Aubrey Tang and Billy Chen join the show this week to talk about their brainchild: the Chinatown Project! Over the past year they've taken on the task of documenting and chronicling the restaurants and businesses that make up Boston's Chinatown and this week they talk about the neighborhood and so much more.
The show begins with a brief introduction to the Chinatown Project and how it was formed. We discuss 9-man volleyball and how that helped lead to the creation of the group. Aubrey and Billy talk about their personal relationship with the neighborhood and visiting frequently despite living outside of Boston. The three of discuss how the neighborhood has changed within our own lifetimes, then move on to how Chinatowns have persisted better than other neighborhoods in this country. We talk about hole-in-the-wall stores including Billy's favorite Bubble Waffle Lady and Aubrey's hidden possibly nameless gift shop. Aubrey shares how she would come into Chinatown growing up to practice 9-man then go to Taiwan Cafe with her family. Billy names his favorite candies he'd get at Chinese grocery stores growing up. We talk about some regional delicacies including Billy's family's favorite "Steamed bread with sweetened condensed milk". We discuss the demographics of Chinatown, then talk about Dim Sum and the argument between China Pearl and Hei La Moon. Billy and Aubrey end the show discussing the future of Chinatown and how they expect it to evolve going forward.