Ode to the Hunan

Barbara and myself at Hunan, in Morgan’s Alley in downtown Portland, on our last trip there together before it closed at the end of 2014. Hunan had been our go-to spot for a treat almost since we’d first gotten together in the late ‘80s. We loved the food, the prices were reasonable (which also appealed to Barbara), and it was on the was from work to our bus stop, so on a night when we were feeling flush, we could stop in. Later on, I had an office in an adjoining building for a few years and Barbara and I could meet after work, or even for lunch, sometimes. We hardly ever went anywhere else for dinner. Barbara ordered the same thing every time we went, while I played the menu field (sometimes with less-than-satisfactory results). On the last trip she made there, Barbara asked the owner, who was retiring after being jerked around by building management (among other reasons), where we should go, and that was how we ended up at Hunan Pearl in Lake Oswego, which has been our go-to for eight years, despite the drive. We hardly ever go anywhere else, and Barbara always orders the same dish, while I play the menu field.