Devilsknew, there is a Chinese restaurant in Ames, Iowa in the campustown area of the university. It’s not a buffet, more like a dive for hungry college students. What’s interesting about it is they have 2 sets of menus: the public “tourist” menu for the common fare, and the semi-secret “authentic menu” that you have to ask for. I don’t recall how I found out about the menu. Someone either left it on the counter by accident or taught me the secret code words
The latter contains dishes that are generally not considered appetizing to what you called the “Jim Bob Billy Bob” and contains things I’ve never heard of before, but as I found out are quite tasty. Needless to say that’s the only menu I ever order out of
Interestingly enough they keep their Christmas decorations up all year round. Now that’s the spirit!
In early 2000, I did a whole lot of company traveling around the USA, and our group ate out at various towns for about a week each. I can assure you that there are western-style ‘Steakhouse’ restaurants all the way from Montana to Ohio to Kentucky that are equally identical. Same type of decor, same menu items, even generally cooked the same way (luckily, they are often cooked very well). But it often took some thinking to remember if we were in Helena, MT or Xenia, OH. You certainly couldn’t tell from looking around the restaurant; you had to go outside and look at the scenery. Or maybe ask the waitress something, and try to place the accent.
Anyone who hasn’t read this article yet really needs to do so. It’s a thoroughly depressing, yet excellent piece of journalism that’s making me think twice about patronizing my local cookie-cutter Chinese restaurant in the future.
I’m definitely going to check out a Thai or Vietnamese place, as recommended by others in this thread. Besides, the few times I’ve had Chinese that didn’t taste like all the other places, it superior by leaps and bounds. And the times I had egg rolls made by a girl whose parents were from Cambodia were truly orgasmic eating experiences.
But…that’s just one restaurant, in one town. I don’t think it’s fair to stereotype all “cookie-cutter Chinese restaurants” in America as being run by evil exploitative slave-driving slum landlords, any more than it would be fair to stereotype all haute cuisine-serving French restaurants in America as being run by frog-eating snobbish Frenchies.
And I notice that none of the allegations in the article have been proven–all the reporter had to go on was the testimony of a few employees who speak English poorly, and he was careful to point out that, since they speak English poorly, they may simply not understand how things like payroll deductions work.
And of course, like disgruntled employees everywhere, they may simply have wanted to stir things up for a disliked employer by happily telling a breathless, wide-eyed reporter what he obviously wants to hear, “No checks, only tips”.
In order to have proper in-depth investigative journalism, you’d have to intercept one of those interviewed workers on payday and get a look at the actual blank pay stub.
It’s also quite possible that the reason they get a blank pay stub is because they’re all getting paid cash under the table to avoid the IRS (and naturally they’re not going to admit that to anyone, let alone a reporter doing an expose for the local paper). That way the boss conveniently avoids having to do the bookkeeping to withhold taxes and Social Security, too.
I also don’t see what the point of the whole boarding-house aspect is. It’s hardly news that there are decrepit boarding houses being run for recent immigrants.
Nah, the whole article doesn’t convince me to eschew local Chinese restaurants.
Regarding the general consensus that typical American Chinese restaurants only serve “Americanized” Chinese food, in my experience all but a few have a menu with over a hundred items on it, some of which sound very obscure. They’re not offered as combo meals, because they’re not as popular I’m sure, but they are there if you look, or ask.
We have a chain called “Mr. Chau’s”. There’s one right around the corner from me, and it’s the most gawd-awful Chinese food I’ve ever tasted. I’ve eaten there twice; the first time was bad, but I decided to give them another chance. The second meal went right into the garbage after two bites.
They also own the Mexican place right next door, “The Flaming Grill”. That’s a different story. Homemade tamales, enchiladas and burritos made to order, gigantic portions. Pretty tasty stuff. Go figure.
I’ve noticed and been told that the desserts in Chinese restaurants across Ireland and Europe are the same. It’s a laminated menu with I think a penguin toy ice cream holder as one of the treats for kids.
I was at a Chinese buffet in Dundee (Scotland) and in the window there was a photocopied newspaper article. Usually these would be reviews but in the case of this restaurant it was an article from the local tabloid saying “Jimmy Chung’s Chinese Buffet Does Not Serve Seagull”.
Well, obviously (to me), the Mexican restaurant people saw a market for a Chinese restaurant and decided to open one. So their own “home cooking” is wonderful, but their foray into the field of Chinese cuisine was perhaps misguided.
As for the stuff about proprietors of Chinese restaurants not “mixing” into the community - this charge has probably been made against members of every single immigrant group in history. If “mixing” comes down to things like joining the Kiwanis and going to school board meetings, how many of the rest of us would qualify as fully integrated into the community.
A lot of Chinese take-out places and buffet joints as well use common suppliers of food as well as ancillary items and general restaurant supplies. Hint: many non-Chinese chain restaurants do the same thing. There are big wholesale catalogs featuring a bunch of different entrees which restaurants can package and sell under different names).
If Chinese restaurants all did everything pretty much the same, the quality wouldn’t vary so much. As it is, some places are quite good and others, blech (this includes more formal restaurants).
This reminds me of the worst single Chinese restaurant I every ate at - in a seaside resort town in Scotland. Wretched food, and small portions. The next worst was a “Chinese food” place in Salina, Kansas years ago, the kind that had burgers and such on the menu as well, because straight Cantonese was too exotic for the locals. It led to a family rule that we would not eat at any Chinese restaurant that had a ketchup squeeze bottle on the table.
As for the stuff about proprietors of Chinese restaurants not “mixing” into the community - this charge has probably been made against members of every single immigrant group in history. If “mixing” comes down to things like joining the Kiwanis and going to school board meetings, how many of the rest of us would qualify as fully integrated into the community.
A lot of Chinese take-out places and buffet joints as well use common suppliers of food as well as ancillary items and general restaurant supplies. Hint: many non-Chinese chain restaurants do the same thing. There are big wholesale catalogs featuring a bunch of different entrees which restaurants can package and sell under different names).
If Chinese restaurants all did everything pretty much the same, the quality wouldn’t vary so much. As it is, some places are quite good and others, blech (this includes more formal restaurants).
This reminds me of the worst single Chinese restaurant I every ate at - in a seaside resort town in Scotland. Wretched food, and small portions. The next worst was a “Chinese food” place in Salina, Kansas years ago, the kind that had burgers and such on the menu as well, because straight Cantonese was too exotic for the locals. It led to a family rule that we would not eat at any Chinese restaurant that had a ketchup squeeze bottle on the table.
As for this stuff about proprietors of Chinese restaurants not “mixing” into the community - this charge has probably been made against members of every single immigrant group in history. If “mixing” comes down to things like joining the Kiwanis and going to school board meetings, how many of the rest of us would qualify as fully integrated into the community.
A lot of Chinese take-out places and buffet joints as well use common suppliers of food as well as ancillary items and general restaurant supplies. Hint: many non-Chinese chain restaurants do the same thing. There are big wholesale catalogs featuring a bunch of different entrees which restaurants can package and sell under different names).
If Chinese restaurants all did everything pretty much the same, the quality wouldn’t vary so much. As it is, some places are quite good and others, blech (this includes more formal restaurants).
This reminds me of the worst single Chinese restaurant I every ate at - in a seaside resort town in Scotland. Wretched food, and small portions. The next worst was a “Chinese food” place in Salina, Kansas years ago, the kind that had burgers and such on the menu as well, because straight Cantonese was too exotic for the locals. It led to a family rule that we would not eat at any Chinese restaurant that had a ketchup squeeze bottle on the table.
As for this stuff about proprietors of Chinese restaurants not “mixing” into the community - this charge has probably been made against members of every single immigrant group in history. If “mixing” comes down to things like joining the Kiwanis and going to school board meetings, how many of the rest of us would qualify as fully integrated into the community.
A lot of Chinese take-out places and buffet joints as well use common suppliers of food as well as ancillary items and general restaurant supplies. Hint: many non-Chinese chain restaurants do the same thing. There are big wholesale catalogs featuring a bunch of different entrees which restaurants can package and sell under different names).
If Chinese restaurants all did everything pretty much the same, the quality wouldn’t vary so much. As it is, some places are quite good and others, blech (this includes more formal restaurants).
This reminds me of the worst single Chinese restaurant I every ate at - in a seaside resort town in Scotland. Wretched food, and small portions. The next worst was a “Chinese food” place in Salina, Kansas years ago, the kind that had burgers and such on the menu as well, because straight Cantonese was too exotic for the locals. It led to a family rule that we would not eat at any Chinese restaurant that had a ketchup squeeze bottle on the table.
I don’t know. The comments by author Kenneth Guest were pretty convincing in making the case that this is a very organized operation with working conditions mostly the same across the board.
The fact that they all gave exactly the same details about their situations out of earshot of the other workers is enough for me.
Possible, but then I can’t see them being completely oblivious to every labor and housing law on the books, yet somehow understanding the tax laws.
Oops, I failed to mention that the Chinese place came first. After saturating the market with 15 locations in the Bay Area, “Mr Chau” decided to branch out with the Taquerias.
