Heading to the Chinatown subway station just now, I encountered this enormous line-up. It trails around the corner and into a square, doubles back, then curls around into an alley where the people have neatly (and, apparently spontaneously) doubled back on themselves three or four times.
It’s Chinese New Year, so there are bound to be things like this happening. In Honolulu many Chinese restaurants offer vegetarian specials for the new year, because the locals regard it as good luck to start off the year meatless.
Here? That giant line is for bak kwa. Which is to say: bacon jerky.
This is the shop people were actually lined up for…
This is the shop immediately next door, totally devoid of customers.
I like bak kwa ok, but what I really like is that this whole neighborhood smells like cooking bacon. I don’t have to stand in a line for that.