New York City has always been a melting pot of immigrants from all over the world! These immigrants have brought their foods, their cultures and their histories to this amazing city.

Growing up in NYC, in Manhattan. I had truly taken this diversity for granted. I have now lived in other parts of the United States, and have learned much. I lived in Florida, which is about as South as you can get in the U.S. I have also lived in the state of Washington, in Seattle, which is the complete other side of the country. These areas could not be more different in many aspects of daily life! One of these aspects is around foods….

NYC is the only place that I have lived where you can FIND ANY ETHNIC CUISINE! When I lived in Miami, Cuban, Peruvian, Jewish Deli food was excellent! The rest was “meh” in my opinion. When I lived in Seattle, the Asian cuisines were fabulous, but I could not find any good bagels. The pizza was good but not great. Seattle does have amazing oysters. I have eaten some caught the same day!. And Seattle has fabulous produce, as it is a farm state! I ate the best peach that I have ever eaten there….

In NYC, the diversity of foods reflect the diversity of the communities. I currently live in Queens, which is heavily populated by Asian (especially Chinese) folks. I have eaten the most delicious, varied, and unusual Chinese meals in the last few months!

This is just one example! This is a shrimp dumpling…. I had never seen a green dumpling before. The color of the dough was just lovely and quite delicious!

This beautifully presented dumpling was created by Shanghai When Gong Fu Restaurant in Elmhurst, Queens. Located near the Queens Mall! I highly recommend this restaurant. The food was great! Happy Eating everyone!