Fine Chinese foods are a rarity on the east coast

Fine Chinese foods are a rarity on the east coast

I grew up in Connecticut and now live in New York City. I've spent my entire life in the northeastern corridor, living for a summer in a Boston and going to school just outside of Hartford. I've traveled a lot - Europe, Africa, Latin America and all over the United States - but have never been to Asia. It's on my list though - I love traveling, and exploring new places.

Given all of that, there's still no place I'd rather be than New York City. The absolute best thing about living his is the diversity of top-notch, easily accessible restaurants of all stripes. My girlfriend, who comes from San Diego (and is even more well-traveled than me) feels the same way. No where else in the world can match New York's diversity when it comes to cuisines. Everything here is top notch.

Except... chinese foods. Unless you're specifically heading down to Chinatown, you're going to have a very, very difficult time finding restaurants that serve top-end chinese foods. Most of the restaurants here are greasy-counter, "typical" east coast chinese restaurants that server pork fried rice, fride chicken, general tso's chicken, various shrimp and beef dishes, et cetera et cetera. These are not traditional "delicacies", the types of chinese foods you'd find at the top restaurants in Beijing or Shanghai. They are an Americanized version of the cuisine, prepared inexpertly and, frankly, are pretty gross.

It's strange to me that Chinese foods have been so neglected here on the east coast when other Asian cuisines have been given such star treatment. In New York City there are currently four five-star restaurants. Three of them are, of course, French. The fourth is Japanese. It was remarkable if not quite scandalous when the Japanese restaurant was given its five-star treatment, and shows a willingness to look to different cuisines for greatness.

Yet, Japanese foods are no more inherently great than chinese foods. Same with Thai - in my neighborhood alone I can name eight Thai places that are Zagat recommended and rated. In fact the first "great" restaurant in my neighborhood is called "Planet Thai" and has been a Brooklyn institution for nearly twenty years.

Why are there no similar Chinese restaurants of note? It's rather hard to figure, especially since China is a gigantic country with a diversity of cuisines within its own borders. It's a shame we've yet to truly discover that here.

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