These are a few of my favorite things! Part II

While I've been slowly collecting my go-to Chinese restaurants in Seattle, they still don't hold a candle to the Chinese food you can get in the DC area. Besides Full Key (in part I) the family hit up my parents' weekly dim sum place, Silver Fountain. One of my favorites is gao choi gao (no pic, sorry). It's a steamed dumpling that's then pan fried at Silver Fountain.

***Can we pause for a second? What the heck is Wikia and why does it have a dim sum page!?!?! Cousin - you need to click on the Wikia home page. Love the picture, you will. I now know what Wikia is, you should learn what it is too. Also, maybe explore the dim sum page some more. /***unpause***

Oh and the steamed beef balls! Most people call them "meatballs" but there's other versions made from other types of meat, like shrimp. For some reason when I have it out here it tastes old and re-heated. Maybe because I'm not part of the "in-crowd" --> a status my parents earn through their weekly patronage to this restaurant. So they get good seats during crowded times and therefore avoid most of the reheated leftovers that come out.

My parents are actually building up good repertoire at Maria's Bakery. Did you know that besides baked goods they also serve this:

Macaroni noodles with peas, carrots, and ham in chicken broth. Eggs and a hot dog. Simple, delicious, and I don't know why this is what transferred from the British culture to the English. I actually make the soup when I feel sick and add bok choy and mushrooms. What can I say? I like my soups more complicated and with vegetables.

1000 year old egg and salty pork congee, lo mein, English toast with butter, condensed milk, and peanut butter. ALSO! Ying-yeung. (That's Cantonese for Ying-yang). It's black tea and coffee with milk.

I didn't! It's Hong Kong style breakfast. They usually come in "sets." My cousins and I, of course ordered both sets and just split them all. The tea and toast are all included in your sets.

The peanut butter toast stood out the most. The toast is thicker than normal bread, and I completely forgot that they do that!!!! (sometimes you just get condensed milk, no pb). Next mission is to find a place that makes this stuff. It's not the same when you make it yourself. Believe me, I've tried. It's that whole some things taste better when some one else makes it for you deal.