From KCRW, I'm Evan Klyman, and this is good food.

Chinatown was created as a self-sufficient community, its own ecosystem, so that immigrants who arrive to San Francisco can find a place where they can get on their feet.

You know, as an outsider who comes in, some people may say,

wow, this, you know, this feels like a whole other world.

It's loud. It's bustling. There's people yelling.

There's all kinds of interesting aromas that some may not be accustomed to.

But that, to me, was my entire childhood upbringing.

Kathy Fang's childhood was shaped by 24 square blocks in San Francisco. She was a restaurant kid in

Chinatown. For over 35 years, her family has operated the House of Nanking, where in the early

days her father manned one walk

to feed a line of hungry customers that snake down the street. In a new cookbook, Kathy and her

father shared the history of the restaurant. Its iconic dishes and the creativity and resilience

that defines the House of Nanking. Hi, Kathy. Hi, Evan. Thank you for having me.

It's a huge honor for me to be able to come and speak with you about a book that I've been very

passionate about and been wanting to do quite honestly for almost two decades. And finally, my dad agreed. It is just a wonderful book.

It just cites you right there and is very vivid in the account of not only the restaurant,

but the area in which it sits. So could you please describe for us kind of the sights,

the sounds, the smells of the chinatown of your

childhood and then talk to us a little bit about how much has changed yeah um you know i feel like

growing up in chinatown for me i was born actually in chinatown the chinese hospital

i was very fortunate and

lucky to be raised in a place that my family could honestly say is truly reminiscent of home as in

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