I think that the duck is a spectacular creature. They may glide gracefully along the surface of water but down below, their tiny webbed feet are frantically peddling away. It’s tough to maintain that image, but they do it.
Actually, I think that the duck is superior to all other types of poultry. Let’s take the chicken as a comparison. Even though you can eat chicken roasted, fried, baked, and whatever, the chicken can never come near to the way duck is cooked. I guess as someone who’s always had Chinese roasted duck, I’m really into the skin. The layer of fat below the skin of duck gives it this indescribable flavor. The skin also crisps up to a way that crunches when you bite into it, but somehow melts away as you chew. Man, I really like duck.
Even though I really like duck, I rarely eat it except when at home. Sometimes I’ll order duck entrees at restaurants, but surprisingly, the western way of cooking duck can never compare to the Asian way. I remember in Budapest, I ordered this duck confit dish, which although delicious, was such a shame because it didn’t leverage the qualities that duck has over other types of poultry. Okay, I don’t know what I’m really talking about. All I know is that duck is unique but I can’t explain why. And I can’t believe that I used the word “leverage” but I can’t think of any other words. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve spent half a semester figuring out how a company can best leverage its competitive advantages. Anyway….
Steph also likes duck. So we went to Chinatown partially in search of duck. When I was younger, my parents would always go to this place called 大王 or in plain English, BIG WONG. Except, I never knew where it was. But, the gods must have been smiling upon us because after just a few seconds of random wandering, I was like, “Oh look! There it is!”
And yes, it’s Zagat rated! Who would have expected that such a dingy place would be Zagat rated, but the food is so good! And so cheap! I got duck over rice and it was only $4.25! Steph ordered the duck with noodles at only $6. It was so filling and so yummy. I almost succumbed to eating the fat (okay, I know that sounds disgusting), but in the end, I separated the skin from the fat. Steph was quite deft at it, more so than I can ever be. I think I was just so excited at the thought of eating duck that I ended up inhaling the whole thing.
The dishes are really simple. Like the rice is served with a drizzle of soy sauce and then they plop the duck on top of the rice. Steph’s noodles were really good. I think if I go again, I’ll get that because it looked more filling.
I love these things. I have absolutely no idea what they’re called in English, but I can describe them! They’re like fried pieces of dough with a Chinese sort of sweet crumble on top. Boy this is so unhealthy. Like I could probably soak at least 3 sheets of paper towels in complete oil from one of these. Hey, you only live once. And it’s only a dollar. So how can you pass up such a great opportunity? Like having a delicious heart attack for only a buck?
The meal was so cheap. I think we each paid like $6… with drinks.
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