Yes, I may be a SeoulDiva, but I can also kick it to you in Mandarin! 
You may or may not know, I was actually an Asian Studies major in college, and studied Mandarin Chinese for 3 years to fulfill my language requirement. During those years, I also ended up getting in touch with my inner Chinese Chick.
Chinese Food in America gets a really bad rap. Back in 2000, I did a Freeman Fellowship in Harbin, China (NorthEastern Region, right above North Korea) – and I was OVERWHELMED by how amazing the food was there. I slowly came to realize that most of the Chinese food here were watered-down iterations of the real stuff.
One of the dishes I ate while I was there was called: Chǎo Jīdàn Xīhóngshì – 炒鸡蛋西红柿.
Literal translation: Stir-fried Egg Tomato. (One of the reasons I love the Chinese language is how LOGICAL it is.) It’s a very simple dish: Tomato, Egg, Garlic and Oil. If you want to try this at home, click HERE for a recipe!
Today, I was at this place on 34th Street, between 7th & 8th Aves called Lunch Box Buffet. It’s essentially a Chinese buffet place where you get 5 items for $5. You CAN’T beat that!
I was ECSTATIC to see that they had this dish there! I hadn’t seen this dish since I was in China back in 2000:
YUMMA YUMMA!!
If you’re in Midtown and are looking for a cheap place to eat, you really can’t beat the Lunch Box Buffet. $5 for 5 items!!
They also have Chinese pastries in the front of the store, as well as Bubble Tea and Baozi (stuffed buns)!
4 responses so far ↓
greenmilktea // Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 9:23 pm
That looks yummy. My family sometimes cook it with egg but mostly with just some ginger and sugar. It’s very yummy.
seouldiva // Monday, August 10, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Wow, can I come over for dinner?!
Kaushik // Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 11:25 am
Hello SeoulDiva!
(She is Chinese Canadian)
I was looking for the name of this yummy dish that I learned to cook from my Chinese friend and chanced upon your blog. I had once wielded my spatula to impress my girlfriend with the dish!
Now I am doing it for my parents and they want to know its authentic name as they prepare for accepting a Chinese daughter in law. Now I have a name to tell them! Thanks!
seouldiva // Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Hey Kaushik!! Such a small world! There are so many truly authentic Chinese dishes that haven’t made it stateside yet – such a shame, really. I’ve never actually made the dish at home…Let me know how it turns out!