We say Illinois, Chris Cramer says ... Home of Gourmet — “a tiny, little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant in Campustown when I was a chemistry Ph.D. student in the mid-1980s,” as the University of Minnesota’s vice president for research remembers it.
“It was memorable because for something like $3, if memory serves, you could get a plate of egg foo young — with gravy overflowing the plate — that seemed like enough for about three full meals, even for a starving grad student.
“Cheap cutlery, unbreakable plastic glasses and plates — zero atmosphere, but when that steaming plate arrived, it took a lot of willpower to watch it cool for a bit — to avoid burning one’s mouth irreparably — before tucking in.
“It’s a dish I still like to order occasionally in Chinese restaurants, and every time I do, I remember Home of Gourmet.”
