For a long time, Silver Dragon was the best place in Medford for Chinese food. It was quick, delicious, and not outrageously priced. The downside was that it was also crowded, hot 'n' steamy (in the bad way) and the owner was a little Soup Nazi-esque. Also, I choose to ignore the stories about What Goes On In The Kitchen because ignorance is bliss and by "bliss" I mean "a stomach full of delicious Chinese food."
Anywho.
A few months ago, the husband and I decided to try another Chinese restaurant, mostly because we didn't want to drive across town. So, out of sheer laziness, we discovered the Best Chinese Food in Medford at a place called Sin Hong's. I'd heard some good things about it recently, but I'd had one really bad experience there before and I was a bit gunshy.
The food is delicious. They have much more than just the standard Chinese restaurant fare, although I could eat the War Won Ton Soup every day for a, uh, long time and never get sick of it. No overabundance of celery as a filler, no meats of questionable age and/or origin and no surly waitresses. The interior isn't exciting. It's sparse and not super clean. (The tables are clean. The silverware is clean. The carpet? Not so much, but who eats off the carpet?)
At Sin Hong's the woman who works the counter is married to the chef. Her brother waits tables. They're all very polite and friendly. I enjoy talking to them about China and trying to weasel recipes out of the chef.
Here's the sad part: The husband and wife have an 8 month old daughter who they had to leave in China in order to take care of the restaurant. They cannot afford to visit her. Their hope is that when she is four they can bring her back here.
That KILLS me. I have a tough time leaving my baby for a full day, let alone months at a time, thousands of miles away.
But what kills me even more is that their restaurant has been nearly empty every time I've been there. I can't help but think they are bitter to have left their daughter behind only to sit in an empty restaurant 7 days a week. I know I would be. If the food weren't delicious, I would just avoid the whole matter and try not to think about it, but it is delicious and I don't want them to go out of business. I'm trying not to think of this as Me Being Selfish So I Can Keep Eating Chinese Food rather than If They Went Out Of Business, They Could Go Back To China Which Is Probably Better For Everyone Involved Except Me.
Anywho, I figured I'd post my little story on the internet and hope that maybe people would google "Medford" and "Good Chinese Food" and go check them out. It's the least I can do.
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