I was so excited to join a group of local area bloggers and head on over to check out a new food kiosk at the Alderwood Mall located in Lynnwood, Washington.
My friend Jim, a northwest commercial and residental designer, contacted me because he knew I’m a total foodie and love new experiences and just knew I would love it! He let me know I could invite a few friends, because seriously, there’s nothing better than a gathering of girlfriends over a meal, right? I sent out a bunch of feelers and with the help of my friend Carleeh (@healthysocialite) we were joined by Kusum (@sveeteskapes), Jen (@hellorigby) and Mary Rose (@adaywithella).
Jim was so excited to introduce us to Mr. Simon’s Chinese Pancake and I was like, “What are Chinese pancakes?”
A traditional Chinese street food, known as Jianbing, is similar to a crepe. The main ingredients are a wheat-flour batter with eggs and sauces. They are topped with a variety of fillings and additional sauces, all of which you can choose here.
Everything was fresh and sourced locally, but my favorite addition was the baocui, a thin and crispy fried cracker. You all know I am a texture eater, so the cracker was a nice surprise when I took my first bite!
When we arrived we met Mr. Simon, his mama and his business partner, Sophia. They were such sweet and welcoming people it was quick to see that they really enjoyed sharing their cultural experiences with us newbies.
Mr. Simon, himself, came out from behind the counter and handed us each a pouch of their fruit tea to enjoy while we looked over the menu and made our choices. How totally cute is this resealable pouch? Zip open, insert the fun straw and zip. When you are ready to go, remove your straw, thread it through the little holes and zip it closed. It totally wish more to-go drinks were like this beause, hello, how great would this be for kids?
Ok, back to our food. Sipping and enjoying my fruit tea, I decided on the Pork Sung pancake with the rainbow batter and the traditional sauce, which is similar in taste to a hoisin sauce. Pork sung is finely shredded and seasoned dried pork. The pork is cooked and shredded prior to drying. It is light and flavorful.
As we watched our individual crapes being made we had a chance to chat over why we chose options we did what was going on in our own lives, in real life versus over social media.
We started to notice as we stood there chatting and videoing our experience, that a crowd had started to form. So many people were intrigued by the idea of these Chinese pancakes that they start asking us what the kiosk was and what we had chosen and what it was like to eat. Since we were all newbies, our williness and openess to share encouraged others to be brave as well. That is what is so cool about trying new things, getting others to do the same.
What’s really fun is the kiosk is in the middle of the mall, so not a part of the food court and not a stand-alone restaurant, just a kiosk a few staff and a lot of yummy food. It really is the best kind of experience out in the open!
As each of our orders were made and presented, people around us started sharing their own stories. Many were excited about having authentic traditional Chinese pancakes from their youth available here in the Pacific Northwest.
I love that Mr. Simon’s Chinese pancakes are a great way to experience culturely authentic traditional Chinese street food. They are also a perfect way to pack together all the things you need nutritionally, for your day in one easy to-go package. I don’t know if I will ever get the chance to go to China, but I love that we can get a taste of it here, locally. I really loved watching everything made right in front of my eyes. And fast too!
If you’re out and about do you happen to be heading up towards the Lynnwood area here in the state of Washington stop in and try Mr. Simon’s Chinese Pancakes. Don’t forget to follow them and tag them on your photos @mrsimons_chinese_pancake and me too! @peppyfitfoodie!
Until my next adventure…Peace Out Peeps!
A Special Thanks to Jim for coordinating this event, to Mr. Simon’s Pancakes for such a tasty lunch treat and introduction to your culture and to BoHo Chic Boutique for the cute outfit I am wearing.
