Jiang Nan-Chinese Fusion: First Impressions

Jiang Nan, a Chinese fusion restaurant, opened its Boston location, at 177 Tremont Street on the site of the former Teatro, during early 2003. It's located just outside Chinatown, across from the Boston Common. Jiang Nan is part of a chain, the first having opened in Flushing, New York, which currently has 11 locations, and ambitious plans to have over 40 locations in the next few years. 

Their website states: "Jiang Nan inherits the ethnic cooking skills of modern Chinese cuisine, featuring Peking Duck, Xiao Long Bao (soup dumpling), Grill Fish and etc, as the signature dishes. We serve not only indulgent and comforting dining experiences featuring the best of Chinese fusion flavors from each region of China, but also consistently high-quality food and ingredients and superior customer service." They also note that they were "recognized as one of the only Chinese Fusion restaurants on the 2024 Michelin Recommended List,.." 

I recently dined there with a companion for lunch and wanted to present my first impressions. In short, it was a very good experience and I would return there again. 

As you enter the restaurant, there's an elegant bar to the right, where you can enjoy a cocktail and some food. 

The dining room also has a sense of elegance, and can be an impressive location for a romantic date or a business meeting. We sat in a small alcove, which only has two tables, and definitely is one of the prime dining spots in the restaurant. 

Every table receives a complimentary dish of Pickled Cabbage with chili oil, which looked quite fresh. 

You also receive these two complimentary items, which might puzzle you at first, but are simply Disposable Wet Wipes and Disposable Gloves. Not quite what you might have expected at first glance. 

The lengthy Menu is broken down into various categories, including Chef Specialty, Snacks, Appetizers, Featured Soup, House Special, Entrees, Vegetables, Main Dish, and Desserts. However, you might want to also consult the Menu at their Flushing location, as it contains photos of all their dishes, which the Boston menu lacks. There's plenty of options on the menu so whatever your preferences, from vegetarian to meat-lover, you're likely to find something which will appeal to you. Appetizers average around $15-$16 with most Entrees in the $20s. There are also some special dishes which cost in the $30s and $40s.  

Their House Signature dish is Peking Duck, which is available as a Half ($48) or Whole ($88). We opted for a Half, and it came with all of the usual accompaniments plus a couple which are less common. They included very thin chun bing (spring pancakes), narrow strips of cucumber and spring onion, and Hoisin sauce. In addition, there was a bowl of sugar and some pineapple chunks, which are not as commonly found, but both ingredients are said to enhance the flavor of the duck and cut through the fat of the duck. The duck slices were very good, meaty and flavorful, with some nice crispness to the skin. It wasn't the best Peking Duck I've ever tasted, but I was very pleased with what we received. It was also an ample amount of duck, with plenty of pancakes. 

If you order the Peking Duck, you can also order one of two options ($15 extra) of Processed Bones. Yes, that might not sound appetizing at first, but you need to give it some consideration. You can either choose Salt & Pepper Crispy Duck Bones or Tofu & Veggies Duck Bone Soup. We chose the Salt & Pepper Crispy Duck Bones, and I enjoyed gnawing on the salty meat, with a nice crispness, on the bones. Definitely a very good choice as an option. I've long loved duck wings better than chicken wings, and this appealed to my preferences. 

We also chose the Smoked Pork Neck Meat ($25.95), which is smoked table-side, and in the video above, you can see how they fired the wood chips, and then inserted the tray into the bottom of the box, below the level where the pork was laying. They also have a few other items on the menu, such as the Mega Lamb Skewer, which are prepared table-side. 

This was the final product, tender and flavorful pork, with a nice smoky aspect. Some crispness on the exterior, fat which melted in your mouth, and plenty of tasty pork. 

The Mapo Tofu, with minced pork ($17.95), is a classic Szechuan dish and I thought it was excellent, with plenty of silky tofu, a meaty sauce, and a nice, numbing Szechuan spice touch, although it wasn't as spicy as other Mapo Tofu dishes that I've had. So, if you prefer a lesser spicy dish, this would be a good option, providing a touch of Szechuan, but without too strong of heat. 

Our final dish was Crispy Shredded Beef with lime sauce ($26.95), maybe my favorite of the four dishes. I loved the crispiness of the tender beef, with a subtle but complex sauce, the citrus giving a brightness to the beef. Each bite made me crave another. 

Service was excellent. Overall, it was a positive first experience, with plenty of delicious food, and there's plenty more on the menu I would like to try. It's a bit more of a higher-end Chinese restaurant, although the portion size and quality of the dishes generally justifies the higher prices. 

Have you dined at Jiang Nan? If so, what was your experience?

A History of Bread & Butter At Chinese Restaurants

Fried rice, chicken fingers, egg rolls, and boneless spareribs. Would you like some bread and butter with your meal? 

When I was growing up, it was the norm to receive bread and butter, either rolls or slices of French bread, when dining at local Chinese restaurants. Some sources claim this was most common in New England, although a number of Chinese restaurants all across the country also offered bread and butter. However, there might be a reason why it was so common in the New England region. 

Over the years, matters have changed, and now few Chinese restaurants offer free bread, although plenty of other restaurants, serving other cuisines, have also stopped bread service. For many restaurants, it was an economic decision, a way to cut costs as plenty of people didn't eat the bread, and it couldn't be given to other customers. 

I know plenty of people who miss the bread and butter at Chinese restaurants. Maybe it's just a nostalgic emotion. It's something we may never see again, except at the rare Chinese restaurants.

Why did Chinese restaurants start serving bread and butter? I'll first note that the Chinese characters, 黄油面包 (huáng yóu miàn bāo), basically translates as "bread with butter spread on it." Serving bread and butter is not a traditional element of Chinese cuisine, so the first Chinese restaurants in the U.S., which opened in the second half of the 19th century, didn't serve it. 

During the 19th century, bread and butter was extremely common and popular in the U.S.. It became expected that restaurants would offer bread and butter with their meals, often complimentary or included as part of a set lunch or dinner, and some inexpensive meals might even center on bread. So, during the later part of the 19th century, when Chinese restaurants started to become more popular with non-Chinese, the fact that those restaurants didn't offer bread and butter become a significant issue. 

For example, three newspapers in 1892 discussed visits to Chinese restaurants, specifically noting the lack of bread and butter. The Fall River Globe (MA), March 4, 1892, mentioned, “No bread or butter was provided.” The Sunday News Dealer (PA), June 26, 1892, stated, “No bread, butter or side dishes.” And the Kansas City Times (MO), October 9, 1892, said, “Three things were sadly missed, bread, butter and pie.” In addition, the Oakland Enquirer (CA), February 16, 1895, discussed the 21 Chinese restaurants in New York City, alleging that “No bread or butter is served with the meal, as in our restaurants,…”   

The lack of bread and butter was considered significant enough to mention, when nowadays, few reviews of Chinese restaurants, if any, would consider that to be an issue they needed to mention. This omission was seen as a negative element, and probably caused some Americans not to done at those Chinese restaurants. So, those Chinese restaurants eventually took notice, and started offering bread and butter, although it still wouldn't become the norm until some years later in the 20th century.

Probably the first Chinese restaurant in Boston that would serve bread and butter, and probably one of the first anywhere in the U.S., was the Oriental Restaurant, located at 32 Harrison Avenue in Chinatown, which opened in 1895. The Charlotte News (NC), August 4, 1900, printed the menu for this restaurant, noting they sold “Bread and Butter” for 5 cents. So, though it was made available to their customers, it wasn't provided for free.

The New-York Tribune (NY), February 26, 1899, then discussed a Chinese banquet at an unnamed New England Chinese restaurant, mentioning that, “out of deference to American habits, bread and butter were also served, though they were not recommended and were eaten but sparingly.”

As the 20th century began, a number of Chinese restaurants started serving bread and bread. The Marysville Democrat (CA), December 18, 1902, might have been the first Chinese restaurant to print an advertisement which specifically mentioned they offered China Noodles (mispelled in the ad), China Rice, as well as the Bread & Butter. 

The Boston Journal (MA), November 1, 1903, noted an unnamed Chinese restaurant where people were eating chop suey and bread and butter.  

The Washington Post (D.C.), December 13, 1903, discussed that when first the Chinese restaurant opened there, the owner was dismayed of the American custom of having bread and butter with all they ate. However, it was then noted that there were now several Chinese restaurants in the city, and they served complimentary bread, but without butter. If a customer wanted bread and butter, they had to pay 5 cents for it. It was claimed that the bread was served without butter, as the restaurants thought their customers might not thus eat it, and they could later give the bread to another customer, saving money.

The Morning News (DE), June 9, 1904, had a brief ad for a Chinese restaurant which offered, “Fried noodles, bread and butter, iced tea and rice and milk” for 35 cents. The Fitchburg Sentinel (MA), August 29, 1905, noted that the Wing Chun Low Co. restaurant served bread and butter with a meal.

Still not all Chinese restaurants served bread and butter. The Boston Globe (MA), March 30, 1913, mentioned that there were two types of Chinese restaurants, one that catered more to the Chinese and the other which was more Americanized, and also served bread and butter.   

The Fitchburg Sentinel (MA), January 7, 1916, printed an ad for the Boston Chinese Restaurant Co. which mentioned bread and butter was available as part of a “Regular Dinner.”

Other ads for Chinese restaurants during this time period mentioned the availability of bread and butter with special American-style dinners, such as for Thanksgiving. As the years passed, bread and butter became far more common at many Chinese restaurants, and in the Greater Boston area, one of the primary reasons might have been the presence of a bread bakery, which was initially located across from Chinatown.

Around 1919, the Quinzani Brothers, a bread bakery, opened at 24 LaGrange Street in Boston and they concentrated on French bread and rolls. The year before, in 1918, Liberty (aka Libero) Quinzani and Ovidio Quinzani bought a French pastry shop from Pierre Pomes for $500, and turned it into a bread bakery.  

A bread machine accident! The Boston Globe, June 20, 1923, reported that Noapar Abrahamian, age 27, who worked for the Quinzani Brothers, was caught in a bread mixing machine and suffered multiple injuries, although they didn't seem serious. 

The Boston Globe, March 3, 1924, noted that Edward H. Eldredge sold to Liberty and Ovidio Quinzani the building and land at 24-26 LaGrange Street, for $17,000. This included 1249 square feet of land (worth $13,700 alone, and a four-story brick and stone building. Thus, the Quinzanis now owned the building where their bakery was located. During the next month, they would offer rooms on the third and fourth floors for rent or lease.

One of the only advertisements for the bakery was found in the Boston Herald, March 26, 1933. It mentioned that they supplies the Union Oyster daily with fresh rolls and bread. Plus, they mentioned they specialized in French bread and rolls. 

Runaway horse and bakery wagon! The Boston Globe, October 25, 1935, reported that a bakery wagon, owned by the Quinzani Brothers, crashed into a window at the entrance to the Leopold Morse Co. on Washington Street. The horse went wild, running away, and the wagon ran up onto the sidewalk, crashing into the window.

Runaway horse and bakery wagon, Part 2! Ten years later, the Boston Globe, March 19, 1945, reported on another runaway horse, drawing a Quinzani bakery wagon. The horse became frightened for some reason, galloped away, and the wagon struck several parked cars, although the damages were fairly mild. A police officer was able to grab the reins of the horse, and stop it from fleeing.

It appears that sometime during the 1940s, the Quinzani Brothers started trying to sell their breads to Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, as they were located so close to their bakery. The Boston Globe, May 19, 1996, claimed that the Quinzani were among the first to sell bread to local Chinese restaurants.

Around 1966, the Quinzanis moved their bakery to 380 Harrison Avenue, at the corner of Dover Street. Unfortunately, Ovidio Quinzani died in September 1974 while Liberty died in September 1978, although the next generation kept the bakery in operation. There was little else in the newspapers about the bakery until the 1980s, as it continued to quietly supply numerous Chinese restaurants their bread.

The Boston Globe, January 2, 1981, reported that the 3rd generation was now getting ready to take over the Quinzani Bakery, which apparently had been renamed from Quinzani Brothers. The current Vice President (and 1/3 owner) was Arthur Quinzani, the Treasurer was Albert Quinzani (Arthur's brother), and the President was Alfred Quinzani, a cousin. The third generation, including Larry, Stephen and Andrew, were already involved in the daily running of the bakery. The plan was for Stephen to become the general manager, Larry to become the business manager, and Andrew the machinery engineer. 

The bakery's main business was wholesale, French bread, French rolls, assorted dinner rolls for restaurants, and submarine-sandwich rolls. It was said they made about 10,000 dozen rolls each day as well as 10,000 dozen loaves of bread. 

There was a brief mention in the Boston Globe, June 29, 1991, that “Near Ming’s on Harrison is Quinzani’s Bakery, the institution that sells virtually all the white bread still served in suburban Chinese restaurants.”

Five years later, there was a lengthier article in the Boston Globe, May 19, 1996. “In Greater Boston, the secret to a successful Chinese restaurant is not always in the moo shi, but instead in the French bread. A peculiar local practice nearly a century old, the serving of bread with Chinese meals has created a relationship between an Italian bakery and Chinese restaurants that is as long as it is unlikely.” It was also stated, “The habit has taken root here like no other part of the country, according to the North American Chinese Restaurant Association, though it is not uncommon in Europe.” It was also noted that 20% of the bakery's 94 employees were of Asian descent.

The article continued that each morning, from 9am-11am, representatives from over 220 Chinese restaurants, from all across Massachusetts, came to the bakery to purchase bread. They would commonly buy 30 inch baguettes or soft or hard rolls, and, on average, each restaurant would buy about 25 loaves or five dozen rolls, at a cost of 60 cents a loaf and $4.50 for 60 rolls. The bakery would earn about $4300 a day just from their business to Chinese restaurants, about 20% of their overall business. 

However, it was also stated that about five years ago many restaurants in Chinatown had stopped serving bread, as they were now catering more to an ethnic Chinese clientele and/or a "hipper" American crowd. Plus, many of the new suburban Chinese restaurants weren't serving bread either.

A year later, the Boston Globe, December 28, 1997, reported that sales at Quinzani’s Bakery for the upcoming New Year’s Eve were 3-4 times normal. “On New Year’s Eve morning, he said, “We’re wall to wall in bread for Chinese restaurants. An esoteric wonder, really.” Rob Roy Quinzani, part of the 3rd generation, said their business was “linked to the suburban corner Chinese restaurant that serves pu pu platters.” He also mentioned that Mandarin and Szechuan food restaurants generally didn't order bread.

The Quinzani bakery came to a close. The Boston Globe, August 10, 2015, reported that the bakery was closing next week, ending its 95+ year history. It was stated, “Quinzani’s may have been responsible for a once-common tradition at local Chinese restaurants: serving dinner rolls with the meals.”

It seems clear that Chinese restaurants started serving bread and butter because they wanted to attract more non-Chinese, and most Americans wanted it offered with their meals. Sometime during the 1940s, in the Greater Boston area, the Quinzani Bakery began supplying local Chinese restaurants with bread, eventually serving over 200 Chinese restaurants. This may be an important reason why the New England region became so well known for their Chinese restaurants serving bread and butter. However, around 1991, some local Chinese restaurants stopped serving bread and butter, and over the years, that number has increased, so few Chinese restaurants currently serve it any more. 

Do you dine at any local Chinese restaurants which still serve bread and butter? 

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) Kane’s Donuts is once again teaming up with Samuel Adams to sweeten Oktoberfest season with a limited-edition donut infused with Sam Adams’ Oktoberfest beer. The collaboration will be available at Kane’s three locations and on-site during Samuel Adams’ Oktoberfest celebrations at their Downtown Boston Taproom and Boston Brewery in Jamaica Plain.

The Kane’s Oktoberfest Donut will feature the malty, smooth notes of Sam Adams’ seasonal brew, marrying two Boston icons in one bite. The donut features a soft, fluffy yeast dough dipped in a glaze made with Kane’s Signature Honey Dip that has been infused with reduced Samuel Adams Oktoberfest. 

In addition to the donut release, Kane’s will host social media giveaways offering VIP event tickets with an exclusive “Breakfast at Kane’s” experience, collectible steins, and Kane’s swag.

Samuel Adams’ Oktoberfest celebrations 
Samuel Adams Downtown Boston Taproom, 60 State Street: September 19–22
Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania Street: September 25–28

2) In celebration of the heartwarming Netflix film Nonnas, Prezza, Tonno Gloucester, and Tonno Wakefield are proud to announce the selected recipes for their upcoming ‘Nonnas Dinner’ series this fall. Curated by renowned local chef and owner Anthony Caturano, each five-course dinner will spotlight real recipes submitted by local families, each one infused with love, tradition, and the irreplaceable touch of a Nonna. Selected recipe contributors will be honored on the official menu and receive complimentary tickets to their dinner. Please find the selected recipes below with their respective dining location.

Prezza:
Nonna Zoccola’s Sausage Stuffed Pepper – submitted by Annette Fiore Bassett
Mamooche’s Cheese Raviolis – submitted by Jeanette Ives Erickson
Bruna Micheli’s Chicken Thigh with Polenta – submitted by Mark F Micheli
Nonny’s Breaded Pork Cutlets and Vinegar Peppers – submitted by Mark DeLorenzo
Nana Genevieve’s Ricotta Cheesecake – submitted by Darlene Dellorusso Corbett

Tonno Wakefield:
Nonna’s Warm Tomato Bruschetta – submitted by Christina Russo
Nana Connolly’s Manicotti – submitted by Fran Connolly
Nana’s Tonno Puttanesca – submitted by Gene Sullivan
Nonna Eevelyn Baffuto’s Chicken Francaise – submitted by Lauren Maresco Wolf
Noni Pat’s Ricotta Anise Cookies – submitted by Patricia Belmonte

Tonno Gloucester:
Nana Fannie DeLuca’s Southern Italian Giambotta – submitted by Marilyn Kobus
Crocefissa’s Clams a la Papa Joe – submitted by Paul Puzzanghera
Grandma’s Braciole – submitted by Joann Mack
Nonna Carmela’s Chicken Cacciatore – submitted by Susan Coviello
Brassadella (Italian Coffee Cake) – submitted by Lisa Falvo Powis

Tickets to the dinners at Prezza, Tonno Wakefield or Tonno Gloucester can be reserved through Resy (Prezza, Tonno Wakefield, Tonno Gloucester). Tickets are $100 per person, including reception cocktail, tax and gratuity.

WHEN: Prezza: Sunday, October 5th at 2:00 PM; Tonno Gloucester: Sunday, October 19th at 2:00 PM; Tonno Wakefield: Sunday, October 26th at 2:00 PM

Chinatown: A History of Henry Wong & Shanghai Printing (Part 17)

While recently walking around Boston's Chinatown, I stopped at 16 Oxford Street, pictured above, which is the former site of the Shanghai Printing Company. This was once the only Chinese printing plant in New England, catering to the various Chinese laundries and restaurants. 

There's a Historical Marker at this address, showing a photo of the former owner, Henry Wong, standing at a wall of thousands of Chinese characters for his printing press.  

Henry Wong, also known as Henry Leung and Henry You Min Wong, was born in Canton, China around 1912-1913. Around 1928, when he was 15 years old, he traveled from China to California, and a year later, in 1929, he moved to Boston, where he had relatives in the area. Initially, Henry went to work at an uncle's laundry in Concord, New Hampshire, but he didn't like the work. So, Henry moved back to Boston, where he worked at his cousin's noodle factory, the Hop Yuen Noodle Company at 14 Oxford Street.   

His cousin also owned a printing press, a rarity in Chinatown, and Henry learned how to operate it. It seems that he finally found work which appealed to him, much more than laundry or noodles. Thus, when his cousin returned to China, Henry purchased the printing press and decided to start his own business. Although some sources he started his business when he was 18 years old, other sources state that Henry started the Shanghai Printing Company in 1932, when he was 20 or 21 years old. It's possible that when Henry was 18, he simply continued his cousin's business, under the same name, and then started Shanghai Printing 2-3 years later. 

Seventeen years later, in 1949, was maybe the first newspaper mention of Henry and his printing company. By this point, Henry was married, to Katherine Chin, and had two children, Eric (age 60 and Jeffrey (age 5). The Boston Globe, May 29, 1949, ran a brief article about Henry, with five photos, including the photo that is depicted on the Historical Marker. The article mentioned that Henry's printing plant owns 20,000 Chinese characters, which were manufactured in Shanghai! Henry owns an ancient dictionary he uses to determine the proper characters for almost any word, but he's expected to know the characters for about 8500 common words. The characters above spell out "Boston Globe." It was also noted that the Chinese want color printing in every shade possible so Henry must mix his own inks. 

The Boston Traveler, April 18, 1956, stated that the Shanghai Printing Company was the only Chinese printing press in New England, and printed tickets for every Chinese laundry in New England. It was also said that his type case has 10,000 Chinese characters, half the number than which was previously mentioned. Henry was helped by an assistant, Martin Murray, and while Henry set the type, Martin would run the presses. Personally, Henry was said to be 42 years old and now had 5 children, including three daughters, Stephanie, Leslie, and Valerie. 

Consider the great difficulty of printing Chinese because of the vast amount of characters that are needed. English only has 26 letters, so you don't have to search too hard to find the letters you need. But with Chinese, you need to look through thousands of characters, a lengthier and more laborious process. And one man, Henry, did all of that work, of locating the proper characters among all of those possibilities. 

Curiously, the Boston Traveler, August 10, 1956, had some contrary information, stating that Shanghai Printing was located at 14 Oxford Street, not #16, and that the shop only had 6000 Chinese characters, 4,000 less than their previous article detailed. The article also stated: “This firm is equipped to prepare booklets, menus, laundry checks and other job printing work in either Chinese of English.”  

A more detailed article was presented in the Boston Globe, January 29, 1960. It was mentioned that Henry's business was relatively small, and located one flight down at 16 Oxford Street. Henry and his assistant, Martin Murray, performed printing jobs, using three flat-bed presses, in both Chinese and English. Henry possessed about 16,000 Chinese characters, in a big type rack, and regularly uses about 4,000. “Each character is a word, though not composed of alphabetical elements.” The article also mentioned the dictionary he used. “If the type calls for a word with which Henry is not thoroughly familiar, he can refer to the book. It is a sort of catalogue which defines the required character, and discloses its number. Henry can then go to the rack and instantly find it.”

Henry only carried 14 and 18 point type sizes, and the characters come from China. Henry purchased the characters by the pound, which generally cost about $1.00. A pound of 18 point type had about 35 characters while 14 point type had about 50. Most of their print work included restaurant, laundry checks, and labels. And the most popular color for their printing jobs was red. 

It was briefly mentioned in the Boston Sunday Herald, July 18, 1965, that “All the laundry tickets for Chinese laundries in New England are printed at the Shanghai Printing Co. on Oxford St." 

The Sampan, January 1983, reported that, on January 6, there was a powerful explosion that destroyed the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association’s four-story brick and wood building at 14 Oxford Street. The storefront of Shanghai Printing, at 16 Oxford Street, suffered heavy damages. The Athol Daily News, January 6, 1983, reported that 14 Oxford Street also had three apartments, two of which were vacant. Some witnesses reported a smell of gas prior to the explosion. 

The Boston Globe, January 7, 1983, provided more details of the explosion. Four people were injured, including one man, a 59 year old restaurant worker, who fell four stories but only sustained some cuts on his feet. A natural gas explosion is thought to have been the cause. 

Ownership handed down in the family. The Boston Sunday Herald, August 18, 1991, noted that Shanghai Printing was now run by Henry's on, Jerry Wong. However, twenty years later, in 2011, Jeffrey shut down Shanghai Printing, in large part as he was unable to compete with the new computer printing companies. 

Unfortunately, the Boston Globe, March 21, 1992, reported that Henry You Min Wong had died on Friday, March 20, leaving behind his wife Katherine Chin, his five children including Eric Wong, Jefferey Wong, Stephanie Fan, Leslie Chan, and Valerie Wong, as well as 10 grandchildren. The Boston Globe, March 22, 1992, added that Henry, age 80, had died of heart failure. It was also noted that he established Shanghai Printing in 1932. In addition, he founded the Chinese Progressive Association in 1977, and was the honorary president since 1982. 

Chinese Progressive Association "...is a grassroots community organization working for full equality and empowerment of the Chinese community in the Greater Boston area and beyond. CPA was founded in 1977 out of a series of community organizing campaigns around issues such as Chinese parents’ input into the Boston school desegregation process and organizing for community control over land development in Chinatown. Our membership is made up predominantly of Chinese immigrants and the Chinese-speaking; most are workers in low wage industries, working families, or low-income elderly. CPA has no single issue focus because we believe that people have many concerns–jobs, education, freedom from discrimination, a clean and safe living environment. We have seen that once people achieve their rights in one aspect of their lives, they will be more likely to actively participate in solving other community problems."  

Henry stated, “The aim of the Chinese Progressive Association, as I see it, is to serve the community, and it also stands for the liberation of thought … I am happy to be able to do my share in the fight for racial equality. Whether we succeed or not, everybody must do what you can!” 

And that fight continues! 

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A History of Boston's Chinatown and Its Restaurants: 

Check out Part 1, covering the 18th & 19th centuries
Check out Part 2, covering the years 1901-1920
Check out Part 3, covering the 1920s.

Check out Part 4, covering 1930-1959

Check out Part 5, covering the 1960s
Check out Part 6, the tale of Ruby Foo

Check out Part 7, the tale of Anita Chue
Check out Part 8, the tale of Mary Yick
Check out Part 9, a Deeper Look into Two Restaurants

Check out Part 10: Sam Wah Kee: From Chinatown's Most Wealthy Merchant to Wanted Fugitive

Check out Part 11: An Early History of Chinese Herbalists in Boston

Check out Part 12: Dr. Ensang Chang: Boston's First Chinese Licensed Physician 

Check out Part 13: A Historic Look at Chinese New Year in Boston (1870-1890)

Check out Part 14: An Early History of Christmas in Chinatown

Check out Part 15: Chinatown, Little Syria & Its Restaurants

Check out Part 16: The Chinese Shoe Makers of North Adams

And also see my Compilation Post, with links to my additional articles about Chinese restaurants, outside Boston and in Connecticut, as well as a number of related matters.

Rant: "Spectacular" Restaurants? We Don't Need Them

Often, when people dine out, they are not seeking the "spectacular." That is generally saved for special occasions. Instead, they will patronize restaurants which may sometimes receive negative reviews, restaurants where the food may not be consistent from visit to visit. Why would they do so?

I recently came upon a newspaper passage which seems to provide the explanation. The Boston Globe, May 19, 1972, had a review of a popular Chinatown restaurant. The review briefly noted that, “The service generally is merely standard.” It then addressed the reason for its popularity: "Here Bostonians find—the same menu serves for both lunch and dinner—the egg rolls, pork strips, chop suey, fried rice, sweet and sour dishes they think of first when they think of Chinese food. Spectacular? Not often. But comfortable, familiar, reasonable and good.”

Basic service and basic food. But it was comfort food, food they knew, which was adequately tasty, even if it wasn't exceptional. They knew when they dined there, the type of experience they would find. They weren't seeking the "best" Chinese food, but rather a meal that would satisfy them on an emotional or psychological level.    

I've seen numerous online reviews of local Chinese restaurants, some which dealt with inconsistent restaurants, and people still cherished those restaurants, especially as they were seen as comfortable and familiar. The inconsistency was simply accepted, and there would just be hopes that their next visit would be better. Other reviewers have raved about certain restaurants, which others have rated more mediocre, and such raves seem more likely because those places may be more comfortable and familiar to the ravers. 

This doesn't apply to just Chinese restaurants, but to all restaurants in general. Some restaurants, such as from Italian to Mexican, are popular but not because their cuisine is especially excellent, but because they offer comfort food, which is familiar and reasonably good. They cater more to certain emotional needs, and that is what is important to those diners.

If you follow the recommendations and reviews of these people, you might not be satisfied. It will depend on what you seek, whether you want excellent cuisine, or more familiar, comfort food, which might be inconsistent. What do you seek?