Week 11 Trip to Chicago Alternative assignment

For the Alternative assignment I visited a Chinese cuisine restaurant that is close to my favorite Grocery store called Metro Market. The name of the restaurant is The Emperor of China. The restaurant is located at 1010 E Brady St. Milwaukee, WI 53202. I do not eat Chinese food a lot so I researched Chinese restaurants and picked the one with the best reviews. When I first got there I noticed a lot of cultural art. The building had an Asian Buddha on the top of the roof. The outside of the restaurant was very unique, with a picture of an Asian emperor on the front sign. The neighborhood of the restaurant is more of a residential area of Eastside Milwaukee. The surrounding business are small and locally owned. The area is very friendly and the restaurant has a small outdoor seating area. When I got in the restaurant I was surprisingly greeted by an Asian woman in all black who led me to the cozy dining area to be seated. As I walked through the dining hall I noticed the Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, the elaborate Asian art of the walls, and more Chinese/Asian inspired statues of Buddha’s and gods. There were many four seat tables, pictures of Asian art of the wall and a few Asian statutes. A large oriental décor rug and the tables were covered in nice white line. I felt that the restaurant stayed true to its culture by incorporating all of the Chinese/Asian inspired décor which really made me get the full experience because previous to my visit I had only had Chinese takeout. I asked to speak with the owner so that I could ask him/her some question for my class project, but the owner was not there and the manager was too busy because I went during a high volume time, I was not able to assist me. So instead I periodically threw in question for my waitress to answer. One of the questions I asked was how authentic is the menu? She replied that they do their best to prepare food the same way one would receive it if they went to a restaurant in China or Japan. However she did mention that some of their spices and seasoning are unique to taste and can sometime overpower the food so they try to stick to general spices. I ordered Pow Pow Sha which is shrimp in a spicy sauce with Chinese greens because I do not eat beef or pork.. I attempted to eat my food with chop sticks, but failed miserably and went with a fork. The food was good, but the dining experience was great. I loved the way that they had the menu written in English, but had the Chinese translation on the side. This way they included those who speak both languages. I was told by my waitress that they had the best Mai Thai’s so I indulged in that fruity rum drink. To end my visit I opened my fortune cookie, which said “do not fear the unknown”. Overall I chose to go to a Chinese restaurant because I had never gone to a sit down Chinese restaurant. I am happy that I chose to do so. I didn’t take pictures of the place because I felt somewhat out of place because my boyfriend and I were the only black people and had no idea what to order at first. Overall I am glad I went and I would go again.

I watched the video after my visit to The Emperor of China and it somewhat changed my view on my experience and how authentic the restaurant and food was. Watching the video and reflecting back on the menu the restaurant did have a lot of the items that derived in America but was on the Chinese menu such as General Tso chicken, chop sewie, fortune cookies, incorporating broccoli with their dishes which is all American. I also learned from the video that Chinese food is served on all seven continents which in a way waters down the authenticity of Chinese food. However the decor and feel including the soft oriental music still gave me a feeling of an authentic Chinese restaurant.

For the Alternative assignment I visited a Chinese cuisine restaurant that is close to my favorite Grocery store called Metro Market. The name of the restaurant is The Emperor of China. The restaurant is located at 1010 E Brady St. Milwaukee, WI 53202. I do not eat Chinese food a lot so I researched Chinese restaurants and picked the one with the best reviews. When I first got there I noticed a lot of cultural art. The building had an Asian Buddha on the top of the roof. The outside of the restaurant was very unique, with a picture of an Asian emperor on the front sign. The neighborhood of the restaurant is more of a residential area of Eastside Milwaukee. The surrounding business are small and locally owned. The area is very friendly and the restaurant has a small outdoor seating area. When I got in the restaurant I was surprisingly greeted by an Asian woman in all black who led me to the cozy dining area to be seated. As I walked through the dining hall I noticed the Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, the elaborate Asian art of the walls, and more Chinese/Asian inspired statues of Buddha’s and gods. There were many four seat tables, pictures of Asian art of the wall and a few Asian statutes. A large oriental décor rug and the tables were covered in nice white line. I felt that the restaurant stayed true to its culture by incorporating all of the Chinese/Asian inspired décor which really made me get the full experience because previous to my visit I had only had Chinese takeout. I asked to speak with the owner so that I could ask him/her some question for my class project, but the owner was not there and the manager was too busy because I went during a high volume time, I was not able to assist me. So instead I periodically threw in question for my waitress to answer. One of the questions I asked was how authentic is the menu? She replied that they do their best to prepare food the same way one would receive it if they went to a restaurant in China or Japan. However she did mention that some of their spices and seasoning are unique to taste and can sometime overpower the food so they try to stick to general spices. I ordered Pow Pow Sha which is shrimp in a spicy sauce with Chinese greens because I do not eat beef or pork.. I attempted to eat my food with chop sticks, but failed miserably and went with a fork. The food was good, but the dining experience was great. I loved the way that they had the menu written in English, but had the Chinese translation on the side. This way they included those who speak both languages. I was told by my waitress that they had the best Mai Thai’s so I indulged in that fruity rum drink. To end my visit I opened my fortune cookie, which said “do not fear the unknown”. Overall I chose to go to a Chinese restaurant because I had never gone to a sit down Chinese restaurant. I am happy that I chose to do so. I didn’t take pictures of the place because I felt somewhat out of place because my boyfriend and I were the only black people and had no idea what to order at first. Overall I am glad I went and I would go again.

I watched the video after my visit to The Emperor of China and it somewhat changed my view on my experience and how authentic the restaurant and food was. Watching the video and reflecting back on the menu the restaurant did have a lot of the items that derived in America but was on the Chinese menu such as General Tso chicken, chop sewie, fortune cookies, incorporating broccoli with their dishes which is all American. I also learned from the video that Chinese food is served on all seven continents which in a way waters down the authenticity of Chinese food. However the décor and feel including the soft oriental music still gave me a feeling of an authentic Chinese restaurant.