Seattle's International District

I get to check another item off my Seattle Bucket List: visiting the International District. I had the best tour guide for this area, my high school friend from China.

I am going to disclose some sensitive information with you; I cannot use chopsticks to eat to save my life, unless I stab it; and half of the time I still miss. The last time I even had to consider using chopsticks was last summer (with this same friend),  when we arrived at a restaurant in Las Vegas and I was getting ready to sit down, the waiter instantly removed my chopsticks and gave me a fork. I didn't even have to ask, they totally profiled me as an American who could not use chopsticks; not only were they correct but I respected their initiative to make my dining experience more enjoyable. This did not happen at any of the dining experiences I have had at the International District here in Seattle.  Some of the common responses my friend utilizes as "encouragement" are the following:

• Look at that lady, she looks American and she is using chopsticks.
• A small child can eat with chopsticks...look there's one right there.
• It's so much easier to eat with chopsticks.
• Please don't ask for a fork.
• I am showing you the incorrect way to hold and use the chopstick but you still should be able to do it.

Okay back to the International District of Seattle. It is smack in the middle between Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill (which are neighborhoods in Seattle). There are grocery stores, antique stores, restaurants, bakeries, shops, clothing stores, etc located in the neighborhood. The produce in this area of the city is by far some of the cheapest I have seen (for instance okra was $0.99 a pound). There are also entire stores devoted to Hello Kitty. In regards to restaurants you definitely get a mixture of fusion and authentic restaurants. In my experiences I haven't really enjoyed Asian bakeries but there are a few good ones in this area.

Definitely an area I will be heading back to for the cuisine, but I am definitely happy that I am not living in this area. The other apartment I was contemplating living at when I moved here was in this area. This is a neighborhood that I like to visit but I prefer not to live in.