A WEATHERED Chinaman, no more than 50 years old, unloads a box of oranges onto his fruit stall as dozens of customers scramble to select the best. Nearby, a herbal shop owner attempts to sweet-talk a customer into buying American ginseng.
It could have been a scene right out of Petaling Street, only this is Made-in-Manhattan.
At 3.3 million, the Chinese form the biggest community among Asian-Americans in the United States, according to the 2005 American Community Survey.
Most of them live in California, but New York isn't outdone with an estimated 374,000 Chinese out of its eight million population. The city, which comprises five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens and Staten Island – has not one, but three, Chinatowns.
The original and biggest is in Manhattan, while smaller versions are found in Brooklyn and Queens and are less touristy.
Here's a snapshot of what makes them tick:
Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn
This one-street Chinatown is the smallest of the three but prosperity is its middle name.
“There are more banks here than rice shops,” said insurance agent Michael Chong, repeating the locals' favourite phrase.
A 10-minute-walk around the block found no less than 12 banks.
“Their business comes mostly from customers who are without legal status in the United States,” Chong said.
Immigrants, mostly Foochows from China, usually make their home in Brooklyn where rent and food are cheaper.
“But prices are gradually rising. The rent for a two-bedroom apartment can come up to US$1,000 (RM3,500),” he said.
Chong, a Malaysian who set up home here two decades ago, observed that house prices have spiralled, too.
“A house that cost US$60,000 (RM211,000) back then is now tagged at US$1mil (RM3.5mil),” he said.
Eighth Avenue gets more crowded during weekends, when Chinese from Staten Island come for their groceries.
Even in this tiny “town”, you are never far from home. Kampung Koh chilli sauce from Perak, Cheong Kim Chuan nutmeg and Tan Ngan Lo herbal tea are aplenty, courtesy of a Malaysian woman who runs a shop here.
Flushing, Queens
Mat Salleh brand names like Starbucks, United Colors of Benetton and Macy's stand out amid the rows of shops bearing Chinese characters.
“This is a large neighbourhood, complete with a public library which has a big selection of Chinese titles,” said Chantal Lee, a Hong Kong native who has lived here for 10 years.
Most of the residents originate from China and Taiwan. Mandarin is often heard on the street.
“Generally, the immigrants here are better educated than the ones in Brooklyn. They live quite well, too,” said Lee.
It is also the regular haunt of Chinese from New Jersey and Connecticut.
“They come here because of the countless supermarkets,” Lee said.
At one restaurant, which offers a buffet lunch at US$12 (RM42) for customers to gorge on within a two-hour deadline, strains of a ballad by Danny Chan, the original Heavenly King, played in the background. No Britney or Beyonce is heard.
Here, it is common to walk into a shop that offers two completely different businesses. One side sells jewellery, the other Chinese herbs.
“It's their way of getting around the exorbitant rent. They sublet the space to somebody else,” Lee said.
Manhattan
What a din! It's everything that you imagine, only better (or worse).
DVD sellers shove The Pursuit of Happyness to your face. “Four dollars (RM14)!” the peddler said.
Prada totes, Chanel No 5, Rolex watches, baby turtles, even brass statues of Lord Ganesha crowd the sidewalk.
A statue of Confucius outside a housing block called Confucius Plaza is the beacon for all Chinese immigrants who have just stepped on US soil. It is the place where relatives and friends would tell the new arrivals to meet them.
Office administrator Terence Low, a Malaysian whose office is located in Chinatown, takes delight in the place.
“There is such a huge variety of food available. Depending on the occasion, there will be mooncakes, or lion dances during Chinese New Year,” he said.
“In fact, the Lunar New Year is celebrated on a bigger scale here. I don't really get homesick.”
It is all about chowing down. Lobsters, roti canai, duck rice, Vietnamese noodles, Indonesian fare; you won't go hungry so long there is cash in your pocket.
Let the customer beware, though. This is the Chinatown where horror stories are aplenty about waiters who curse and chase after diners who do not cough up the right amount in tips.
