Flushing, New York, U.S.A. – After making 10 different restaurant stops in Flushing to try different Asian cuisines, my stomach is full, and my tastebuds are in heaven.
I was introduced to many new flavors and learned lots of the traditions of these cuisines. Every dish told a story and each bite was unforgettable.
I started off my day at Eight Jane, a Chinese restaurant. I had jianbing; a Chinese egg crepe. It was filled with crunchy fried wonton wrappers and seasoned chili oil.
I am not the biggest fan of eggs, but I thoroughly enjoyed this egg crepe. Each bite was flavorful and crunchy.
Next I headed over to White Bear, where I ordered some chili wontons. When I opened the container, they looked so delicious.
When I took a bite, I thought they were very delectable. Although I would’ve liked the chili oil to be a little spicier, they were still delicious regardless.
Afterwards, I was craving Matcha and found a little mini mart with Yaya tea. My matcha was amazing, not too sweet and had the perfect flavor.
While looking around the minimart, I found Legend Chicken; a Taiwanese chicken joint. I ordered the spicy and regular chicken bites. They came out piping hot. The spicy one had a tasty spice that kicked in very fast.
Both chicken bites were packed with flavor, and the owner was so kind.
Then, I went to Shanghai you, where I ordered Peking duck buns and pork soup dumplings. The Peking duck buns were a 50/50 for me, the soft pillowy bao bun was delightful but the Peking duck wasn’t as crispy as I would have liked. But for $2.50 a bun it is a good steal.
The soup dumplings came extremely hot. The dough was delicate and the pork was aromatic. The bite was scorching, but delicious. It was worth burning my tongue on these!
I was starting to get quite full, so I walked around the malls in Flushing and explored. Every store was filled with cute plushies and K-beauty, which I definitely enjoyed.
As I exited the mall, I saw some tanghulu. It’s a traditional Chinese snack which is sugar-coated fruit. I have seen these all over the internet, so I decided to try the strawberry. The crunch was great and the fruit itself was very fresh. I am not into super sweet desserts, so it wasn’t my favorite item of the day, but it was good.
After, I checked out Joe’s Steam Rice Roll where I ordered the original and made sure to load it up on some chili oil. It was good, again I am not the biggest egg fan, so I can’t say I loved it, but the handmade noodles underneath made it great.
In the same mini-mall, there was Bearin Wheel Pies; a famous Taiwanese street food. I ordered two, one stuffed with taro and one stuffed with Oreo. The taro was starchy and rich and the Oreo was super sweet. I enjoyed both, the Oreo a little more. The woman who was running the stand was a delight to talk to.
I made my final stop to get mochi donuts in the Queens Crossing Food Hall. Mochi Donuts have always been a favorite of mine. I had the black sesame. It was doughy and chewy and perfectly sweet.
Every bite in Flushing tells a story of tradition and cultural experience. If you find yourself in this part of Queens, I totally recommend doing a food crawl.
Jessy Siegmann is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
