the Price of Chinese Food Delivery

The price was for three medium entrees, rice, and ancillary fixings for lunch for two people. Total cost was about $10 per person for food, and we gave the driver $5 for a tip. Delivery was to a commercial address (a business).

The place is a 14 year old, full-service, family-run restaurant and they have a dining room and serve from lunch and dinner menus. The items on the dinner menu are more expensive, but offer much larger portions, though the assortments of dishes on both menus are identical,

The restaurant is open from 11a to 10p and delivery is free (i.e. the food costs the same whether it's delivered or whether its eaten in the restaurant) up until an hour before closing time, at which time delivery is $3 extra for the hour until closing. There is a minimum $15 order for delivery, though, regardless of time. They won't deliver "just an order of egg rolls." I've tried.

There's just something about getting Chinese food delivered in the little white cardboard boxes that's just stupidly enjoyable. Getting a half-dozen or so identical boxes with rice or sauced meat or steamed vegetables or egg rolls or fortune cookies and finding out what exactly is in which box is exciting. It's kind of like Christmas, but with food.

Maybe I exaggerate, but the place I usually order from is outstanding. Outstanding food, outstanding portion size, outstanding service. I mean, I've even gotten them to deliver to a park bench when I was out there with friends studying for exams.

Unless things change and the food is consistently bad for a couple orders, I'd probably stick with them until I move away from here, or they go out of business.

Most of what's served at Chinese restaurants isn't really "Chinese" food. If you want authentic Chinese food, you'll probably need to find an Asian market. Most reasonably-large cities have them so they're not especially difficult to find. Some Chinese restaurants do cater to immigrant Chinese as well as standard American tastes and can be convinced to make some traditional stuff. But beware, some real Chinese food may seem rather weird to a first timer (even a fifth timer).

If you're interested in the Americanized Chinese food usually served in Chinese restaurants, just look for a place that gets busy at eating time, and stays fairly busy after meals (either through delivery or a partly-filled dining room). The food is occasionally (though not always) prepped in large batches, then portioned out and cooked as orders come in. Busy means lots of turnover in the food stock which means fresh food. Busy also means popular which means good food.

Asian wait staff are entirely optional, but seem a requisite in most areas. Hispanic kitchen staff are also common around here, if that matters to you.