Chinatown, San Francisco

Before adventuring to Chinatown in San Francisco yesterday, I should have memorized a few words like Nǐhǎo (Nee how) “Hello” and Xièxiè (Shieh-shieh) “Thank you.”

Normally, I prefer to try not to scream American tourist. I like to practice a few phrases, know the cultural norms, and have a plan on things to see, but none of this occurred before this excursion.

After riding my first Cable Car in SF, I was distracted by hanging out the sides, and I didn’t pay attention, and instead rode it past the destination. After exiting the car at a future, incorrect stop, I then sprint up the mini-mountain of the street to catch the cable car in the opposite direction. Breathless, from running one block basically vertical, I then watch 3 “out of service” cable cars pass-by not accepting passengers, so all the physical exertion was for nothing.

Determined to make it to Chinatown, I then do more sprinting through the streets to ride the next bus heading that direction. Catching the bus as the doors are closing, I then ride one short stop of about 3 blocks to Chinatown. We could have walked!

Feeling hungry and overly confident, it’s time for food!

To start, I walk into a small bakery, walk up to the counter, and order a repeat of the person in front of me. I was rewarded with this light, doughy bun with what appeared to be BBQ filling on the inside, costing just $1.50.

Next, feeling overly confident at the ease of the first outing, I then decided to go into another authentic restaurant to order a larger dinner. I just knew I’d be able to cover the language barrier. After the most awkward round of charades, pointing, and complex hand motions, I left with what appeared to be orange chicken and fried rice. It turns out we received like 2 pounds of fried rice, orange “tofu” and chopped eggplant. Honestly, she could have charged me $25, and I’d have gladly paid it just to end the awkward communication exchange.

Concluding the day, we then bought Japanese Cheesecake, chocolate filled dumplings, and legit homemade, hot fortune cookies. The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory has been making these custom fortune cookies by hand since 1962.

Overall, an outstanding outing and would strongly recommend an afternoon visiting Chinatown in San Francisco. When I go next time, I’ll be sure to learn a few phrases and have some restaurants in mind to better enjoy exploring these streets.