By Wayne Chan

We just came back from Greece. We had an amazing time.

And yet…

Coming back home after being away in a foreign country gives you a unique perspective in a very unique place. I’m talking about the U.S. It makes me appreciate how lucky we are to be living here.
There’s a myriad of reasons why I appreciate living in America, but let’s just start with the food. While Chinese food is my favorite cuisine, that doesn’t mean I would naturally be drawn to living in China or Hong Kong, which I readily admit, has some amazing Chinese food.

There’s no greater way to explain my perspective on this than on our latest trip to Greece.
I love Greek food. Study after study shows that people who follow the Mediterranean can expect to have better health and longevity. I love pita bread, gyros, spanakopita, and moussaka. The first few days of our visit there were amazing in terms of food. Emphasis on “the first few days”.

Around the 5-6 day, you start hankering for something different. Here’s where it becomes a bit of a challenge. We’re walking along a beautiful, bustling street in the Greek isle of Crete, searching for a place for dinner. The first restaurant we pass features a sign that says, “Authentic Greek Food”. Let’s keep walking.

The next place – “Serving Greek specialties”. A few steps further – “Serving Greek Cuisine!”. In the end, we end up having…Greek food.

By the time we reach Athens, things are getting a bit desperate. Now, it’s not as extreme as I make it out to be. On occasion, you’ll see a place selling burgers and fries. And there’s nothing wrong with having a nice juicy burger and fries every once in a while. But honestly, I don’t have burgers and fries all that often when I’m at home. So, again, gyros and Greek salad one more time.

By the last day of our visit in Athens, I’ve literally had it with Greek food. I’ve put up with enough pita. I’m weary for gyros. I’m petering out of spanakopita and mustered out of moussaka.

Here’s where you see the difference. How often do you walk down main street of any reasonably sized city and see sign after sign saying, “Real American food” or “Authentic American cuisine” everywhere? Actually, you’re much more likely to find a Mexican place, next to a seafood place, next to a Chinese place, next to a sushi bar. And yes, you’re likely to find a Greek restaurant and a burger place too.

So, as our weary legs walked from restaurant to restaurant trying to find something, anything different, you can appreciate the utter joy and relief we felt when we saw a restaurant with Chinese characters on it. It was a hot pot restaurant. It was like manna from heaven.

Coming back home and seeing all the diverse restaurants to choose from. In my opinion, that’s American food, or at least what it means to me.

I’m home.

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