New Year's Eve Chinese Food Experience

[Airedale1]

I followed with great interest the older thread on here regarding Chinese food. Getting Chinese food take-out on New Year's Eve is a beloved family tradition for us. For many years we always got it from King's in Loudon; but that was not an option for us this year as the owners retired earlier this year after 30 years of operation.

So, after reading the other thread we decided to order from Phu Jee in Meredith. So, on the morning of the 31st I tried to call Phu Jee's to put in an order. There was no answer and I quickly learned that they would not open until 4:00 and would close at 9:00. That made me very nervous as I did not want to wait until 4:00 to try to get them on the phone and then possibly be told that we would have to wait hours for an order.

So, we went to our plan "B" and tried calling Green Ginger in Tilton, which we had never been to before. I called them at 11:00, they answered; took my order and asked me when I would like to pick it up. I told them 5:00 and they said, no problem, see you at 5:00 and you are order #47.

So, I showed up at 5:00. What I saw when I walked in was spectacular! There was a line of other folks also picking up and the line was 4 abreast and 7or 8 deep. This was a line you stood in just for people who had already ordered so you could tell the cashier the order # you were there to pick up. I heard people asking for order #'s above 300 and this was at only 5:00.

Behind the 4 young ladies that were asking customers what order they were there for was another 8 young ladies (2 behind each cashier) that were just fetching the orders.

I was in and out of there with my food in less than 10 minutes. This was clearly not their first New Years Eve rush. The level of organization and professionalism was outstanding and the food was great too.

We will definitely go back.

[dpg]

As we ate our Chinese food new years eve we wondered and discussed who started Chinese food that night anyway??

[Happy Gourmand]

Speculating that the Chinese restaurants were the only ones open late on New Year's because they don't recognize Jan 1st as New Year's. Just a guess.

[dpg]

Originally Posted by Happy Gourmand

Speculating that the Chinese restaurants were the only ones open late on New Year's because they don't recognize Jan 1st as New Year's. Just a guess.

Good enough for me...

[Airedale1]

Originally Posted by dpg

As we ate our Chinese food new years eve we wondered and discussed who started Chinese food that night anyway??

Great question and I don't know the origin of the tradition either. I do tend to agree with Happy Gourmand's thought that, "Chinese restaurants were the only ones open late on New Year's because they don't recognize Jan 1st as New Year's."

That being said, whenever our kids stump us with a question we tell them to Google it. So, I followed my own advice and I found the following article online.

Why we love Chinese food for New Year's Eve

Somehow it’s become a tradition that people order Chinese food on Dec. 31. Food historians and local restaurant owners don’t know how or why, but one thing is clear: it’s the go-to meal for gatherings or quiet nights at home.
• By Dana Barbuto

Posted Dec. 31, 2011 at 12:01 AM
Updated Dec 31, 2011 at 3:10 PM

For as long as she can remember, Sara Lynne Donovan’s family has indulged in a feast of Chinese food on New Year’s Eve. “It goes as far back to when I was a child,” said Donovan, 23 of Quincy. “We get so much food. We don’t get it any other time of the year.”

Donovan’s family is one of many on the South Shore who ring in the New Year with Chinese takeout. Somehow it’s become a tradition that people order Chinese food on Dec. 31. Food historians and local restaurant owners don’t know how or why, but one thing is clear: it’s the go-to meal for gatherings or quiet nights at home.

Food historian Lynne Olver, who runs the website foodtimeline.org isn’t sure about the origin of the custom, but she knows Chinese food is a crowd pleaser. “It’s convenient, festive, not overly filling and everyone gets what they want,” she said.

Walter Chan, owner of Mr. Chan’s in East Milton Square said he thinks the custom “is a New England thing. Years ago lots of places were closed and Chinese restaurants were not.”

Last New Year’s Eve, the entire dining room at Great Chow in North Quincy wasn’t filled with people – it was filled with hundreds of brown paper bags filled with take-out orders. The small waiting area was packed with people and multiple phone lines were ringing fast and furiously. That’s a scene typical of many Chinese restaurants. New Year’s Eve is the busiest night of the year for local restaurants – some taking orders earlier in the week. Others, like China Copsticks in Quincy, will only serve large appetizers after 3 p.m. to keep up with demand.

“New Year’s Eve is like our Super Bowl,” said Chan. He expects orders to starts coming in at about 9:30 a.m. “It’s a grueling day.”
Chan said they’ll likely serve about 500 pounds of rice and estimates 7,500 fortunes will go out the door. “There’s 500 cookies in a box and we’ll go through at least 15 boxes,” he said.

Chan, and other local restaurant employees, spent much of this week preparing for tonight – chopping vegetables, assembling hundreds of those red-and-white takeout boxes, filling small plastic condiment bowls with duck sauce and hot mustard.

Susie Chu, owner of Cathay Center in Weymouth, has been in the restaurant business for more than 25 years. She said business gets stronger and stronger every year. “I hired extra cooks and extra help. Everybody loves Chinese on New Year’s Eve. It goes good with everything.”
Chu’s brother George Chu, owner of Cathay Pacific in North Quincy said he’s seen the Chinese food fixation grow over the 30 years he’s been in the business. “Every year my customers say ‘it’s tradition.’”

We run around a little faster, and move a little quicker,” he said. “It’s a really busy night. We’re constantly cooking all day. We go through a lot of chicken wings.”

The appeal of Chinese food, said George Chu, is that it’s so versatile – eat it hot, cold, it lasts for days. “Anything goes,” Chu said.

The celebration at the Donovan house will be a feast of chicken lo mein, Crab Rangoon, pork fried rice and any kind of dumpling. Laughing, she said, “My father will complain how he was up all night because of all the MSG.”

The family, however, wouldn’t imagine celebrating any other way.

“If we didn’t get Chinese food, then we’d all complain,” Donovan said. Simply put, it’s tradition.

[gwhite13]

Most of our distant friends do not share the celebration associated with having Chinese food that evening. Too bad for them. My family is from the south shore and have enjoyed food from all of the restaurants listed in the article.

[polarisman14]

I'm a big fan of the Green Ginger. They serve japanese and chinese food and have excellent sushi--a good follow up to a day on the water.

[Slickcraft]

We went for lunch, they have a lot of choices many of which are marked as spicy. As that is our preference we each ordered an item marked as spicy. Each dish was well made with very nice flavor except they were on the boring end of mild.

When the manager came by to ask how our food was, we noted the absence of spicy. She told us that we have to specifically ask for spicy even if the menu indicates spicy. Hmmm why not inform customers when ordering?

We may give it another try some time.

Of course I remember one time that we sent the food back at a Chinese place with the compliant that it was not spicy. Apparently the cook said spicy? They want spicy? I'll fix them! And he did.

[Heaven]

I have been eating less and less Chinese food locally as it seem the quality has gone down , , or at least, it has become not remarkable. I agree that the spicy designation doesn't mean much, and I am distressed that I can no longer find any of the chestnut flour dishes that are prepared with a crunchy coating. I ordered a large dinner this past New Years Eve, but it will be my last order from any of the 4 or 5 Chinese restaurants around here, for me.

[Slickcraft]

We tried Green Ginger for lunch again this week. As I noted earlier at our 1st visit the "spicy" items on the menu came out mild. We were advised to specifically ask for spicy next time.

So this week we each picked a "spicy" item and asked for "extra spicy". Lunch was delivered with the waiter saying "extra spicy" as the items plates were placed on the table. We braced for the extra hot but it was a real let down. Not even a hint of spicy just like the 1st time.

The dishes were good other than that, the hot and sour soup was very good and the price very reasonable. But if you like spicy Chinese food like we do, this is not the place.

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

We tried Green Ginger for lunch again this week. As I noted earlier at our 1st visit the "spicy" items on the menu came out mild. We were advised to specifically ask for spicy next time.

So this week we each picked a "spicy" item and asked for "extra spicy". Lunch was delivered with the waiter saying "extra spicy" as the items plates were placed on the table. We braced for the extra hot but it was a real let down. Not even a hint of spicy just like the 1st time.

The dishes were good other than that, the hot and sour soup was very good and the price very reasonable. But if you like spicy Chinese food like we do, this is not the place.

I find the same problem at most Chinese places. They never meet my heat expectations. I always ask for a side of hot oil on takeout or dine in. They put it in a little Chinese duck sauce container and I add it as I would Chinese duck sauce or mustard. You shouldn't have to, but I order it just in case. There's always a lot left over. Good stuff.