August 29, 2009

Before fall officially comes, Mason and I took a short trip to Canada to enjoy the nice weather on  August 29. Early in the morning, we took Sushi to a boarding clinic and then hit the road. We drove three hours to get to the Canadian border from where I live. It was the longest road trip I have ever had. Surprisingly, it was not as boring and tiring as I expected, maybe because I was not the driver. Mason and I ate McDonald, listened rock music, chatted and enjoyed the scenery along the drive. The ride was actually fun. 

We visited two cities, Richmond and Vancouver, during this trip. I like Richmond better because it felt like being home. Before the trip I had already heard that the majority of residences in Richmond are Chinese, but I was still surprised to see how many Chinese were around when I arrived in the city. If you are a Chinese person who wants to live in a western country but doesn’t  want to give up your language and custom, Richmond is definitely the city for you to move to. In Richmond, I felt like I was in Hong Kong. Chinese people were everywhere. I couldn’t tell how many people were speaking Chinese around me. Banners on the stores, road signs, and even menus in the restaurants were written in Chinese. The rhythms of the city was just like that of Hong Kong too. Stores and roads were always busy. Parking lots were always full and free parking was only available for three hours. Drivers were impatient and very rude. You will feel the pressure when parking on the street in Richmond.

Asian food is another thing that made me feel Richmond was like home. Mason and I ate a lot of delicious Asian food during the trip, like Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice, traditional Dragon Candies, Japanese Car wheel Bread with Red Bean, Korean Deep Fried Twist-Potato, Mongolian Sheep Grill, Thai Sweet Soup etc. If you are a fan of Asian food, you should go to Richmond in summer, because the night market, which is famous for Asian street foods, only opens during summer. Even though we arrived to the night market quite late, the market was super crowded. Every stall had a long line of people waiting. Everyone was holding food in their hands. People couldn’t wait to eat; they were eating before they could find a seat. You will see everybody was eating while waiting in line or walking to another stall. We filled our stomachs with a lot of special street foods, some of which can’t even be founded in Hong Kong anymore.

Mason and I have gained a few pounds after the trip, but both of us think that gaining weight for such delicious food is worth it. Why did I find this city so late? I wouldn’t have been so homesick if I had travelled to the city earlier.

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Edith Chan

3 comments

1. Mason on September 17, 2009 at 1:13 PM

   we can always go there anytime we want from now.

    
2. Anonymous on January 16, 2010 at 1:10 PM

   Hi, Edith. I just read your blog and find it fairly interesting. Richmond happens to be my favorite town too and when I was a highschooler, I used to take my caucasian friends there to have the "all you can eat sushi." Some of my friends were 250-pound football players and I was surprised by how passinately they fell in love with Asian foods in Richmond. Hope to chat with you some time.
   
   Best,
   
   nyu09

    
3. Edith Chan on January 16, 2010 at 6:54 PM

   Hi Nyu09,
   
   Thanks for stopping by. It's fun to hear about your experince.
   
   Yeah, you won't want to miss the "all you can eat sushi" when you visit Richmond. Just can't find any better place for it in Seattle.
   
   You guys shld go to the Night Market @ Richmond if you are a fan of Asian foods too. Your 250-pound football player frds shldn't have any problem getting food in the crowd ;)
   
   Talk to you next time.
   
   Edith