China 1

Absolutely the worst Chinese restaurant I ever went. The «chef» has zero knowledge in making food. The broccoli is rotten, and fried rice is full of used dirty oil. By naming itself «China 1» is a insult to Chinese cuisine.

Given this is someone’s livelihood, I hate to do this, but definitely pass on this place. Worst Chinese food I’ve ever had. Drive about 7 extra minutes to Asia, Asia.

I originally came off I-​95 looking for the Smokin Pig (a few buildings down the street), but they ended up closing up shop a bit early that day. So I figured I’d go to the southern buffet across the street, but I realized that they’d be closed within 15 minutes, too. (Buffets are an eat-​in sort of thing, I figured.) After ruling out Waffle House, I decided to come here instead.
Inside, you’ll find a small, mediocre version of a mediocre Chinese buffet. It’s run by a Chinese couple who take their breaks in front of a Chinese soap opera up on the TV, but the food is about as Americanized as you’ll get. I normally like mediocre, Americanized Chinese food, but this was a mediocre execution of the stuff.
The usuals are all there. Those disgusting, generic-​looking crab puff things with the tiny claw sticking out the top. Crab rangoons. (Who the hell thought cream cheese in a fried wonton would be a good idea?) Rock-​hard, and dried-​out, barbequed spare ribs. Broccoli with beef, with a dried-​out layer on top, having sat on a steam tray for too long. And so on. (Dried-​out stuff seems to be a theme here.)
Conclusion: I mean, it was edible, and some of it was good. I could’ve left after I took a look at the buffet, but I stayed. (Then again, this may have been a testament to my laziness.) And I didn’t get sick afterward. (Then again, my stomach is made of iron, so, who knows?)
As I was leaving, one of the proprietors asked me, in Mandarin, whether I was Chinese (with regard to ethnicity). I answered, in Mandarin, and having totally misheard his question, that I could understand Chinese, though I couldn’t really speak it (with regard to language).
He paused for a second, trying to make sense of my response. «You understand it?,» he asked.
Apparently not.