Chicken and Cucumber Soup

Chicago’s Chinatown was never exactly the centre of the great Chinese empire. We had a small Chinese community, perhaps a few thousand people. But as I grew up, I was always surprised at the diversity and variety of Chinese ingredients and foods available within that narrow circle.

For example, we were delighted when fresh water chestnuts were available. They came from Hong Kong via San Francisco. We acted like deprived refugees or exiles, happy to see the well-remembered fruits of