One of the questions I was asked most growing up was, “Jay, why are you so awesome” followed by a close second, “do you eat general tao chicken and egg rolls everyday?” Being Chinese I was subjected to a barrage of idiotic questions that I attribute to stupidity of adolescence and mild racism. As much as I tried to ignore the dinner inquisition, I couldn’t. Not because of the blatant discrimination that weighed heavily on my mind in a weird time in my life when I was struggling to find my identity… but because I secretly wanted it to be true.
Canadianized-Chinese or “Pan-Asian” dishes were rarely on the menu at home or when dining out in my youth. The sweet candied sauces over fried golden nuggets of battered chicken and beef was alluring and enticing. The fact that my parents never ordered it, made me want it even more. I recently checked out Restaurant Maneki Comptoir Asiat’ – newest hotspot serving forbidden dishes every Asian adolescent dreams of.