits. This important help can mean a great deal to me and additionally to my mates. Thanks a ton; from everyone of us.
22Good day! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!
23I got what you mean , thanks for posting.Woh I am glad to find this website through google. “Being intelligent is not a felony, but most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor.” by Lazarus Long.
24Hey there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m definitely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
25I like the efforts you have put in this, regards for all the great content.
26I’ve recently started a blog, the information you provide on this website has helped me tremendously. Thanks for all of your time & work.
27Real nice pattern and wonderful subject material, practically nothing else we require :D.
28Hey there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the excellent work!
29