Holidays for Family Businesses

People in small business say that "holidays for others are not holidays for us". Many businesses do a bulk of their sales during the holidays. Family businesses have to especially work hard because during days like Chinese New Year, many people prefer to have off.

What was our Chinese New Year like? At CICF we were definitely understaffed and insanely busy. We don't get a chance to take it easy because we are so busy preparing the ice cream and the cakes all week long. Everything we do here at CICF comes with a lot of TLC and hard work.

Today me and dad headed to work extra early to prepare for the New Year. Dad bought some dim sum and coffee for us and our employees. This was our "Chinese New Year lunch". It was still great though, but it's different from the typical homemade the meals that we just did not have time to fit in our schedules. Our business operates like a small family so it's still very special during the holidays.

Dinner was of course from our neighbor Moonhouse Restaurant. They were so packed that we had to get our orders to go. My friend Jeanie and her mom always put a lot of TLC in their food so our New Year's Dinner was special none the less. Me and Jeanie have a barter system going on...she trades her food with my ice cream; this way we are always guaranteed meals with dessert.

I have scooped ice cream and decorated cakes for almost 18 consecutive hours. It was definitely a busy but good new year. Gung Hey Fat Choi and Good Night! This blogger needs to catch her zzzs.

Places I Go To In Chinatown

Everyone constantly asks me for suggestions on "where to go in Chinatown". I used to suggest more tour guide friendly answers. Recently, people have been asking me more specifically, "Where do you personally go in Chinatown?" Well here's the honest answer...

Usually I start my mornings before work getting breakfast (after all it is the most important meal of the day!) by going to Yuen Yuen on Bayard Street. Here I get a large fresh squeezed orange juice for a mere $2 and change. The little lady who runs the shop is a cute little 'paw paw' (Grandma).

Then I head over to Hsin Wong which is located across the street from my store. I'm always greeted wth a smile and the cook usually remembers my order. I tend to be a creature of habit so I usually order the congee with pork and preserved egg (pay dan sau yook jewk) and a bread cruller. This delicious meal comes out to be less than $5. Nothing is better than some hot food in your stomach on a cold morning.

With all this yummy food, I am ready to start my day! =)

In between work, if I can sneak out for a bit...I get my occasional hair cut and highlights at Sunny Hair Salon on 11 Pell Street. I always ask for Sunny (the owner) to personally to cut or color my hair. Michelle also does a very good job. The prices are extremely reasonable and the hair washes using reflexology is very relaxing.

Since I do lots of manual labor at CICF, I do get an occasional back massage. I skip over to Pell Street for my $15 back massage. Can't beat that price!

For dinner I almost always hop over to Moonhouse which is located right next door to CICF. My close friend Jeanie's family owns it. I will personally say that I have never had food made with such love. My favorites are the Moonhouse Casserole and the Soup Dumplings with Crab. It's a gourmet meal that won't hurt your budget.

I also do like the Vietnamese-Chinese cuisine from Bo Ky Restaurant on Bayard Street. Their restaurant is also a second generation family business which gives it a lot of character. The food is excellent at dirt cheap prices. It's always busy so you know that everything is always fresh! I love the pho with beef! I am also a fan of their country style duck.

Good luck on your future adventures in Chinatown!