I had the honor and privilege of being interviewed for the inaugural edition of The Cleaver Quarterly, an illustrated international English language journal dedicated to various aspects of Chinese cuisine, published in Beijing. This appears to be the first print magazine devoted solely to Chinese cuisine. The interview is more like a round of 20 questions (in this case 23 questions) about my experiences in seeking out Chinese restaurants throughout the United States and Canada. While my previous L.A. Weekly and Los Angeles Times interviews would seem to have covered most of the territory that would be of any interest to readers, the 20 questions format did give me the opportunity to recount some tidbits from the past, such as what turned out to be the culinary awakening at Kim's Restaurant in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1976, my surprise in finding authentic Chinese food at Creasian Restaurant in Springfield, Missouri during my Cashew Chicken tour, as well my statement that Chinese food in Houston is better than that in Manhattan.
One question which would have been better answered if the interview occurred just a little bit later dealt with the Chinese tradition of fighting for the restaurant tab at the end of the meal. They asked me about any memorable fights and frankly I don't recall any. However, after
dinner a few weeks ago the customary fight broke out. However a person at the table abruptly stopped the proceedings by saying "This is not a
Chinese restaurant. You're making a scene by fighting for the check." Yes, the fight was at a European deli.
Since The Cleaver Quarterly is an English language publication produced in Beijing, the exposure will be regrettably limited, since it is a fine, high quality publication. It can be ordered online for $10 plus $7 handling at http://thecleaverquarterly.bigcartel.com/#_=_
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