16.225 Wintermelon & Seafood Soup – Go Bears!

Cycle 16 – Item 225

Post 5,704

18 (Mon) August 2025

Wintermelon & Seafood Soup – Go Bears!

2.5

at Great China

-Berkeley, California, USA-

with DJ, DJ’s friends, DJ’s friends’ parents

Sending the Kid Off to College (The Cal Handover): Day 5 of 8

- Day 1 (16.221 “Walnut Shrimp” (Candied Pecans with Jumbo Prawns))
- Day 2 (16.222 DeliciousHot Dog)
- Day 3 (16.223 Roasted Duck (Half))
- Day 4 (16.224 Seared Baby Lobster (Nigirizushi))
- Day 5 (16.225 Wintermelon & Seafood Soup – Go Bears!)
- Day 6 (16.226 Fettucine … Anchoïade – Let’s Celebrate in Style)
- Day 7 (16.227 Original Tofu Soup – This Is Where I Leave You)
- Day 8 (16.228 Korean Beef Short Rib with Vegetables Wraps)

In the San Francisco Bay Area. MISSION: transition DJ into his new life as a freshman at the University of California – aka Cal (to those who know) aka UC Berkeley (to those who don’t): sign up for a local mobile phone number, open a checking account, buy pillows for his dorm room. After that fateful visit to Berkeley last summer, which I’d dared to hope would inspire DJ to apply later that fall, then get accepted and enroll in the spring – meanwhile, donating to the Buddha for Academic Achievement (see 13.094 Just Regular Eomuk), asking a priest for his blessing (see 15.256 Pretty Jeon), erecting a shrine to the Golden Bear Gods (see 16.082 Kongnamul Scallop Guk), and delivering a presentation to steer him in the right direction (see 16.083 Tangsuyuk) – the dream came true. A graduate of Cal myself – Go Bears! – I look forward to buying a “Cal Dad” t-shirt.

4 nights at Hahn’s, 2 nights at Berkeley, 1 final night back at Hahn’s.

HOTEL

Until the move-in on Wednesday, we’ll be staying at the Double Tree by Hilton, a hotel located on Berkeley Marina.

Everyone checking in appeared to be a new student at Cal and their family members.

As always, I was assigned to last room in the hall.

The room comes with a queen bed + pull-out sofa bed.

SNACK

The Berkeley Boathouse is an American restaurant. Offers seafood dishes, the kind to be expected at a nautically themed restaurant, like fish & chips, clam chowder, calamari fritti.

Located in the main building, adjacent to the lobby.

Having skipped lunch, dinner still hours away, I dropped by for a snack and a drink.

Trumer Pils (3.0): a local brew from Berkeley.

Calamari Fritti (2.5): nicely crisp, but too salty.

DINNER

Great China is a Chinese restaurant. Offers an extensive menu, including American-Chinese standards, as well as smatterings of Cantonese and Mandarin classics. Awarded the Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide. Established 1985 (different location) – a local landmark.

As per Michelin:

Chic enough for the style-savvy, cheap enough for students and authentic enough for local Chinese families, Great China is one of the few Berkeley restaurants everyone can (and does) agree on. Spicehounds should look elsewhere, as the food is somewhat mild, but the ingredients are higher quality than the average Chinese spot.

Located at 2190 Bancroft Way, Berkeley – the original location was on Kittredge Street

I’m sure that I would’ve tried Great China during my time at Cal – when, as now, Chinese food was my favorite thing – but I can’t remember.

As the proud father of an incoming freshman Golden Bear and a Golden Bear alumnus myself, I hosted a welcome dinner for some of DJ’s friends from SIS who are also entering Cal. Parents (3 moms + 1 dad) were also on hand.