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We were actually hungry for soup. It was a Monday. My colleague and I were wracking our brains over where to find a decent bowl of soup, as if it would somehow magically thwart the swine flu (knock on wood, so far so good. . .).
But then we remembered China Chili's hot & sour soup, and zoomed over for one of the super-cheap lunch specials. Most items are around seven or eight bucks, including soup, egg roll, rice, and the entree.
I went with sweet & sour prawns, somewhat absentmindedly. How could I forget that "sweet & sour" equals tangy, bright orange sauce and battered, "deep-friend" (ha) prawns? My mind was elsewhere. I guess I was subliminally thinking of the excellent, garlicky "Lovers Prawns" on the dinner menu. But I cleaned the plate all the same.
Turns out, my friend ordered the enviable dish -- kung pao chicken. It was spicy, peanutty, and had appealing crunchiness from water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. I'll get that next time.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
