I am pleasantly surprised (I loves me some lemon chicken)

I still remember the lemon chicken I was served that was CLEARLY the best I've ever eaten, before or since. Of all places, it was in a place called Danny's - a Chinese restaurant in Vanderhoof, BC. It was a bit of a surprise, given that the latest census put the pop. at 4500. Who knows what it was in....78, I think it was?

Everything about that Lemon Chicken was perfect! I would have gone back for a second supper, but Vanderhoof was a one-and-done on a trip that was scheduled out of Vancouver. That was right at the time when my ex and I got some instruction from the daughter of a Chinese chef, who was our neighbour in Vancouver. I REALLY took to it, and still make a fair amount of Chinese food today.

His father was born in Taiwan, but that's about all I know of his past, except that he joined the Canadian Army in order to become a doctor. That worked out really well for everyone.

When the CCP liberalized their rules for tourists, his parents went to China for a holiday. They were particularly interested in eating food made in the homeland, but were very disappointed. The quality of ingredients was poor, and the meat was generally tough and gristly, or fatty, as well. They said the Chinese food in Vancouver is WAY better. Having eaten both, I can say that my experience was that the food in Vancouver was noticeably better than that in San Francisco.

While my friend an I were eating in SF, a Chinese couple sat near as at the large table where we had been seated. Speaking zero Chinese, I caught nothing of their conversation, nor was I trying to. But, when the word "Vancouver" was spoken, I asked them if they were from Vancouver, but they were locals. They were just talking about some of the food they had eaten in Van. and were nostalgic for it. High praise indeed, I thought...and they were surprised that I could name the restaurant they were talking about by the description of the food; specifically the type of noodles it is known for.

And I trust his culinary judgment, too. He could've given a thumbs-down to every dish based on a distaste for pseudo Chinese cuisine, but he evaluated each dish fairly. Good cooking is good cooking, and some chefs preparing American versions of Chinese dishes are good chefs.