theartofeating

The Pig is the twelfth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is said to be the year with greatest fortune!

Take any pre-decieved thought you may think you have about Chinese Food and clear it for a moment. As an American, I feel were brought up on Chinese takeout and come to this conclusion that its just Lo Mein, poopoo platters and sesame chicken; packed with MSG of course. Truth be told, as we do with most things; Chinese food today in the states is American Chinese and definitely not Authentic Chinese.

Being a New York native, I have strong memories of walking through Chinatown as a kid feeling like I was transported to another world. Whole animals hanging in the windows, strange things being sold on the street outside of markets and really just exposure to another way of living. Well if you’ve ever been to Chinatown you know its not the easiest to navigate. Everything is in another language and you struggle to find your way around. Of course all the Authentic places aren’t in English nor very inviting from the outside. So were stuck with what we know or in this case what we can read and stick to generic spots with Americanized dishes.

Ive never been to China although its quite high on my list. To be honest, other than the brief history that I learned in culinary school I didn’t know much about what real Chinese food was. We’ll all that changed last Friday night and I must say, I’m still in awe!

Lucky for me, my girlfriend works for a Chinese company in midtown and they were nice enough to invite us both out for Chinese New Year. The night turned out to be an authentic Chinese dinner that I will never forget. The meal starts with a whole roasted suckling pig presented at our table followed by a live king crab, yes a LIVE crab! Its respectful in there traditions to pay homage to the animal they are about to receive, so presenting it table side before it is cooked is customary. It also freaks out the weaklings who don’t wanna see their food breathing before eating it, which just means more for me (muahaha). Personally I love this idea, it shows respect to the life of the animal which should be celebrated…over noodles. They compared it to what a wedding would be like for them - three or four hours long of just waves and waves and waves of food coming out of the kitchen. A family style dinner like you’d never seen with a giant lazy Susan with circulating good company, great eats and maybe a little to much wine.

Below is just a glimpse and brief description of my dining experience at Wu’s Wonton King in Chinatown. One of the most authentic Chinese experiences you can have in the city. Simply magical.