For the Love of Food

I'm Chinese - I was born and (for the most part) raised in China.  

I was born into a culture where food is a crucial part of everyday life and at the core of building relationships and was brought up in a country where you're constantly surrounded by copious amounts of really good food (please don't talk to me about General Tso's chicken unless it has anything to do with this documentary).

I'm also Cantonese - I've lived in Guangzhou with my parents since I was nine.

And to quote my favorite food writer Kevin Pang: "We Cantonese have a love of eating that borders on mania. Our people eat every part of almost every animal; we were the original snout-to-tail diners, long before hipsters hijacked the term."

Needless to say, I've been obsessed with food since a tender age. The interest / passion / curiosity that I have towards anything food related has only grown over the years. I make it my mission to try out all kinds of restaurants in the cities that I call home (Guangzhou, Chicago, and partially NYC) and also while traveling. I read books and magazines, watch documentaries, pour over websites - I voraciously consume media that's food related. I yearn to learn more about food - how it intertwines with our life experiences, how it's interwoven into our culture and roots, how different ingredients and their flavors / textures / aroma come into play when creating a dish - there's so much to learn! 

While on the path of continuous experiencing / experimenting / learning about food, I've taken the time to do some side projects on this subject matter ('bout time). With the help of a fellow Cantonese friend, we've created a map of NYC's finest dining establishments, categorized by cuisine type and color-coded with ratings. Of course, I am no subject matter expert, nor Yelp Elite member, nor the esteemed NYTimes food critic Pete Wells. I'm also aware that these selections are heavily influenced by our personal preferences - but being a Cantonese and a foodie at heart, here are some of my (and my good friend Hardy's) favorite places to eat in the Big Apple. Comments for each restaurant are currently in Chinese but working on adding English commentary (#bilingualproblems). *this map is in dire need of an update*