I once had a friend from China who said that our Chinese food restaurants do not serve real Chinese food.

She said that all of the oil and salt that they add by using MSG to kill us!! Of course, she meant it as a joke. I didn't believe her, so she took me to Chinatown in NYC to a restaurant called Yogee Noodle.

The restaurant was filled with Chinese people...'one clue that it s authentic Chinese' she said. They seated us at a great table in the back. She immediately ordered for all of us in Chinese. For the first course, the waiter brought us huge bowls of Congee with beef.....a type of rice porridge with thinly sliced beef and beef broth which was so flavorful and slightly sweet. Next up was the largest shrimp I had ever seen..a huge tray of butterflied salt and pepper shrimp. The shrimp was lightly fried and seasoned with red, black and green pepper, kosher salt and ginger. Being that my friend was a steady customer,I am pretty sure that they gave us more than the usual portion.

The shrimp tasted like it was just caught. Freshness is very important to the Chinese. They will get up at five in the morning to go to the fish market and wait until the freshest fish comes in off the boat.In Chinatown, Fulton Fish Market at South Street.

Next course was fresh squid with pickled vegetables and sauce. The vegetables are actually sweet but not quite as sweet as our gherkin pickles. The pickle juice takes away any fishy taste from the squid. The squid is tender and fresh. I would have never even thought of ordering this dish on my own. It was absolutely delicious!

For dessert, we had a coconut milk and red bean ice drink. It s a traditional dessert made with sweetened cooked red beans, evaporated milk and ice. It s extremely popular in Hong Kong. So refreshing and delicious!

It was the probably best Chinese food I ever had and my feet didn't swell after eating it! I always wondered why on every travel show I ever watched every host says "Eat like a local!" Now I know why!