The gastronomic escapades at Chinatowns in the USA

What do Chinatowns offer?

The Chinatowns as the name suggests mostly have people of Chinese origin and here they live the traditional way, though the lifestyles of the children of the older generations who came here have changed a lot. The restaurants here are visited by not just the people of other communities in their cities but by tourists too. Here you will find authentic Chinese dishes, with some streets lined up with eateries offering items from cuisines of different Chinese regions, as the country is known to have 8 different cuisines. You can even enjoy a walk here with gates of strange designs, often with statues of dragons and buildings of oriental architecture. You will also even find Chinese grocery stores, which are frequented by people who have come recently to the country, as they will be remembering what all they did in their home nations.

Chinatowns of New York

This city is known to have a multicultural population, which has become so due to immigration from all over the world in the last few decades. There are 3 Chinatowns here, as befits the city of this size, in Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, some of the most famous parts of the city. These came into existence a century ago, but you will find people in traditional dresses mostly in restaurants, the waiters to give you an authentic feel as you dine. These will mostly be the people who have recently come to the country as those who came earlier will have moved on to better-paying jobs. Here you will find shops with banners in Chinese. Chinatown in Manhattan even has a Chinese history museum, with photos from the black and white era.

The oldest Chinatown in San Francisco

Chinatown here is one of the landmarks which are used to describe this city and its images are used to attract tourists to the city. Most people who came to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th centuries came on ships from Asia, so most of them settled on the West Coast. The Chinatown here has an impressive dragon gate and a Chinese temple, with a few churches. You can come here on cable cars as you tour around the city. In the days of Chinese festivals, you will have the streets decorated with red Chinese lanterns, though these come in other colors too. At the Chinese New Year, parades are organized here which the visitors come to see from far and away. The restaurants here have changed a lot and have modernized in a way, offering an Americanized version of items including some inventions that you won’t find in China.

A new Chinatown in a new century in Los Angeles

If you enjoy martial arts movies, you would have heard of Bruce Lee, and if you are his fan, you will want to take a photo of his large statue in Chinatown here, unless you prefer one with the statue of Sun Yat-sen, the famous Chinese leader. The buildings themselves here will transport you to a different era, which will give you something different to marvel at. Even the metro station here looks like a pagoda from the outside. Along with the Chinese bakeries and shops, you will find some art galleries here. There was a time when you would find restaurants lined up one after another, and some have survived, becoming famous.

The only Chinatown in New England

Though New England has 6 small states in the region, there is only one Chinatown in Boston, Massachusetts and it is not too large either, but important to the local Asian community. It is in the downtown, so you may come across some traffic to reach here which means buses will be a better way to reach here than taxis. You will find the restaurants full at all times of the day with locals from the neighboring areas, which means that you can expect succulent Chinese dishes here. They also come to see the celebrations of the August Moon Festival and Lion Dance festival where you will get to see dance performances and stalls set up offering authentic handmade Chinese items.

Chinatown Plaza of Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a popular tourist resort with buildings and monuments representing different regions of the world. So, you will be able to spot the Chinatown Plaza easily with its gates and exteriors with Asian shapes and signs. Here you can learn martial arts if that is what interests you. As for the celebrations at festivals, these are as grand as you will find anywhere in the USA, giving tourists another incentive to come here. Here you will find Chinese language newspapers and Korean beauty care items. Here you will find restaurants serving items from not just Chinese but also from Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese cuisines.

Conclusion

These are not the only Chinatowns in the USA, but among the ones recommended to both domestic and international tourists. Apart from Chinatowns, you will find Little Hanoi and Little Tokyo in some cities too. Yes, those who enjoy Chinese food will have difficulties in choosing among the restaurants here and the chefs are often recent addition to the Chinese communities, offering items that will remind of home cities to those who enjoy such dishes often. Though there is much more to these Chinatowns than the eateries, so your hands will be full for the best part of the day when you come to these parts of the famous American cities.