Can pork fried rice be considered healthy?

The sign out front said "healthy Chinese food." We'll see about that, I thought. I marched right in and searched for the least healthy item I could think of: barbecue pork fried rice. If someone could make that healthy, and taste good, they must be magic.

There's really not much to the little strip mall storefront on El Cajon — a.k.a. The Boulevard. This little stretch of North Park has been gaining traction lately, but the hipster momentum doesn't seem to have phased City Dragon. Healthy or not, it lives and dies by the term hole in the wall. In other words, I won't be reporting on the nonexistent ambiance. With things to do, and the places I needed to be in the rear view, I opted for take out.

The decorative cardboard flap and folded to-go container didn't surprise me, and maybe even gave me a feeling of comfort. I don't think I knew Chinese could be served any other way til I was 12 years old. The rice was packed to the top of course, almost overflowing. I'll admit, fried rice doesn't make much of a meal, but for $7.50 worth, I expected there to be leftovers.

How healthy was it? Well, it didn't provoke my tastebuds enough to contain any MSG, and for that I was grateful. It also wasn't oily or greasy or any other bellwether of fried food — another plus. I poured on the soy sauce and then we were in business. Little chunks of pork to go with little chunks of carrots, and peas. Peas are healthy, right? If not, then my mom has some explaining to do to my eight-year-old self.

I doubt a nutritionist would endorse, but he or she might condone, such a dish. Sure, I'd have liked a little more flavor to savor, but that'll just teach me to go for a traditional entrée next time. With delivery and fortune cookies galore, this is the sort of quick and cheap Chinese food gweilos often think of when we think take out, and if it's healthier than most, that almost makes it better. Because let's face it, on many hungry nights, just the taste of soy sauce is enough.