The student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh had a lengthy cover story on Friday about the many Asian restaurants in Oakland, including several new ones that purport to offer more authentic fare. An excerpt on Sichuan Gourmet, which opened in Oakland this summer:
[Co-owner Weixiang] You’s motivation for introducing authentic Sichuan cuisine to Pittsburgh started simply because he missed it himself.
“When I first came to Pittsburgh while my wife was a researcher at Pitt, we were yearning for authentic Sichuan food every day,” You said.
So rather than waiting for quality Sichuan cuisine to arrive, You and a few Pitt alumni started a Sichuan restaurant of their own six years ago.
“There are international Chinese students out there who are just like us back then, longing for quality Chinese food,” You said. “So I believe we have a market. We have international students literally cry eating our food because [it] reminds them of home.”