Ming Wah

Eating at Ming Wah is fun. The little restaurant sits at the outskirts of the inner city near the freeway entrance by Sunset Blvd. It is near the railroad track too. You actually almost feel like you are in an American truck stop, especially as the tables rattle when the train passes by, but your not; it's a Chinese restaurant, and as one of my readers mentioned, it is a one of a kind place.

We had visited Ming Wah before and we liked it then, but after having it recommended recently by a friend, (and this when we thought no one else would enjoy a restaurant like this but us!) we revisited it and found it just as delightful the second time! This is one busy little place!

Tonight I discovered that I have a new favorite Chinese food... Chow Mein. I think it is because I like celery and onions and cabbage. However I had not ordered Chow Mein before at any Chinese restaurant because there are so many different kinds that it is downright confusing. I mean, these is Chow Mein... Special Chow Mein... Lo Mein, Subgum Chow Mein... not to mention Chow Fun and Chop Seuy... with so many different kinds of chow, it's hard to know what to order, especially if you already know certain things you know that you like. But tonight I ordered Chow Mein... and I really liked it. I also took the time to inquire about some of the differences in the various dishes.

The server, a very friendly Chinese man, (probably the owner of the restaurant,) said he liked Chow Mein Cantonese style, which he said was also "the real Chinese" (aka authentic) kind as it is made with soft noodles. The kind I ordered, (Chow Mein) has the hard noodles, which he said is more the American version.

If I listened correctly, all these dishes have the bean sprouts, cabbage and celery and onion, but chop suey is served on top of rice, chow mein is served on crispy noodles and special chow mein has soft noodles. Additionally subgum chow mein has bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. I still have much to understand, but that is okay. All I know is that what we ended up ordering was very good.

In addition to the Chow Mein, we had an appetizer, Crab Rangoon, which was tasty. We then ordered some hot and spicy dishes, Hunan Chicken and Mar Po which came to us with soup and rice. I liked the chicken and Geo liked the Tofu. We really didn't like things the other way around. We also have leftovers for another time, so that is great.

Sometimes eating here is a unique experience, and we have been here several times....

One time, there we were, sitting in this little restaurant on the outskirts of town eating Chinese food next to some pacific northwest cowboys whom we heard talking the whole time about heifers and bulls and pastures. Yes sir.  There we were, in a little Chinese food place with the table beneath us rattling as the train passed on the tracks just outside... the whole place filled with people taling and eating, and these two cowpokes could be heard doing what i call, "cowboy math" as we looked out the window at a downtown skyscraper and saw the mirrored reflection of the setting pacific sun.  We looked at each other, both of us thinking, such was an experience one could have "only in Spokane."

It was great!


The conversation went something like this:


"Well, I got 28 cows. Lets see, 28 cows, minus one... cause one died... that makes 27."

"Ya know, that pasture will hold more cows than you think."

"Well, if I got 27 cows and you have 35, that'll be... "(no answer for a moment.. just thinking going on in the silence....) " but then there's that other five... (little pause) "but they don't count... so..."



"Well. we just need to sit down and figure this all out."