‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Chinese take-out has its benefits. It’s fast, cheap and easy.’ Finding great… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Chinese take-out has its benefits. It’s fast, cheap and easy.’ Finding great Chinese food, though, is not an easy task. It requires a certain know-how and a lot of scouting. Yet, once found, a great Chinese restaurant is the perfect date, a place with great food and a casual atmosphere or a place to meet up with your friends after a movie.’ If you’re in the mood for Chinese, check out these questions that you can ask yourself before entering. They’ll help you find a great Chinese restaurant: 1.’ ‘ ‘ No English, right? Chinese people frequent great Chinese food restaurants. Your first line of defense against bad Chinese is making sure that there are Chinese patrons. The wait staff and owners of the restaurant should also be Chinese. The atmosphere of the restaurant should feel foreign. If people fluent in any of the Chinese dialects are munching on Peking duck, you know you’re in the right place. 2.’ ‘ ‘ Are there ducks hanging from the window? Pittsburgh, unfortunately, is unable to step up on this front, but it is an important note if you’re traveling to more Chinese-food friendly cities. Ducks hanging upside-down in the window symbolize that the food is fresh and that the restaurant is legitimate. This might gross some of you out. That’s part of the fun. A great Chinese restaurant should be a little dingy. The best ones always are. 3.’ ‘ ‘ Are they open on all traditional American holidays ‘mdash; Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s? Good Chinese food operates on a different calendar. Like the Jews, the Chinese use a lunar calendar. The Chinese New Year, one of the most important Chinese holidays, is a two-week celebration. This next year, the Chinese New Year starts on Jan. 29, and goes through Feb. 7. Celebrate at your local Chinese restaurant. 4.’ ‘ ‘ Does that fish have eyes? Good Chinese menus should always include some sort of whole fish. And yes, when I say whole, I mean the head, gills, eyes, everything.’ A great fish dish signals that your restaurant knows what it is doing. Fish is not an easy dish to prepare, and if they can get this one right, you’ve found your place.’ 5.’ ‘ ‘ Dim sum, anyone? Finding a place that serves this dumpling meal is very difficult. During a traditional dim sum, waiters travel around your table, offering various small plates of food. You can try anything from shrimp dumplings to my favorite, Lo Mai Gai, a peppery and delicious ball of sticky rice and chicken wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed. The name directly translates to ‘glutinous rice chicken.’ The great thing about dim sum is that you can sit down with about eight of your friends and share the whole meal. It’s inexpensive, and you get a wide variety of dishes. 6.’ ‘ ‘ Forks, knives, no way. Chinese food is not eaten with a fork ‘mdash; it’s eaten with chopsticks. Although many restaurants can and will accommodate guests whose fingers are not so nimble, the restaurant should have chopsticks already at the table. This signals that most of the restaurant’s patrons are Chinese-food savvy. As far as Pittsburgh is concerned, I’m still looking for a truly spectacular Chinese restaurant. However, these guidelines will help you to find the best Chinese food around. These are only guidelines to finding a great restaurant. If you are unsure, don’t fret, call some of your Jewish friends ‘mdash; they can help you find the best Chinese food in town.