American Summer Vacation Series 2010

So with our great American Summer Vacation eclipsing three completely different parts of the United States, and being that our first stop was New York City and the second two were, how shall we say, a wee bit more rustic, we decided to go easy on the burgers, hot dogs and other hearty summer Americana in NYC and go straight for what we knew would be hard to come by in the Bitterroot Valley and the Great North Woods: anything ethnic. Good Indian, Chinese, Thai and Mexican were all high on the list as well as bagels because I am a lover not a fighter of carbs.

So one sweltering heatwave-warning afternoon with cranky sweaty kids, we hightailed it to the deep innards of Chinatown to a little joint called the Excellent Pork Chop House. This was not an accident but a planned sojourn spurred by an intriguing review by the Amateur Gourmet. And he did not disappoint.

We had the pork chops - I mean, can you NOT have the pork chops at a place called "Excellent Pork Chop House"? As well as the marinated tofu with jelly fish and a few delicious pork wontons as well as the fabulous rice cakes - not the dry "healthy" alternative to crackers that I give my kids but the slightly chewy flat oval skipping stone-like discs that are kind of the Chinese answer to gnocchi - at least that is what my stomach was saying after we walked out into the 96 degree F afternoon in lower Manhattan.

The kids were most excited about all the ice cubes in the water - which you only find in Germany if you specifically request them. We got a few spoonfuls of rice in them and a bite or two of tofu and meat but otherwise, they're sticking to PB&J and string cheese for now. Still, I have to believe that being exposed to different foods will hopefully make them more adventurous eaters in the future .. or drive them in the complete opposite direction resulting in 40 year olds who still eat only PB&J and string cheese. Only time will tell.