Celebrate the Year of the Snake in Chinatown LA

Photo Credit: LA Chinatown Business Improvement District

Head out to Chinatown LA to celebrate the Year of the Snake with a midnight ceremony, a memorable festival and parade weekend, and a world record-breaking attempt in paper folding! 

Thanksgiving for those who prefer not to cook

Photo courtesy of West at Hotel Angeleno

It's that time of year: Thanksgiving. As with many things in life these days, the traditional Thanksgiving meal has received quite the makeover in recent years, especially as more and more people make lifestyle changes that impact what foods they can or choose to eat. Fortunately here in Los Angeles, there are all kinds of alternatives to the traditional Thanksgiving menu, and plenty of options for those who are not so talented in the kitchen, or simply prefer not to cook.

Free Like Me to Play Chinatown Moon Festival on Saturday Night

If you missed the two Saturdays of Chinatown Summer Nights, or had so much fun, you want more, this Saturday night is the 73rd Annual Moon Festival featuring Eddie Lin from Deep End Dining as host on the chef cooking stage. And for the first time ever, a non-Asian band will play the Festival, and that is a story onto itself. Last Saturday, Free Like Me that features Lucy Gallant from Australia and Daniel Urbina from Venezuela came to Chinatown with their videographer to gather footage for their music video. What they didn't know was that they had come upon Chinatown Summer Nights, a festival that the Downtown News had given special recognition to earlier this year for transforming three Chinatown summer evenings back in 2011.

Chinatown LA Turkey Dinners

I never realized that getting an already prepared turkey to go from Chinatown Los Angeles was a Thanksgiving tradition for many people in the Los Angeles area. I used to joke with George Yu, the Executive Director of the Chinatown business improvement district, that one of the funniest parts of the holiday movie, A Christmas Story, was when the dog ate the turkey and the family went out to the local Chinese restaurant for the celebration meal. But in the movie, they are the only ones in the restaurant, but from what George says, going to ChinatownLA for turkey is quite a holiday event.

Tea Tasting in LA's Chinatown

Tucked in-between the golden dragon archways on Broadway and Chinatown Metro Gold Line station with its green, yellow, and red curved roof is Far East Plaza. At the entrance to this plaza is Wing Hop Fung Ginseng and China Products Center. But don't let the name fool you. There's more to this place than aromatic herbs and beautiful hues of porcelain dishes and figurines (though it does have a good many to please). Pass by the first floor of ginseng and herbs behind glass countertops and the large selection of dark and light wine bottles lining the shelves. Then head up the escalator and next to the assortment of imported food goods in bright plastic packages (ranging from yellow rice crackers to sweet and salty plum candy), a tea fan might find a surprising treat...

...at the top floor of Wing Hop Fung are large glass cylinders and glass countertops filled with tea leaves. Recently, I had a lovely tea tasting experience with fellow ExperienceLA blogger and ExperienceLA founder Curt Gibbs, when meeting with George Yu of the Los Angeles Chinatown Business Council and Bibiana Yung of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles.

In addition to letting us smell the intense and fresh aroma of tea leaves, the woman in this area of the store provided us with a sample of Fujian Fresh Flavor Oolong Tea, which retails for $68.99, and plum tea, cold and slightly sweet. One surprising aspect of the selection of teas is the price range, from expected prices one might find in a general store to a high-end selection worthy of Rodeo Drive. Curt purchased a sample of an extremely fragrant $150 tea aptly named "Lion Hill Supreme of Green Tea."

In addition to invigorating the sense of taste and smell, tea tasting at Wing Hop Fung is a truly visual experience. Tea can come in all shapes and sizes, more than just small leaves, they can be beautiful bulbs and round kernals. Most people are likely to visualize tea in its Lipton sachets of crushed leaves - sometimes the dark, dry mixture has hints of colors from other leaves and dried flowers, visible only through the gauze of a tea bag. But aside from pre-packaged paper boxes of this and loose leaf tin canisters of the standard fair of Jasmine, Oolong, and Green, few can likely attest to seeing tea unparceled, unready for just quick placement in a porcelain tea pot or mug of hot water.

If you want an experience to invigorate your senses, have a taste of tea at Wing Hop Fung in Chinatown.

-ExperienceLA Web Coordinator