Chinatown Before Lunch by Chipka
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Description
Chinatown is such a small place. Its borders have shrunk, due to the construction of expressways. But nothing of the area is lost: it retains a certain, broad-range intensity. It is shamelessly vibrant.
Tourists amble the streets, in search of food. There are plenty of restaurants here, more than enough, and all of them offer a range of Chinese dishes, adapted for American tastes. But occasionally, you'll come across an "authentic" Chinese Restaurant, such as Seven Treasures. It's tucked behind a diminutive facade, shared with River Sky Travel, and bakery/cafe called Tasty Place. If you approach Seven Treasures on foot, your back is to the Chicago skyline, and with the singsong cadence of Cantonese dancing around you, it's not impossible to imagine that you've found yourself in some obscure corner of Hong Kong. There are drying squids hanging in windows, there are fish tanks. You can buy Chinese candy here, of course; and it's the good kind that comes in edible wrappers. Unfortunately, Corey and I didn't eat the strangely "coconut/bean" flavored candy with edible wrapping paper, but I'm sure we will. It's good stuff! I love eating a piece of candy and feeling its paper dissolving on my tongue, leaving a vaguely tofu-like aftertaste. And it's funny, I haven't had that stuff in years, but as I look at this picture (even now) I can taste it.
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Hopefully you enjoy this picture as much as I've enjoyed taking it. And as always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting!
Comments (20)
Wonderful capture my friend.
Grande immagine di quotidianita' ! Great picture of everyday life !
hehehe..i live in Chinatown but in ny..i have to say it's a different world in all chinatowns...the one in san francisco..san diego...i like exploring them. nice to see the tower in the background. i miss Chicago sometimes..i really do
Wonderful image and expressively vibrant!!!! The only Chinatown I have been to was in New York City... It is way big and I felt a bit intimidated by the myriad of very pushy sellers on the sidewalks trying to sell anything from DVD's to items too obscure to mention here! This looks a tad calmer and I would love to experience it! Great work Chip!
OH, THat shot make me wish I could go to Chicago´s China Town. It looks so interesting and beautiful and I sure would like to taste that candy :-)))
Fantastic photo, excellent colors!!!!
Good pic! I am always up for Chinese food. I didn't know of Chicago's Chinatown. From your description of its' location, I am glad it still exists at all:) The mayor's office has somewhat of a record of simply doing away with something if it gets in the way (downtown airport for example). But then other cities have done similar things. New York (my boyhood stomping grounds) simply condemned whole neighborhoods in the early 20th century to make way for elevated highways, etc.
love it.
Looks very much like the Chinatowns in Seattle and SF... a whole nother world! Great shot & memories.
Thank you for this, my friend! This is just what I was hoping to see. It's such a visual shock to see Chinatown with the Sears Tower in the background! Excellent image.
This is superb. It really does have a little of the Hong Kong feel to it. Your wonderful narrative, as usual, drags me right into the image. I feel like I was standing beside you when you took this shot.
You've brought back the taste of ricepaper...I might have to make some macaroons!
nice capture of everyday life !
I have noticed there is a Chinatown in almost every big city in America and even in some of the smaller ones. I have been to many. And each is very different in appearance but the make-up of them is pretty standard. Where I live, we have a block we call our Chinatown but we have a very high population of Asian and Oriental people here so the same stores and businesses are located throughout all sections of the city and rural areas.
hey. i've been there with some friends a few years back
I have to check that out sometime. That just looks so cool.
Great and very colorful shot. Ah, the food. I often crave Chinese food, especially up here in the mountains where it doesn't exist. Always end up making it myself, but it's never as good.
When you are describing all these little morsels, in details, it makes my mouth water and want to rush outside and try some for myself...dream on! All those vibrant oriental colours, seem to bring parts of a city to life, (compared to most of our different shades of grey, where we live) my guess is, you will find them in many major cities around the world, even here in Australia, having said that..I don't know about Russia ? Bon Appetit BB
Years ago, someone took me to this little hole in the wall place in San Francisco's Chinatown. It was full of locals eating things I didn't recognize. The food was great and so was the atmosphere. But, the really crazy thing is tha a few years later, I was with some other friends and we went to the same place. What are the odds of THAT, with a gazillion places to go? I love this shot, full of color and life. I've wandered SF's Chinatown often (got the hottest green suede coat for all of $30) and you captured exactly the mood and the energy!!
Not too unlike Tornoto's Chinatown at Dundas and Spadina though many of the buildings are less ornate thanwhat we see here. The Chinese believe that vibrant colours bring good luck, especially red and especially for to businesses. In Toronto, even in the depths of winter, their signs are always clean and clear of obstruction or dirt. Of coarse Chinatown in Toronto would not be the same without the passings of the bright red streetcars of the Dundas and Spadina Lines.