after a good meal it's chinese custom to kiss the cook on the lips.

I lived in SF for 25 years or so, so I got to eat quite a lot of it.

The Northern Hunan and Szechuan restuarants had the most incredible soup; and I am a person who hates soup. The Hot and Sour soup, actually cured me when I felt sick with a cold, every time.

The banquet foods - served on big occasions, like at retirements and weddings, are quite different. It was not unusual for those to last all evening, and for a really large party it could cost many thousands of dollars.

I learned how the waiters could afford the new BMWs they had parked outside the restaurants, to feed the parking meters all day long.

A Chinese guy told me there is "real" Chinese food and then "party" food like sweet and sour pork over rice, for the "Americans" and customers not accustomed to the real thing.

"Americans" don't often order "Ants Climbing Up the Tree"

The Mandarin and Cantonese restaurants are the most common, and of course there are expensive ones downtown and near the big hotels for tourists and the expensive account crowd, like Yank Sing with the tuxedoed waiters and so on.

But the small neighborhood places like Mike's out on outer Geary, Young's at 10th and Clement, could always be counted on to satisfy.

It's hard to do better than what you could find in San Francisco.

One of the best was a Burmese/Chinese one Called Mandalay, at 6th and California. I still miss that one.

The ones catering to tourists like those at Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square do well, but natives avoid them. The best ones are mostly in the nieghborhoods. (Noe Valley, North Inner Richmond, Inner Sunset, Parkside, etc. where tourists don't go)

San Franciscans take their food very seriously. Now they even have sites set up to review and discuss restaurants of interest to natives (and tourists also)

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_loc=San+Francisco%2C+CA&cflt=restaurants

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

The rice they use isn't even the right kind. Its American long grain.

I hate Chiness food, well at least the kind you get in this country. The stuff in China is probably much better.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Go rent "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" directed by Ang Lee in 1994 and watch the kitchen scenes.

Wayne Wang's 1982 film "Chan Is Missing" was filmed in San Francisco's Chinatown, and it features a crazed Chinese Chef who thinks he is John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" and drinks milk!


"What you want? ..... I'll have Won Ton spelled backwards.......NOT NOW!!!!

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

LOL, I find that custom to be dubious since whomever it originated from surely involved a very pissed chef swinging 2 razor sharp cleavers and yelling profanities to get out of the kitchen!

__________________
1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Which set of lips, if it is a female cook?

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow