It seems as though almost everyone in Australia has a Chinese restaurant memory. When Lin Jie Kong and I made our series Chopsticks or Fork? for the ABC two years ago, we found this sense of nostalgia is especially true when it comes to Chinese restaurants in regional Australia. These restaurants are the backdrops to birthdays and anniversaries and “firsts”: whether it’s dressing up to dine out or trying non-western food such as spring rolls or chicken chow mein.
Over the last few months, we’ve travelled to restaurants in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Canberra for Chopsticks or Fork? – The Book and chronicled places we weren’t able to visit for the show. We’ve met more families who run these establishments and chatted with diners who can’t get enough Mongolian lamb and deep-fried ice-cream. Some of these diners and their families have been visiting the same Chinese restaurant for four or five generations.
