Jacqueline Church, a local tour guide, penned a love letter to Boston’s Chinatown in Food & Wine
Plus, Church shared some of her favorite Chinatown restaurants.
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As concerns over the spread of coronavirus in Boston started to ramp up in early February, Chinatown was one of the first neighborhoods to experience its negative effects, with restaurants suffering as some diners assumed it was easier to catch the virus at a Chinese-owned establishment.
But one Bostonian is continuing to spread her love of the storied neighborhood. On Tuesday, Food & Wine published an essay from local tour guide Jacqueline Church, who wrote about her affection toward Boston’s Chinatown and how it has grown and changed over the years.
“My relationship with Chinatown started as many affairs do: intrigue with a hint of danger,” Church shared. “Back in those dirty old Boston days, Chinatown’s reputation was pretty dodgy. The ‘Combat Zone’ moniker hung around like the scent of stale beer and smoke the morning after. Walking home through the city at night, I was warned to avoid this neighborhood. That advice always seemed counterintuitive to me, since the rest of the city was dark, while Chinatown was alive with happy people and fully lit with its unique mix of neon and fluorescent light, equal parts charming and hideous.”
Since then, Church has seen the neighborhood evolve — and has even gained the respect of its residents.
“When I began to lead food and culture tours through my adopted neighborhood,” she wrote, “I became aware of elder Chinese men lingering around the perimeter of my group… The first nod of approval from one of these Gong Gongs—grandpas—was something I’ll never forget.”
Church detailed the changing landscape of Chinatown’s restaurants, reminisced about the banquet hall she was married in, and reflected on what the neighborhood’s next chapter might look like, writing that “We cannot know yet whether our Chinatown community will have resilience enough to survive this current challenge. I will be here to help give it every chance and one small outsider’s voice.”
Read the entire love letter, including a list of Church’s favorite Chinatown restaurants, here.
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