Cha Siu Fan!

Sometimes, the line outside the restaurant says it all.

At 9 a.m., people are already showing up outside of Wah Fung #1 Fast Food Inc. They can’t wait to get their hands on the $2.50 “roast pork over rice,” which is billed as an “all-day lunch special.”

“The line never disappears!” said Mark Xu, a local resident and frequent visitor to the fast food joint located at 79 Chrystie St. “It’s almost like everyone in Chinatown comes here at least once a week.”


And that includes many of the NYU students living in the nearby Lafayette dorms. Sometimes the wait can last up to 45 minutes. Once inside, customers squeeze through the 4-foot-wide hallway to place their orders at the tiny counter. At the end of the hall sits a lone table with four chairs. The place isn’t meant for sit-down meals. The message is simple: get your food and leave.

But the sheer quantity of delicious food that Wah Fung #1 delivers will entice you back. In addition to the signature all-day lunch special of either roast pork, duck, or chicken over rice, larger portions are available for only $3.50.

A whole roasted duck sells for $12. And about a pound of roast pork goes for $6.

In addition to the meat line, there’s a Fujianese steam table. Rice noodle rolls, which are sold along with fish balls are served up in small ($1) and medium ($2) portions. There’s also a variety of other dishes, like chicken curry, stuffed fried eggplant, and stewed green squash with egg sauce.

The wait is usually anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. I usually go in the afternoon and dinner time. Sometimes I order the larger version of roast pork and rice ($3.50) which comes in a 5 inch by 4 inch container with nearly equal amounts of meat and rice.

Many other Chinatown restaurants serve up this classic dish for $4.00 but there’s usually more rice. And they never pack in so much that the container can barely close.

During my last visit with my boyfriend, we went for the large orders. While we waited we watched the The rice was warm and fluffy and the stir-fried mix of cabbage, broccoli, and green beans was flavorful and delicious. But the main act is the pork: it’s smoky yet sweet, and tender to the bite. Definitely worth the wait.

Getting to know NYC: I've discovered self-guided walking tours

Here I am, an NYU student hailing from San Diego. I bleed California blood — but, I hate feeling like a tourist. Tourists are hicks. And I can't be like that here in the Big City.

Then my journalism professor gave us an assignment. She told us we had to take a walking tour. I was going to be graded on this.

I hate the idea of being herded by a tour guide with an obnoxious flag. I'm not a sheep. So imagine my delight when I came across the concept of the self-guided tour. I picked one for Chinatown. There was one packaged nicely in the Galt Technology, Inc. website, an Internet guide site, for those self-sufficient adults who can walk around on their own. 

The first thing you notice about Chinatown, well at least what I did when I went, is the endless rows of shops stretching up and down Canal Street. I bemoaned myself for not bringing any cash with me on the tour — I'm usually a debit card kind of girl. Most of what they sell are accessories: ranging from knockoff luxury brand handbags to scarves to fake silver jewelries. Some others sell fragrances and colognes — be warned, they're most likely watered down.

I walked up Canal Street and turned right into Mulberry Street, passed by a lot of grocery stores here. I made a mental note to stop by them again. The tour took me across Bayard Street, around cute Chinese kids playing together with their Yu-Gi-Oh cards while their moms gossiped in front of the grocery stores, and I was at Columbus Park.

As I was reaching the park, Mulberry Street curved around. The tour said the curve was known as "Muberry Bend" and described it as part of the Five Points, one of the most dangerous slums in the city during the 1800s. Columbus Park replaced the area in 1896 and now it's a family-friendly park with elders performing Chinese Opera and kids playing basketball and volleyball on the courts and fields. Big change if you ask me.

The tour then took me to Worth Street where I turned left and found myself looking at the arch that signified I was in Chatham Square. This area, also known as Kimlau Square, is a large open intersection with a lot of dimsum places around the area, like Dim Sum Go Go on 5 East Broadway and Golden Bridge Restaurant on 50 Bowery St.

The arch, also known as The Kimlau Memorial Arch, was erected in dedication to Chinese Americans who fought and died for freedom and democracy. It was named after Lt. Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, a WWII aircraft commander of the 530th Squadron.

After a round of confusing turns, I ended up on Pell Street staring at the Edward Mooney House. How did I end up here? It's the oldest row how in the city, dating back to 1785. Personally I've never noticed this building until today, and I'm not sure why not. It is painted bright red, bringing even more color to the vibrant area. It houses Confucius Pharmacy, Summit Mortgage Bank and Louie's Newstand.

I finally finished the tour famished and my knees wanted to collapse under me. Weaving through the dense foot traffic of Chinatown gave me a headache and in the end I wanted to find shelter in my dorm away from the hectic busyness of it all. The only thing that bothered me was the constant turns and change of direction. Turn here, turn there, turn everywhere. I was overwhelmed by being steered one way then another. It definitely took away from the entire experience. But the tour was informative in its own right, with just enough background information that didn't leave me weighed down with details.