I meet Gene back in 1999 I lived across the street from him always so nice & if you needed to talk he said grab a seat boy did we have some good times Phil,LorettaMatt my sister & my children he got a kick of telling them he was a school teacher

When I was little, Dad would get me on a weekend and we would occasionally go out to eat. I soon found at an early age what my favorite cuisine was; Chinese! I don't know if it was the way Dad talked about the food, the sweet and tangy sauces, or just the fact that we both really enjoyed each other's conversation and presence when we went; whatever it was it stuck with me for life.

Being as young as I was,I didn't know who had good Chinese, so I listened to my dad tell me who really had good food. Enter China Dynasty (CD), back then, the one out east. I always asked dad if he would order egg rolls, Tyler were a definite favorite! It was here that I learned the difference one year between egg rolls and spring rolls. CD had the BEST of both, but I usually opted for the heavier fare and dug into the egg rolls with that sweet tangy sweet and sour sauce and some soy sauce. Dad would cut mine up into tiny pieces as to help me not make such a mess (to this day it is my favorite way of eating egg rolls). It was a divine hour. To make it better,I watched the way he treated the staff there. They knew him by name and I promise we ended up with special treatment. My dad always told me about being a good tipper too. Dad made sure to treat those right who treated him right.

As time went on and I left for school, those days were less and less. One day however, Dad and I got to talking and I asked him what he decided to do for dinner. Now mind you, my dad had his favorite dishes from CD and he ate them faithfully, but that day, he tried something new (not typical for daddy). Oh my goodness,I heard about that new dish like he'd made a new best friend! No more were the days of Wor Sue Gai or Empress Chicken or even the occasional Sesame Chicken, Dad ordered Sesame Beef and had fallen in love. After that day, I think my father ordered the same dish every Saturday for dinner until he just couldn't afford to any more. Occasionally I would surprise him with some and on one Christmas I purchased him a gift certificate so he could order his favorite dish for a month or more. It made me smile to see him light up just over that.

Remembering this warmed my heart. Daddy I hope you're getting the best Chinese yet though it may not be down here, just save me a plate so I can at least taste a bite!