Flushing - The Real Chinatown in New York

Most Americans think that Chinatown is where most Chinese live in cities in the US.  That may have been true until about 30 years ago.  Recent Chinese immigrants have started their own version of "Chinatowns."  Residents of old Chinatowns are mostly from the Guangdong province and speak Cantonese or one of the sub-dialects of Cantonese, like "say-yap."  Recent (the last 30 years or later) Chinese immigrants to the US come from all over China and Asia, including Taiwan.  They speak Mandarin or some other Chinese dialects and are not interested in living in the old Chinatowns.

In major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, etc, these new Chinese immigrants started their own new Chinatowns, like Monterey Park in Los Angeles, San Jose/Silicon Valley in the Bay Area, and Flushing in New York City.  I went to Flushing more than 30 years ago and at that time the Chinese population was very small.  Out of curiosity I decided to take the subway to Flushing and see what it's like today.  I've read and heard a lot about the new Chinese restaurants that have opened up in Flushing.  What better indicator than restaurants to mark the rise of the ethnic population.

To say that I was surprised is an understatement.  I took the No. 7 train from Manhattan to Queens.  It ended on Main Street in Flushing.  As soon as I walked up the stairs from the subway station, I was right smack in the middle of Flushing Chinatown.  You can't miss it.  A lot of the signs are in Chinese.  People on the streets were mostly speaking Mandarin, not Cantonese.  In almost all the businesses, you have to speak Mandarin.  You will be laughed at if you order Chop Suey, Chow Mien or Egg Foo Young.  Instead you will find Ma Po Tofu, Twice-cooked Pork, Soup Dumplings, Taiwanese Pork Chop, Onion-crepe Pancake, etc.  These are food from different regions of China, not just Guangdong province.  Not only are they authentic and tasty but inexpensive as well.

Main Street in Flushing

This looks like a street in China but it's really in Flushing, NY

A pig on its way to becoming Chinese BBQ pork

These pies are popular in northern China, with different stuffings

Braised Pig's Feet

Not only do you find exotic food but fruits as well.  Lychee (L) and Rambutan (R)

I was tempted to eat at some of the restaurants I stopped in.  The type of food they serve gives me an indication of what region of China they come from.  There are so many good choices that I almost ate at the first restaurant I stopped in.  Luckily, I held off until I went to a food court in the New World Mall.  The variety here is amazing.  There must have been almost 30 food stands, selling different types of food, ranging from sushi to BBQ to spicy Sichuan noodles.  There are also the popular Bo Ba Milk Tea, Taiwanese shaved ice, etc.  The customers here are almost entirely Asian and Mandarin is the common language here instead of English.  This is proof that, indeed, this is the real Chinatown.

Food Court inside the New World Mall

There are also several Asian supermarkets here.  They sell stuff that are considered odd to most Americans but Asians love them.  Fresh seafood, fresh meat and all sorts of Chinese vegetables like Kai Lan, Bok Choy, Yu Choy, Taro, Bittermelon, etc.

Roast Duck and BBQ Pork

Conch (above) and Squid