An article I read recently upset me. I didn’t learn anything I didn’t already know. But it validated an uncomfortable hypothesis I had already formed about our neighborhood “Chinese” restaurant. Tom has always said that the bar for "Chinese" restaurants is set by our favorites, and our favorites are the ones we go to most and are most familiar to us. I put the word “Chinese” in quotes because in America “Chinese” food is laughable to people from or in any way related to the Asian country. It is American food with a Chinese twist. That’s why I smile when I see American desserts using dairy in “Chinese” restaurants, or the new Taiwanese place. Huh?
The point of the article was that “Chinese” restaurants that we have loved in the last century and the first quarter of this one are going away. This is happening for a few reasons, but mainly because they have fulfilled the purpose their owners understood. These Chinese immigrants came to this country for the American Dream: to make life better here for themselves, and to escape the caste system from which they came. They wanted their children to soar to heights here unimaginable in their home country. And that is exactly what happened.
I was drawn to Trey Yuen for lunch after reading this article, because it is our favorite of such places, and because it is Trey Yuen that caused me to formulate my theory. The five Wong brothers came to this country and opened what was the most elaborate and grand local Chinese restaurant around, first in Hammond and then in Mandeville. Chinese? Trey Yuen. It was that simple for us. But the restaurant closed the original location and is now only operating the Mandeville spot. Of the five brothers, only the youngest has a child in the business. He is in the business, but not in the kitchen at Trey Yuen like his father. He is instead a part owner of another operation featuring American food.
One of the reasons for the dismal future of the neighborhood Chinese place mentioned in the article is that the younger generations don’t need to struggle like they observed their parents doing. They’ve been educated and can get good jobs elsewhere. Another reason your neighborhood Chinese restaurants are disappearing is that younger diners want glitzy places where they can take an IG pic with a neon sign. (Just reporting what the article said, but it’s easy to believe.)
It was nice to revisit an old regular in our rotation. When we went to Trey Yuen with Tom we ate better things like pancakes and duck and fried softshell crab with crawfish sauce and filet mignon. But ML and I would go and get the lunch special for $7.99 or something ridiculous sounding in 2025. We’d get Mandarin Chicken, a favorite of mine before Tom straightened me out. I got it today just feeling nostalgic.
The lunch special menu was about the same size as before, with all the regular items. They came with little fried wontons, and the portion size was the same. The peanuts were missing but that could be because the peanut thing had become a “thing” since ML and I used to get the lunch specials at Trey Yuen. The price was $10.25 and I added an egg roll.
Since the days of the lunch specials I have switched to a fried spring roll but today went with tradition. This was a fine plate of food, but I realized how much Tom elevated my palate in all those years. Mandarin Chicken was my pre-Tom preference.
Trey Yuen was pretty busy on a Wednesday for lunch. Both private rooms were filled. The large dining room was half full and turning over while I was there. This place does not need a neon sign to attract younger diners. The fish food for the kids to feed the fish in the ponds will work fine, just like it always has.
And delicious food.
