the jeremy lin of taiwanese breakfasts at huge tree pastry

my obsessions take many odd forms. sometimes they are material, sometimes it's a thought, and lately it's been about jeremy lin, during and after LINsanity. although he is currently not playing and is recovering from knee surgery, I DON'T CARE. i am still LINsane in the membrane and i eagerly await his return. first off, let's give this brotha a big hand for being a bone fide asian american basketball player in the nba. woot! he was a breath of fresh air in a sport that i deemed as a Nothing But Assholes league. come on, how many baby momma collecting, racial slurring, overpaid, egotistical thug mugs do i want to watch? zilch, that's what. if i'm going to root for anyone, it will be a player with integrity and modesty just like lin who is just 100% awesome and fun to watch.

in fact, you might say jeremy lin is to the nba as a fan tuan is to taiwanese breakfasts. omg, the fan tuan.....

can i count the ways that i adore thee? perhaps it's the sticky rice, the crunchy youtiao (chinese cruller) hidden inside, or the slightly sweet yet savory flavors from the pork floss (not the kind of floss for your teeth yo), or possibly the pickled veggies...but something, SOMETHING about this combo just dribbles pure flavor across my tongue leaving me clamoring for more....and at huge tree pastry in monterey park, there's a lot more. for a mere $2.75, you too, can taste the jeremy lin of taiwanese breakfasts (that sounded dirty).

or perhaps you'd prefer black sticky rice fan tuan for $3. if you've never had black sticky rice before, it is UNBELIEVABLE. sweet and chewy, but unfortunately, not suitable for those with dentures. consider you toothless people, warned.

and by all means, do order their cold soy bean milk ($2.25) to wash down all that sticky rice. the hint of sweetness in this styrofoam cup is a must order for me when the weather heats up.

or perhaps you prefer the salty hot version of the soy bean milk with floating pieces of youtiao? personally, since i prefer the youtiao to be crispy, dunking it into hot soy bean milk and making it a soggy mess was not a slam dunk for me.

did you say beef? no, i think i did. here's a baked wheat cake with beef and pickled mustard ($3.25). it's slightly dry, but that's why you douse your thirst with that soy bean milk yo.

the bun with pork and pickled mustard was a hearty bite for breakfast. a tad salty, but AGAIN, nothing that a cold cup of soy bean milk won't cure.

another taiwanese breakfast starter of note is this green onion pancake with egg ($2.95) and should be ordered hand in hand with the fan tuan...a slam dunk combo in my book.

so basically, while i wait for jeremy lin to recover from his knee surgery, i'm going to eat copious amounts of fan tuans and drink gallons of cold soy bean milk at huge tree pastry because as i wait for one obsession to reappear, i'll have to feed my appetite by consuming another.

Huge Tree Pastry
423 N. Atlantic Blvd.
Ste 106
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 458-8689

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!
*cash only*