We celebrated the lunar new year by trudging through the slush to Tokyo Daihanten, a dim sum restaurant in Shinjuku.

It was a great holiday treat. I love stopping the carts as they trundle through the restaurant with their loads of steamed buns, shumai, gyoza, shrimp cakes, fried daikon patties and spring rolls. A few rounds of dim sum (called "yum cha" in Japanese) with some tea and a soup makes a filling meal.

As we were finishing up, the Chinese chef came over to ask (in English) if we had enjoyed our food. We got to chatting and found out that he had lived in Chicago's Chinatown for three years. Small world. When he asked us which place we liked best among Chicago, Tokyo and Hong Kong, he shared his view:

"Hong Kong to eat, America to live, Japan for the salary." True wisdom.