By 6:30, my ice cream was very far away and I was starting to feel a little faint, so I headed off in search of dinner, hoping to find a little cafe that serves burgers and beers. Siri found one about 15 minutes away (walking), so that was perfect and off I went. I found it strange that so many things were closed that early and I finally clued in that it was Sunday night! Yikes! Every restaurant I had passed saved for the fast food joints were closed, as was the café and the grocery store. My options were Burger King, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Arby’s, and Subways. And then I saw a little light in an otherwise dark strip mall. I went to investigate and found a small Chinese restaurant called Hunan City.
Chinese is the last place I go to for sustenance, but I was famished and, having conquered Angel’s Landing, ready for more adventure! 😉 So I went in and was greeted warmly. There were a few other patrons, all speaking Mandarin, which I took as a good sign (I’ve studied Mandarin and can recognize it compared to Cantonese). The menu was small and not very descriptive. I’m sure that people who eat a lot at Chinese places would recognize all the dishes, but the names meant little to me.
I found a ‘dinner special’ section starting at $9.99 and decided to go with that. It included soup of the day, noodles, rice, an egg roll and a main dish. I glanced at all the main dish options and settled on cashew chicken. I know I like those two ingredients, but had no idea how they would be cooked, if there would be sauce or veggies, etc. and the server didn’t seem to speak much English so there was no point asking. I eat raw fish, surely I could handle whatever Hunan City put in front of me!
My soup choices were egg drop or hot and sour, which wasn’t a choice at all for me (no eggs, remember?). The soup looked quite off putting, crunchy somethings I initially thought were noodles with mushrooms and tofu in a viscous broth that was indeed hot (both in terms of spiciness and temperature) and sour. It was rather like that Iranian soup I had in Montreal, strangely comforting and perfect after a long cold walk from the hotel. I didn’t finish it because I suspected that there would be a lot of dinner, but I didn’t not like it.
When dinner arrived, I was optimistic. The plate of food was huge, but there were brightly coloured vegetables and I could tell that the chicken was all white meat with no gristle. I started with the ‘ham fried rice’, which was okay and hugely improved with soy sauce. Next, I sampled the noodles and, oh my! I think they might have had some sesame oil on them. They were just yummy. As for the cashew chicken, WOW! Yes, I just said wow and capitalized it. The dish was cooked in a savoury garlic sauce and had tons of tender crisp veggies and it didn’t skimp on the cashews. I really enjoyed it! There was also a spring roll rather than an egg roll, which I found disappointing since I prefer the dough on the latter. But there was nothing wrong with the spring roll. It was crispy and had lots of nice veggies in it.
I was too hungry to divide all the food into two meals, but there was definitely too much for just one meal. I ended up leaving most of the rice and eating everything else. It was the perfect mix of protein and carbs after a very active day.
I am really glad that circumstances brought me to Hunan City tonight. I don’t see myself seeking out Chinese food on a regular basis, but now I know there’s much more to it than what you get at the all you can eat buffets.
Hi, Rae!
I always enjoy reading your blog and keeping up with your adventures.
I’ll soon be leaving Alaska for SW and Mexico RV travels. You are convincing me to get a pair of Keen sandals, so I wonder which style you like so much. Did you try on several others before deciding?
Kristin
Thanks, Kristin! Have fun on your travels!
My Keens are so great. I am thrilled that I invested in a pair. They are Newports.
No, I did not try on any others. My nearest Cabela was having a good sale on them, regularly something like $130 for $90 for all Keens. I wanted a waterproof closed toe sandal with good grip and suitable for moderate hiking on all terrain and the Newport was it. There wasn’t even anything in another brand that I could compare to. The sizing was perfect and I only had two colour choices (grey or corral), so it was a very quick purchase. The clerk who helped me was stunned!
The only thing I don’t like about them is that they don’t have an adjustable heel strap, so it’s a bit of a pain to slide into them, especially if I’m in a hurry. You really have to jam your foot forward and then tug hard to get the strap over your heel. Minor complaint. 🙂
I got a blister yesterday on the Angel’s Landing hike because I was going through sand most of the day and that got caught between my skin and the shoe. For sandy terrain, I prefer a completely closed shoe, unless you want to shake your Keens out regularly.
Finally, they have some sort of anti-bacteria coating and therefore they don’t stink! I don’t sweat a lot, but I have the problem of lesser quality sandals being pretty funk at the end of the summer because I tend to just wear one pair of shoes until they fall apart. No such problems on the Keens.
They are also aging beautifully. I’ve put them through a lot of rough terrain and the rubber is barely scuffed.
The grip on them is great on everything but frost and sand over smooth rock.
When these wear out, I’m going to get another pair!