中文

Chinese New Year is not a big celebration in the United States.  We don’t even get a single holiday for it.  On the first day of the Chinese New Year, the whole place is as quite as usual, not a single threat of new year spirit can be found.  Since we have to go back to work early Monday morning, so we have to drive home today.  Before we leave, my mother in law’s family took us to a Greek restaurant call “White House” to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  Now I can say I have eaten in the White House, they even offer daily special, president not included in the special though.  Greek food for Chinese New Year, my first for sure :)

The kitchen is the first to greets you as soon as you walk into the restaurant.  I find this interesting so I snap a picture.

We start with the very popular bread with olive oil and vinegar, a very healthy way of eating.  Both olive oil and vinegar are suppose to be good for you.  I like the bread here, it’s soft and very aromatic, it is unlike most other western style bread I had, they are usually hard and hard to chew on.  I am already half full just by eating these breads.

This is the famous Gyro, there are meat, cheese, yogurt, vegetable, onion and other good stuff in it.  They are amazingly tasty.

My wife order the Greek style Chilean Sea Bass Risotto.  It has a very heavy cheese flavored rice, it’s very tasty and very filling.  She doesn’t like to eat meat, so she goes for seafood most of the time.

This is mine.  Just from the look of it, you know I am a meat eater.  I ordered the Greek Plate, basically    roast lamb with rice.  The rice is also very cheese-filled.  Buried under the lamb is a huge slice of eggplant and yogurt sauce that goes with the lamb.  It’s not bad, I like it.

Finally, the most popular and well known dish of this restaurant, wait, what? the French Onion Soup?   How did the French onion soup became the most popular and well known dish for a Greek restaurant?  Beats me, I have no idea.  But it is indeed popular, everybody comes here for their onion soup.  I must say, it is pretty good, in fact, it is one of the best I have tried.  Usually when I have French Onion Soup, I forgo the cheese layer on the top.  But the cheese of this onion soup is so good, I end up consuming the whole thing.  This soup is so filling I did not end up finishing my lamb.  No matter, I box it up, and it will be my dinner tonight.

Well, this is how we spend our first day of Chinese New Year, not very Chinese, I know.  But in America, this will do.  At least we still get to eat some authentic Chinese dishes on New Year eve.  Well, I wish all of your happy Chinese New Year, good health, good fortune and I hope you will enjoy the remaining of your Chinese New Year.

/Lumaca Moderno

Part One:  Celebrating Chinese New Year 2013 – New Year Eve Meal