Chowing Down in Chinatown

Chowing Down in Chinatown

The last time I was in Philadelphia's Chinatown, I was a college freshman -- 11 years ago! Tonight seemed like a good time for me to return, along with friends Bekezela and Mike (pictured above) and my nurse du jour (taking the picture.

As usual, parking my high-top van in Center City proved a royal pain in the ass. We picked out a perfectly good handicap space, only to be told by the attendant to go to other side of the lot -- the equivalent of half a block away, where the pavement was broken up -- because there was "more room over there."

Fortunately, dinner proved worth the trip. I even got a bit adventurous in my old age, trying Lamb Hunan Style and Pineapple and Lychee Duck. I enjoyed both and had no trouble chewing either, always a concern when straying from my predominantly chicken and fish diet.

We decided to walk around after dinner, as I wanted to get a picture at the well-known Friendship Gate. Halfway up the block, a restaurant worker carted out a trash can full of foul-smelling water and dumped it all over the sidewalk. So we backtracked half a block and crossed at the corner (jaywalking isn't possible when you're in a wheelchair with curb cuts only at corners), proceeded up the block, only to be confronted with, you guessed it, another pool of fishy water! With no choice, I drove through it quickly. It's always an adventure, isn't it?

Fortunately, the only smell emanating from my wheelchair when I got home was that of the leftover egg rolls and sesame chicken. My father was only too happy to give me a hand with that!