China fact of the day

There are some forty thousand Chinese restaurants in the United States — more than the number of McDonald’s, Burger Kings, and KFCs combined.

That is from the often quite interesting The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food, by Jennifer 8. Lee (yes, readers, her middle initial is the number "8").  Of course arguably most of these restaurants do not count as Chinese food at all.

At the end of the book the author undertakes a global pilgrimage to discover the very best Chinese restaurant outside of China.  The winner?: Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine, just outside of Vancouver.  The number two choice came — justly — in Mumbai (Nelson Wang’s China Garden).  I’ve never been to Richmond but I believe all of my top picks would come in India.  Hunan, in London, deserves consideration as well.  The author is correct that Chinese chefs, for whatever reason, do not flourish in France.  Recommended.