I HAVE GREAT NEWS
I have lived downtown in this city for nearly 5 years now. And not once in that time have I stumbled upon a decent Chinese food place; and I have looked. I have searched, begged, and polled for years. I have found nothing. I have found oversalted lo mein, fried chicken wings as a staple to the menu, dumplings that are frozen, and only dark greasy meat making up any sort of chicken dish. I have cried over this thing simply because growing up I had amazing Chinese food in the wonderful nook of love known as Rosedale. It was called
Ming Ming's and while it may have looked like a greasy spoon from the outside, inside everything was made fresh every day and the food was impecable. It nourished me with wholesome fried foods throughout my early adult life. And if asked on my birthday "Where would you like to eat?". The answer certainly came back "Ming Ming's".
Now Baltimore can do Thai, Korean, Greek, Afghan, and Ethiopian carry adequately (and by adequat I mean - sad), but it's Chinese (and please someone tell me if I am wrong or you have your own corner great Chinese food store) has suffered at some cruel hand of God.
I am not one for retail food. I loathe and despise most chain and high end chain restaurants, not for their quality of food mind you (well the TGIF's and Sizzlers of the world can go fuck themselves - but Ruth Chris and Mortens are tasty) but for their inherited culture. Their desire to take a prefabricated environment and have it somehow seem local and unique disturbs me. Their desire to blend into a community like Baltimore with a Santa Chicky style decor matched with a San Francisco style wine list, paired with an air of snobbish aristocracy that has deemed them new lords of the fine dining block, irks me. At the same time these places have their merited moments. It is always lovely to cheaply vacation at an exotic restaurants. However, I still have no inner love for them. I find their corporate dining culture rather uncomfortable and extremely impersonable. I find their mistreatment of local town staff and promotion of "x" trained employees at some small business park "x college" to be not just annoying but insulting. There are numerous other reason for the anger but for that you would have to accompany me to one of those establishments.
Unfortunately for me I feel this opinion about to change over one brand new restaurant opening downtown.
Speaking earlier of the lack of Chinese food in our wonderfully seasoned town, I am now about to embark on a new Chinese food journey. I am about to partake once again in Chinese food amazement. I am about to order take out from
PF Changs. I am about to merrily skip home awash in ginger and sesame oils. I will douse my stomach with the sweet nectars of friend ingredients that only great Chinese food can breed. I shall become your greatest patron. I shall hug someone in there before leaving and I will thank them for my new higher cholestoral and increased pant size. I shall ignore the slave wages and farced atmosphere. I shall shuffle in with eyes on the register and shuffle out.
If you live in the Baltimore area; rejoice! Rejoice and sing out to the heavens. Praise thee for thouest Changs. Praise THEE!
