WARM YOURSELF WITH SPICY SZECHUAN CUISINE IN THE RAINY EVENING

In a rainy winter evening, people were lining up, talking loudly in Chinese and waiting anxiously for their upcoming dinner at  23 St. Mark's Place, Szechuan Mountain House.

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"Number 96? Two people, come in!" The receptionist yelled at the crowd, and a young man with a black raincoat folded the umbrella and held his girlfriend's hand tightly and waved towards the receptionist, "Here, here!"

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The couple sat down next to three businessmen who just ordered  the restaurant’s most popular dish , Water-boiled fish, the most popular cuisine at the restaurant. Two of them men are Chinese and frequent guests. They were introducing the dish to their Australian friend: "Only Szechuan peppercorn has such an intense fragrance, citrus-like flavor and can produce a 'tingly-numbing' sensation in the mouth."   

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The Australian was not familiar with chopsticks, dropping the Water-boiled fish fillets to splash  back into the plate and splashing red and yellow spicy chili oil onto his white shirt. A waiter came and brought him napkins, a knife, and a fork. “I should learn how to use chopsticks as soon as possible, " the man said with a laugh.  

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Above the checkout counter hung an old-style Chinese painting: a green mountain, a running river, small playing fish, and a quiet fisherman. A Chinese lady was making a payment and said to the cashier: "I feel like I'm back in my hometown when I eat such authentic and tasty Mapo Tofu at St. Mark's Place, in New York City!"