When I travel, I typically follow the same agenda outside of food – check out the local Costco, see what’s funky on the McDonald’s menu, and zip through Chinatown. It didn’t even occur to me that Orlando would have a Chinatown, until a friend told me otherwise. And after making a visit, I still think I’m right.
As you pull in to the stripmall Chinatown, a gate looms over the entrance, making it official: this is Chinatown. The stripmall Chinatown has a bit of an abandoned western town vibe going on. Almost half of the businesses didn’t survive the pandemic. There’s also a Vietnamese add-on building on the far side of the parking lot, which seemed to be doing better.
None of the restaurants interested me, so of course, I visit the next closest thing to food – the markets.
Enson Market had a very impressive snack section. How can I resist scallops in a bag? Cakes filled with boba tea? Imitation tripe made from konjac? Oh boy. I obviously have some work cut out for me over the next few weeks, but here’s a preview of the $100+ of snacks I took home: