Two words: Wang Jiao. Not sure what it means but it translates into great Chinese food here in Morelia. What I was always told is that there is no decent Chinese food in Mexico. "None worthwhile around here. If you find a good Chinese restaurant then let me know" would be the most diplomatic response. I have tried several places over time and none were worth getting excited about. True, I found some passable agridulce, sweet and sour, and that is pleasing to me. I would even get urges for some of the breaded deep-fried chicken popcorn nuggets with agridulce poured over it and stroll a few blocks over for it, but that in and of itself is not Chinese food per se.

The other dishes were always mushily cooked vegetable salads with a predominance of some color, blend, or meat thrown in but they all tasted nearly the same. The fried rice was... no comment. The best I could do was at home with my own minimal Cantonese culinary skills, but with my pasta maker I can whip out some great eggroll wrappers and won tons. Plus I can do a pretty good sweet and sour also.

Welcom to the Year of the Rabbit. Everything hs taken off like a shot this year. So much has already happened and February still has another week left of it. The year has been living up to its animal's character. La comida China would likewise have the rabbit character as well with its lush garden of vegetable preparations. That would seem a good omen and a promise to fulfill.

After a month-long winter break hiatus our Morelia Amigos, our ex-pat club Friendships Without Borders was meeting at its usual Club Campestre home turf but now meeting there monthly instead of weekly, and having informal get-togethers during the off-weeks, though still on hiatus until that 12 January meeting. Other ex-pats in town had already written us off and were starting other meeting groups to take up the slack - which is all good, the more amigos getting together to bend elbows and chatter gums the better. That January meeting itself was pleasant but uneventful, though by the 13th we opened the doors on our new virtual clubhouse at Morelia_Amigos yahoogroups. That itself gave a little burst of excitement, a new calendar, and an invitation to be creative and get the Club members together for fun gathering. And so we were off and gone with the new format.

For the first week of February our Sri Lanka-born member Michael suggested we get together for Chinese New Year on the 3rd at his favorite Chinese restaurant to welcome in the Year of the Rabbit. He promised us this was much better than the run-of-the-mill restaurants, and he was right. Wang Jiao on Av Universidad a few blocks up from the zoo is most excellent. It's not that there is no good Chinese food, it is a matter of finding it. And Michael showed us where it's at.

Isn't it about the same elsewhere? In a good-sized city anywhere there may one hundred Chinese restaurants daring to call themselves that, but we all know there is only one that deserves the title. I am not going to describe the food and Wang Jiao except to tell you, This is it! You will have to try it for yourself, and then you will thank me for telling you to do so. Tere and I have already been back there again - and it's not yet three weeks past the first time we ate there. When she found out I was writing this post she suggested we go again soon. As with any good Chinese food you can eat until you think you are full but then almost immediately afterwards you want to go back for more. I'm ready again, perhaps tomorrow.