Great Fortune

I love Chinese food -- actually just about any Asian cuisine -- and could pretty happily eat it every day. Generally in New York that is a very easy request. There is often a Chinese restaurant every few blocks. And for a long time that was true for me. When I worked downtown there were several Chinese restaurants just a few blocks away. I was a frequent visitor. For many years there was a Chinese take-out place just a few blocks away and a Malaysian restaurant -- with fabulous Mango Chicken -- two blocks away.

But our office moved. The Malaysian restaurant lost its lease. The Chinese restaurant became a very fancy fish restaurant and from many options, no options! It wasn't a major disappointment, but there were nights that I wanted hot and sour soup or cold sesame noodles for dinner and there was nowhere on the way home to get them. Of course I had the option of having them delivered, but the minimum delivery was ten dollars and it seemed too pricey to order out on a regular basis, when all I really needed was soup or noodles.

I know someone is mourning the sushi restaurant that went out of business, but its replacement is this, a Chinese takeout right around the corner from my building, and on the way home from the subway. The hot and sour soup, a generous pint, is a bargain by almost any standards and certainly by Manhattan standards at $1.91, with noodles and fortune cookie and it's delicious. What great good fortune!

Wishing you good fortune and your heart's desire tomorrow and every day!