Chinatown Snackin’ - Flushing, Queens

Jill and I took a sketchy Chinatown shuttle (“As long as you have someone to go with, it’s not sketchy”) just to play some casual badminton. It was my first time in the area. Little did I know I was in for a real food treat.

We got dropped off right in front of a window where a man was happily hacking away at a glistening roast duck. Komail, who we were also meeting up with, was still on his way, so since we had a couple minutes to kill, we thought: why not? Why not indulge in some fatty, non-meal snacks before engaging in an intense cardio workout? Right? In any case, after I learned it was only a dollar for two pieces, there was no turning back.

Peking duck is like a little soft taco of duck skin (with a bit of meat hanging on for dear life), scallions, and hoisin or plum sauce on a steamed pancake. These pancakes were thicker than I was used to, but I enjoyed their fluffy, chewiness. I devoured them in about 30 seconds. It opened up a window of hunger.

Right next door was a window where a guy was serving fish balls on a stick, simmering in a red hot liquid. For only a dollar. Next thing I knew, we were chomping away at those.

So the badminton games were a success, I was spent, and STARVING afterwards. Got a couple more orders of peking duck, a few to go, a few fish ball skewers to go, and an over-flowing container of fried noodles (FOR ONLY A DOLLAR) to go. I wasn’t about to go home empty handed.