Hi. I’m Joy Pape, a relatively newcomer to the West Village. My husband, Brian Pape, green and historic preservation architect, and I moved here two and a half years ago. We are community people, thrilled to be more involved in our community by writing in the local paper we love, WestView News. I will be reviewing local restaurants, with a spin. Spin? Yes, it may seem like an oxymoron, or boring to think of making healthy choices when you eat out, but it’s not. It’s very doable.
So what makes me qualified to write such a column? First of all, like you, I love to eat. Some years ago, I lost 50 pounds and kept it off. Most any of us can lose weight; keeping it off is the tough part. I personally know the tricks of the trade, and I know them professionally because I am a registered nurse board certified in diabetes education, specializing in weight management. I have learned how to make healthy choices at the world’s finest restaurants. I want to teach you how to do the same, whether it’s your neighborhood diner, Chinese take-out, or one of our Five Star restaurants.
Your reason. If you want to make healthier choices, it is important you answer this question. Why do you want to make healthier choices? People don’t change without a reason, a reason that resonates with them. So give it some serious thought. When your answer comes to you, hold on to it for life, no pun intended, because there will be many temptations from within you (excuses), and many outside of you (marketing, aromas, flavors and so called friends) to try to change your mind.
When we were in the process of moving here, we knew we needed to find a neighborhood Chinese take-out/delivery. We checked with the locals who told us Mama Buddha is the place. I called, no answer. I checked out menupages.com, and read CLOSED. We found out that Mama Buddha, like many other affordable restaurants here in the West Village, closed because they could no longer pay the skyrocketing rents.
Then our hunt began. We checked out every Chinese take-out/delivery restaurant we could find in the West Village, starting with the one across the street from us, Christopher Golden Woks. After weeks of ordering from several places, almost floating from egg drop soup, and filled with Moo Goos, Kung Pos, water chestnuts, snow peas, and the like, we decided hands down it was Christopher Golden Woks for fresh, delicious, affordable, Chinese food, advertised in WestView News as Golden Woks.
I don’t recommend dining in at one of the two teensy tables with all the hustle and bustle; however, I do recommend the experience of going there yourself for your take-out. You get the exercise walking, good for you. Also, it’s a trip! It’s so entertaining to see the different colors, not just a variety of skin colors, but also lifestyle colors. If you are truly a West Villager, you know what I mean. And you get to listen to the many orders getting yelled out, get treated right by Steve the owner, and Lee the manager, and wonder how they always get it right. You may even get to meet Lau or Ching, the bike delivery guys, as they come in to pick up deliveries.
Ordering healthy is easy. They listen and honor your requests. The food is MSG-free. The principles are: avoid fried, ask for fresh, less oil, or steamed. Watch your portion size, brown rice instead of white rice, and skip sweet drinks. The portions are generous. Share with others or save the leftovers for tomorrow. When you order, be specific with each order. For example, when you order a selection, say, “Not fried.” You can also order steamed. For example, we love the Sesame Bean Curd, so we say, “Sesame Bean Curd, not fried, and spicy.”
Suggestions:
Low Carb: Egg drop soup, any of the poultry, pork, beef, seafood or squid selections, not fried, with vegetables. Skip the sweet and sours, crunchies, fried rice or noodles (lo meins or chow meins). Brown rice? Just a tablespoon or two.
Low Fat: Wonton or vegetable with bean curd soup, any of the entrees mentioned above, not fried, less oil or steamed. Sauces on the side. Go easy on the crunchies. Brown rice and the noodle dishes work here.
Vegetarian: Vegetable with bean curd soup. Any of the vegetable dishes. My favorite is a staple in our house: Snow Peas, Water Chestnuts, and Broccoli. We order it spicy, but you don’t have to.
Dessert? A fortune cookie. If you’re going low carb, read your fortune, laugh and skip the cookie.
We are fortunate to have Christopher Golden Woks in our West Village.
EnJOY!
Joy Pape, RN BSN CDE WOCN CFCN FAADE
212-933-1756
Christopher Golden Woks
159 Christopher Street
212-463-8182/8192
