What’s better to beat the severe and merciless winter of New England than a steamy bowl of Chinese food, with just the right amount of spiciness that puts a layer of tiny beads of sweat on the tip of your nose, and plenty of savory taste that lingers your mouth? At the intersection of Brighton Avenue and Linden Street in Allston, one of the most student-populated areas in Boston, a Chinese restaurant called Jo Jo Taipei showcases its popularity with a busy full room of customers and a long but cheerful waiting line.
Yueran knows the restaurant well enough to arrive just a little prior to the rushing hour. The patroness is busy working behind the counter. She’s on the phone taking orders when she sees him, and her face crinkle into a big smile as she shove the menu into his arms. Yueran is a regular here; he doesn’t really need a menu to place his order. But after a waitress lead him to his seat through a narrow passage between the crowded tables, he decides to flip through the pages for a while anyway, before telling the waitress “same shit please”. The waitress burst into laughers, and no more question or verification was needed.
“There you have all the Chinese restaurants, who are more or less similar one with the other; and there you have Jo Jo Taipei.” Yueran said, “ I don’t know how to explain it to you, but Jo Jo is just different. ”
Yueran just graduated from Boston University, and has been in Boston for almost three years. As half a Bostonian in his Chinese friends’ eyes, whenever someone new arrives in town, he will bring them to Jo Jo for their first or second meal. For Yueran and many others, Jo Jo has gradually became their second kitchen.
Five years ago when the restaurant first opened, there were only two Chinese restaurants in the neighborhood: Jo Jo and Shanghai Gate, the latter having a reputation of being better at the flavor. “When I first opened this restaurant, we thought our main clientele would be Taiwanese students,” said Sherry, the owner of Jo Jo Taipei, who’s often referred to affectionately by her Chinese customers as “Lao ban niang” — the patroness. “But to my surprise, our clients from Mainland China are much more numerous.”
Today, this Taiwanese restaurant that also features Szechuan cuisine is likely the most popular and busy Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood, especially among the student population. Everyday between 6 pm. to 8 pm., and then another half an hour after 9pm when grad students get out of their late classes, Chinese students flood in and occupy the whole place.
All of a sudden, English becomes a rarity. People chat in Chinese and order in Chinese, and that of course includes the ones sitting at the table next to you, who seem a little too close for your American standard of comfortable dining space. Friends huddle together on the bench, sharing their dishes as they recount their busy day; laughter is combined with the sizzling of hot pot and the occasional tinkling of chopsticks against porcelain. “The ambiance is nice – a little too open feeling sometimes,” said Chris, a 23-year-old acupuncture apprentice whose Chinese friend brought a large group of her new classmates to Jo Jo, “because it’s just one big room, no nooks or crannies. But otherwise it’s a very mellow light and fun chatter”.
Surprisingly or not, most Chinese students cook their own meals. And to some of them, quiet a lot of the dishes offered on the menu are considered “cookable”. But Jo Jo is their favorite place to go nonetheless.
“Eating here is not just about the taste. It has become our habit, our routine”, said Yueran. He used to eat here five days a week to hang out with friends, and get his only proper meal on school days.”
Yin is a BU alumni who used to frequent Jo Jo Taipei before he returned to China a month ago. For him, the friendly ambiance in the restaurant is also an important reason why he keeps eating here. “ I used to come here three times a week, and eventually we got familiar with the patroness,” he said. “She’d chat with us when she was not busy. It is nice when you have that personal connection with a place. Jo Jo is the restaurant that I’ve visited the most in Boston”.
Sherry and her husband have been living in the Boston area for over three decades. Her daughter used to be a cellist in the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Every time she drove her to practice from their house in Chelmsford, Sherry would pass the street where the restaurant is now located.
“ My student clients always remind me of my own children,” said Sherry. “I hope I can give them something that tastes like home, something their mother would cook for them, especially when home is so far away,” she said with a smile. her lean fingers placed on her rosy cheek glowing after a busy day of work. Her vibrant short hair and soft voice give no clue to her age.
This is the third time that Chris has eaten here. Having lived in Singapore, he is one of those Americans who have developed an Asian stomach, and appreciates the homely taste and natural aroma of Jo Jo’s dishes. “I enjoy a lot of their flavors – they have a relatively unsalty style which I like a lot. ”
Unlike Shanghai Gate, Jo Jo Taipei doesn’t have many intense-flavored or sophisticated dishes that are hard to pull off. But they have their own insistence. To achieve the genuine “home” flavor, a lot of the fragrances used in Jo Jo Taipei are specially shipped from Taiwan, and every year the patroness would travel back to her country and look for new recipes to add into the menu, which already provide a wide span of choices.
“You can’t order wrong at Jo Jo,” said Yueran. “Although I wouldn’t expect to be ‘wowed’ by their dishes either, but every time we said to ourselves ‘we have eaten too many times here, let’s go explore some other places’, we would end up wishing that we had gone to Jo Jo anyway.”
To some Chinese students, Jo Jo has more significance than just a restaurant. When Ken, a 22-year-old 12th grader, is not delivering for Jo Jo, you can see him running in and out the kitchen, restlessly helping around, waiting on tables. He moved to America with his father and little sister three years ago, and has been between temp jobs to subside his family. “With this job I don’t need to ask money from dad anymore,” he said, with the typical humble and bashful smile of an Asian boy. “Sometimes I can even give money to my little sister.” With this experience, he hopes that one day he’ll be able to run his own family restaurant.
As for Jay, a 22-year-old UMass Boston financial undergrad, delivering for Jo Jo is more of an attempt to explore the world outside the protection of his parents’ palm. “When you drive 30 minutes, detour and get lost, only to be tipped three dollars over a seventy-something bill, you’ll get the idea of how hard life can be when you are on your own,” he said. For him and his other sports-car-driving friends who also deliver for Jo Jo for the experience, the salary is nothing compared to their allowance, not to mention the extra expenses on gasoline, yet they still carry on. “Now I study harder than ever, so that I know I’ll be able to earn my own life.”
There has been a growing population of Chinese students overseas, which led to the growth and flourish of Chinese restaurants. Good flavor and quality are always appreciated, but those are not rare. For Jo Jo Taipei, it is the emotional connection, the sense of home it gives its customers that are priceless.
The night before Yin’s flight back home, he invited some of his closest friends to eat at Jo Jo for the one last time. “We have spent so many time there. It was where we had our first diner after moving to Allston. It just made sense for me to end my journey with a diner at the same place where it all started. It gave me a sense of nostalgia and closure.” They ordered “the usuals”, and had a great time. The flavor of the food had never changed over the years. At the end of this diner, Yin was surprised to find out that the bill has already been taken care of by the patroness. “ My student clients grow up and move on, which is something that I’m both happy and sad about.” Said Sherry. “ A lot of them would still come back and visit on business trips, or call me at the restaurant to check up how I’m doing. This is more than just a business to me; the happiness and fulfillment is my biggest gain from this restaurant.”
a matter of time 