Authentic Chinese food for us Gwai Los

[the_only_turek_fan]

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop@Aug 22 2005, 01:20 AM
Any good local joints?

None of that greasy starchy stuff covered with gooey sauces.

And how do you convince the waiter that's what you want?

I havent read the whole thread, but has anyone mentioned Home Food Inn?

Its on McLeod Trail down by 90th Ave I think.

Great buffet!!!!

[Bertuzzied]

hahaha. Gwai Los. You know the literal translation for that is Ghost People. Well i guess you are all white. hehehe.

Since i'm chinese i can tell you the best and most authentic chinese food is at New Harbour City. It's pretty expensive though and you have to know what to order. The last dinner i had lasted 4 hours!! and it cost $700 for 8 people. It was actually too authentic for me! hehehe.

Emerald Garden should still be around during the 16th construction they are on the otherside of 16th. Mingos which used to be there before emerald garden was a lot better. They had portugese/macau styled cuisine! so yummy.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally posted by Bertuzzied@Aug 22 2005, 04:33 PM
Emerald Garden should still be around during the 16th construction they are on the otherside of 16th.

Okay, I'm mistaken then. It'd be another joint on the south side of 16th that's shuttered. Up by Center Street.

[flamingchina]

gwai lou? what kind of chinese word is that,
we're wei guo ren, or Lao Wie (approx pinyin
damn cantonese people...

Anyways, one thing about authentic chinese food, each region of China really does have there own flavours/dishes, etc. So "authentic" is mostly for one region
ohh yeah, ask for MaPo Dofu...
God I wish I could find a good Sichaun Hua Guo (hot pot) in Calgary, and I mean a proper one... or xingjiang shou kou...
God I miss China..
(most of of the food lao wai's know is from the canton/fujian/shanghai area, with more and more beijing influence now as well.)
favorite dishes: (besides the two previosuly mentioned)
Gong Bao Mao Ding. (err I mean Gi Ding... yeah.....)
and Hei Guo Ro. (my pinyin sucks..)

[cheung31]

me no like mandarin.. i cant understand it

[flamingchina]

Originally posted by cheung31@Aug 23 2005, 04:17 AM
me no like mandarin.. i cant understand it

It's ok, neither can I

I'd post the characters, but the computer I'm on doesn't have east asian support in windows...

[Phanuthier]

Authentic Chinese food for us Gwai Los



(I wonder if Reggie knows what the direct translation is... ducks)

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally posted by Phanuthier@Aug 22 2005, 09:22 PM
Authentic Chinese food for us Gwai Los



(I wonder if Reggie knows what the direct translation is... ducks)

A feller who looks like a ghost?

[Incinerator]

Originally posted by Bean@Aug 22 2005, 06:16 PM
Last summer Calgary Court was ordered by the city to close their doors due to bad food management. (This also included a few other establishments along that strip of road in chinatown) The city posted a sign indicating their decision on the front door to warn the public; in this case, management put up a poster covering the ad and continued to operate months after the incident had occured. I remember this vividly as it was in the paper, on the evening news and I had found out about this a few days after eating there.


p.s. I once saw a waitress at Calgary Court drop a box of straws on the floor; she then went ahead to pick up said straws and placed them back into the box.

There was no order for them to close their doors, the city just saw CC as their cash cow as they send health inspectors there to fine them $10,000 pretty much every six months. I know the dude who owns this place, he also owns Sun Chiu Kee (same type of food, slightly better hygiene standards, and they're moving to the NW with a new name soon) and Pebble Street-Forbidden City in the NE, plus another restaurant in Richmond, BC.

[Phanuthier]

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop+Aug 23 2005, 04:24 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Reggie Dunlop @ Aug 23 2005, 04:24 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Phanuthier@Aug 22 2005, 09:22 PM
Authentic Chinese food for us Gwai Los



(I wonder if Reggie knows what the direct translation is... ducks)

A feller who looks like a ghost? [/b][/quote]
Damn, that was my attempt to be a funny.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop+Aug 22 2005, 10:24 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Reggie Dunlop @ Aug 22 2005, 10:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Phanuthier@Aug 22 2005, 09:22 PM
Authentic Chinese food for us Gwai Los



(I wonder if Reggie knows what the direct translation is... ducks)

A feller who looks like a ghost? [/b][/quote]
more like Demon.

And on this topic, I pains me often when I see Westerners in a Chinese restaurant, usually single diners who don't realize what they are ordering or that most menu items are catered to groups to be shared and aren't suitable to be eaten alone as a single dish...this is often also the fault of unhelpful waiters and poor service who just leave these poor folks to fend for themselves...when they recieve something completely unlike what they imagined, boring, and seemingly inedible.

I saw somebody trying to order a meal and then getting a large plate completely made of Chinese brocolli and other veggies that was pretty unappetizing to be eaten straightforward and then trying to stuff his pride and eating it all and then paying a ridiculous price for it in the end.

So my best tips is, if you eat "real" Chinese, remember, it's designed for large groups, that's why the tables have big lazy susan's in the middle so you can rotate everything. Order lots, and have variety in dishes or you may be disappointed. That is one way to survive "real" Chinese food.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally posted by Hack&Lube@Aug 22 2005, 11:53 PM
more like Demon.

Oh sure. Every culture calls the other fellers "Devil."

You got your white devils, your yellow devils, your black devils and whatnot. Mostly now it's archiac, or so I hope. The Gwai Lo bit was an attempt at self-deprecating humour. I think it's a funny term. Substitute "Gwai Lo" for "Gigolo" in the David Lee Roth song, and you'll see where I'm coming from.

Yea, it's a communal thing. I'm always up for gastronomical adventures, so unusual ingredients don't phase me. Organ meats, brains, various fungi and such are common in other cuisines as well.

Just looking for a place that won't have preconcieved ideas based on what I look like and give me the best possible meal.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Hey Reg,

There are usually set meals at Chinese restaurants, but I know there are set meals for the Chinese, and set meals for the non-Chinese. Usually, these meals will be at the front of a menu, and are set meals for say 4 people, 6 people, and 10 people. Just learn how to read a few Chinese characters for those numbers, and you can just point and order those! Those meals are almost always very good! You get a real Chinese meal, which starts with a nice soup, a few appetizers, and some main dishes! Sometimes, those set meals are also posted on the walls of the restaurant if the restaurant isn't as fancy.

[Reggie Dunlop]

To tell you the truth, I've picked up a smattering of Mandarin and Cantonese over the years from people I work with or know. Not that I'm claiming any sort of affinity with the culture (there's a term, isn't there? Egg? White on the outside, yellow inside?). Just sorta interested in getting the Real Deal and would like to know of a place that can cater to my request. That's all.

[CarlW]

Sun Chiu Kee is good, and theres a small place between the Telus Building downtown and the parkinglot.

[Claeren]

Originally posted by Reggie Dunlop@Aug 23 2005, 01:06 AM
To tell you the truth, I've picked up a smattering of Mandarin and Cantonese over the years from people I work with or know. Not that I'm claiming any sort of affinity with the culture (there's a term, isn't there? Egg? White on the outside, yellow inside?). Just sorta interested in getting the Real Deal and would like to know of a place that can cater to my request. That's all.

That would be me and my friends (and girlfriend).

I am an egg and they are banana's... or so we say... eek! lol...


I was going to mention the 'set' thing and i must have forgotten in my original post. Even at Asian McDonalds they often/usually call the meals 'sets'. Pretty hard to eat authentically alone, that is for sure...

The best is when the family 'Ama' (Mom, or grandmother sometimes too, depending) picks one restaurant over another because it is like $1 more but for 2 more people and then i get invited to fill the seat but am the only one who can eat that much food (I am 6'4, 230) so am told (through translation) by the cute old people at the table that i have to eat up! Ack...

Last night i was enjoying this 'sweet date dessert' and am like, 'what is this white noodle stuff?' and found out it was stringy fungus - to much ammusment that did not need translation...

Sometimes i think they invite me along just to amuse the old people who rarely leave chinatown and have never been so close (in a personal sense) to a white person before! :P


Claeren.