SMALL TOWN: BIG CRITIQUES

[Guest Gringal]

I'm an eater, not a restaurant reviewer, but I am from the Big City contingent, so have had the opportunity to dine well over the years. Here, my expectations are colored by my awareness that this is rather small town. I don't expect an Asian or Italian or any other restaurant to meet the standards of Hong Kong, San Francisco or New York. I'm not paying the tab for those meals, either. Dining out here is a bargain.

My rant: When people come here, try new restaurants and compare them to the best of the best they've found in their many travels, it isn't fair. I think we should "judge the dog in its class". As long as the food is tasty, not poisonous and presented decently.....we should be glad that we are finally getting a greater variety of choices in our little pueblos. Be kind to those who are trying to garner a living from serving us something besides "comfort food" we could get in a Midwestern diner. If you're not entirely happy, a word to the owner might be in order. Maybe things will change.

If you liked the restaurant....share your opinions with the rest of us. Word of Mouth is the best advertising. Slam of Mouth should be reserved for the really awful places.

[tigerlily]

Very well put, Gringal! Having moved here 15 years ago when there were very few choices of restaurants, we're very happy to now have a lot of choices. Some are better than others and we should try to remember that we all came to these little Mexican fishing villages by choice. If someone wants what they had NOB, hopefully they'll go back NOB!

[Travis]

Well it's not like we can complain about the weather here.....

And yet.

(Nice rant.)

[the walkers]

we're with you on this topic. we usually eat in cuz i'm a good cook,but when we order at a restaurant we would like something at least edible. coming from the san francisco food scene we miss really great asian foods--except at home where i can cook just about anything. but we see entirely too much on these boards from people who have been in town ten minutes and want to tell us all how things should be. we have no problem finding tasty meals when i don't feel like cooking, in fact that's one of the many reasons we live lakeside.we try to give encouragement to local restauranteers and constructive criticism if they ask for it. we're not particularly interested in some places that pair sweet fruits with meat, but hey, we'll order something else next time...

I'm an eater, not a restaurant reviewer, but I am from the Big City contingent, so have had the opportunity to dine well over the years. Here, my expectations are colored by my awareness that this is rather small town. I don't expect an Asian or Italian or any other restaurant to meet the standards of Hong Kong, San Francisco or New York. I'm not paying the tab for those meals, either. Dining out here is a bargain.

My rant: When people come here, try new restaurants and compare them to the best of the best they've found in their many travels, it isn't fair. I think we should "judge the dog in its class". As long as the food is tasty, not poisonous and presented decently.....we should be glad that we are finally getting a greater variety of choices in our little pueblos. Be kind to those who are trying to garner a living from serving us something besides "comfort food" we could get in a Midwestern diner. If you're not entirely happy, a word to the owner might be in order. Maybe things will change.

If you liked the restaurant....share your opinions with the rest of us. Word of Mouth is the best advertising. Slam of Mouth should be reserved for the really awful places.

[Guest Gringal]

It's always nice to hear from people who agree with you! We usually eat dinner in 'cause I'm a good cook, so lunch out happens more often and is our largest meal of the day.

Just a footnote: Before moving here, we lived for three years in San Miguel, where the restaurants were generally no better than the ones here (with the exception of Gombo's Pizza, which beats all). They just charged more. What they did have was an overly high opinion of themselves, so a harsh critique was often in order. I have a San Miguel friend who visits me once a year for a week and is a real "foodie", but agrees that, except for a very few outstanding places ($$$$$) in SMA, this is better regular dining territory.

I had a wish list when we moved to Ajijic. At the top was a Thai place. Ricky's is good, but not quite there, although the shrimp is just right. My wish has now been granted. Now, would somebody please open a pizza place where the crust is chewy, the cheese is real mozarella, the pepperoni is Italian, the sauce is marinara and the experience is mouth-watering and diet-destroying. (Like Maselli's, in L.A.) So far, it's been close, but no cigar. Gombo's in SMA did the job. Next on the wish list: a really good Chinese restaurant that doesn't use MSG. Hello out there????

[newinajijic]

Gringal - So how do you rate the Pizza places and others who serve pizza here? Such as: Toscana, Trattoria di Axixic, Ajijic Tango, La Traviata, Pepe's, Valenciana, the place in the Village?

Do you like your crust thin, medium or bready?

[Doolittle]

I know John addressed his query to Gringal but since this is a public forum anyone can contribute. I'll start by saying that coming from Chicaga there is no Pizza here. Actually, there's very little real pizza west of the Mississippi save for the few enclaves in places such as Denver, Beverly Hills, and the North Beach district in San Francisco. Toscana is one of the best here, a mix of true Italian style and American Style. Trattoria Axixic is pretty good, although inconsistent. Pepe's is the newcomer and rising fast, plenty of good toppings and muy pronto if you like takeout or delivery. My preference is for a medium bread-like crust. Unfortunately most crusts here are cracker like. La Taverna is very good true Italian pizza. BTW John, maybe you didn't notice but La Traviata closed several years ago. Was that a trick question? Tango's pizzas are tasty but they're foo-foo, not real pizza. Valenciana's doesn't rate because their sauce has WAY too much sugar in it.

[mexicanseahorse]

I'm an eater, not a restaurant reviewer, but I am from the Big City contingent, so have had the opportunity to dine well over the years. Here, my expectations are colored by my awareness that this is rather small town. I don't expect an Asian or Italian or any other restaurant to meet the standards of Hong Kong, San Francisco or New York. I'm not paying the tab for those meals, either. Dining out here is a bargain.

My rant: When people come here, try new restaurants and compare them to the best of the best they've found in their many travels, it isn't fair. I think we should "judge the dog in its class". As long as the food is tasty, not poisonous and presented decently.....we should be glad that we are finally getting a greater variety of choices in our little pueblos. Be kind to those who are trying to garner a living from serving us something besides "comfort food" we could get in a Midwestern diner. If you're not entirely happy, a word to the owner might be in order. Maybe things will change.

If you liked the restaurant....share your opinions with the rest of us. Word of Mouth is the best advertising. Slam of Mouth should be reserved for the really awful places.

It is always amazing to me to see the wide variety of choices we have of places to eat in an area as small as ours. We have Mexican, American, Chinese, Austrian, Argentinian, British fish and chips, seafood, steak, and a whole lot more. And now, we even have a decent Thai restaurant. Those that serve good food and provide good service definitely deserve our support so they can garner a living, as you put it. I agree with you on this.

One area where I have some disagreement is how much less expensive restaurants are here than NOB. Some restaurants certainly fit that bill like most places for breakfast, Ajijic Tango for lunch, and the small Mexican taco places and other Mom and Pop Mexican restaurants. But, for the most part, restaurants here are not charging much less than an equivalent meal in the US. I am basing this on restaurants we used to eat at in Lee County, Florida which has a population of about 1,000,000. Here are some examples:

Minh Wah charges 65 pesos for their lunch special which does not include an egg roll. A fantastic chinese buffet in Ft. Myers with a soup table, two appetizer tables, two main course tables, two American and Italian tables, a sushi bar with a large variety of sushi, a Mongolian barbeque, a salad bar, an ice cream bar, and a dessert table costs $5.95 including hot or iced tea. The Shrimp Shack, in Cape Coral, gets $7.50 for a large order of fish or 8 jumbo shrimp, with fries and cole slaw. Cafe MaGaNa charges more than that for their fish and chips and the portions are similar. Sam Seltzers used to serve a 1lb. New York Strip or the same amount prime rib, with potato and salad, for $9.95 which has now gone up since we moved to around $13.95. Still, it is less than what Ajijic Hacienda or Four charges, for example, for an equivalent meal. Sirloin Stockade, in Guad, gets $120 pesos for their buffet and the quality of food is mediocre and the choices no where near the variety and quality of what Golden Corral serves, for example, for the same money. There are a lot of great restaurants I can eat a meal in, lunch or dinner, for the same money as I pay here. There are a lot of bargains here but, a better meal, will not cost that much less than NOB if you know where to go.

You mention Word of Mouth and Slam of Mouth. A good restaurant certainly deserves the former and a really bad one deserves the latter. However, there is also the middle ground where one can critique a place without slamming it. I liked the ambience of Simply Thai, most of the food, and will definitely go back. However, I also wrote that the chicken satay was way overpriced and it was disappointing they would not split an order of Pad Tai. I also wrote that my wife and I really liked California Salads and will go back but I found the dressing for the Caesar salad not to be the right one and was surprised to see things like green beans and tomatoes in it. Neither was a slam but something I felt other readers should be aware of.

I am also an excellent cook but eat out about once or twice a week, mostly for lunches. To me, I enjoy reading all the posts, even John's, about the different restaurants and what was good, what was mediocre, and what was bad. They can be word of mouth, slam of mouth, or inbetween but the more infomation one has, the more one can make an intelligent decision as to what restaurants to go to, what to order or stay away from, etc. Just because one is offering different foods and is trying to garner a living does not mean people should not write what they felt was good or bad about the restaurant.

[Guest Gringal]

I agree, Peter, that some places in the the U.S. have better prices than some places here for comparable food. I lived primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the prices were way higher than in most other places.

Because they could charge more, they did. But then, that was where there were also many high paid jobs.

We haven't been back there for six years....so I don't know how things are now.

I also agree that somewhere between "Word of Mouth" praise and "Slam of Mouth" condemnation lies a thoughtful review of restaurants, and many posters do just that. For instance, I like the new Thai place, but would appreciate some condiments on the table so two people sharing an order could spice it up to suit. I don't consider that a "slam". You want to hear a "slam", from my point of view? A newer pizza place in Ajijic serves a bland product with non-mozzarella cheese (no strings attached), cheap pepperoni, and a crust that tastes too much like pie crust. The oil used gave me an upset stomach. Won't go back. Now, if there had been a leetle something to recommend it, I would be gentler. So sure, speak your mind about flaws......we just aren't being fair to compare the poor souls to first class restaurants in their country of origin on our world travels. BTW, the pizza in Italy can't hold a candle to a good one in New York or L.A. lol. On the other hand, they had some great tasting other food, even at the truck stops. The best places were........heaven.

To John: Toscana's Pizza is my favorite. Don't have much to say otherwise.

[newinajijic]

Peter partial quote - "Minh Wah charges 65 pesos for their lunch special which does not include an egg roll. A fantastic chinese buffet in Ft. Myers with a soup table, two appetizer tables, two main course tables, two American and Italian tables, a sushi bar with a large variety of sushi, a Mongolian barbeque, a salad bar, an ice cream bar, and a dessert table costs $5.95 including hot or iced tea. The Shrimp Shack, in Cape Coral, gets $7.50 for a large order of fish or 8 jumbo shrimp, with fries and cole slaw. Cafe MaGaNa charges more than that for their fish and chips and the portions are similar. Sam Seltzers used to serve a 1lb. New York Strip or the same amount prime rib, with potato and salad, for $9.95 which has now gone up since we moved to around $13.95. Still, it is less than what Ajijic Hacienda or Four charges, for example, for an equivalent meal. Sirloin Stockade, in Guad, gets $120 pesos for their buffet and the quality of food is mediocre and the choices no where near the variety and quality of what Golden Corral serves, for example, for the same money. There are a lot of great restaurants I can eat a meal in, lunch or dinner, for the same money as I pay here. There are a lot of bargains here but, a better meal, will not cost that much less than NOB if you know where to go."

I wanted to add my two cents worth about food and NOB prices compared to Ajijic. We're looking forward to going to Boston in July. So we can eat REAL Chinese food, not this "so called" Chinese in Ajijic or even in GDL. We dine at a restaurant called "Beijing House" that wins awards year after year. Can you believe the Lunch Specials for $ 5.95 - $ 7.50 USD? And Beijing House has better Chinese food than any we had in Toronto and Vancouver's Chinatown.

We also dine at a restaurant called "NINO'S" south of Boston, a great place with excellent food, service and atmosphere without exhorbitant prices. Huge plates and everything is delicious. The Owner or Manager is there every night. Lines out the door nightly. Pastas from $ 7.25 - $ 13.95. Chicken and Veal $ 13 - $ 14. Fish, including Scallops, Shrimp, crab cakes $ 13 - $ 16. Steaks $ 15 - $ 23. The food is so good here and the portion size is too, that if they opened in Ajijic, they would put 4 or 5 restaurants out of business.

Gringal - The Pizza we like best is a toss up between Trattoria di Axixic and Toscana. Trattoria is more authentic.

But the Pizza we really like best is the one we make at home every Saturday night. You can use either Mario Batali's or Wolfgang Pucks pizza dough recipe from foodtv network. It's simple. Only difference between the two is one has white wine in it. Get a good canned tomato sauce, add spices, and blend. Put on Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.

[slumdog]

Gringal, excellent topic and post. Peter, well-rounded and accurate (IMHO) statement. I'd like to add "mouth to mouth" into the "Word of" and "Praise of" mix: it's commentary that can go either way. If it's good enough to kiss, and also if you need to be resuscitated.

[Guest Gringal]

John......the answer is: They aren't here, so "Love the one you're with."

Have a good trip.

[Mainecoons]

Yep, good point and well made, Gringal. We love the ability to walk to so many nice SMALL restaurants in the Village. Compared to Albuquerque where we used to live, Lakeside is far superior for both price and variety and ambiance of the restaurants.

So many restaurants NOB are way too big, crowded and noisy for us. We really enjoy the human scale and personal touch of he local places Lakeside.

We took my brother and his girlfriend out to Chinese in Irvine, CA. Fantastic food, but lousy ambiance. Way too many people crammed way too close, way too much din. It was $88 plus tip for four people. It was worth it because this was the real deal, almost everyone in the restaurant was Oriental. We miss good Chinese Lakeside but all he other opportunities to dine out within a pleasant walk from our house really offset this one.

You know, it is interesting. You can go to practically every country in Europe and there are Chinese serving good to great Chinese food. Ditto in North America. But not Mexico. I get the feeling the country really doesn't welcom Orientals.

[mexicanseahorse]

Yep, good point and well made, Gringal. We love the ability to walk to so many nice SMALL restaurants in the Village. Compared to Albuquerque where we used to live, Lakeside is far superior for both price and variety and ambiance of the restaurants.

So many restaurants NOB are way too big, crowded and noisy for us. We really enjoy the human scale and personal touch of he local places Lakeside.

We took my brother and his girlfriend out to Chinese in Irvine, CA. Fantastic food, but lousy ambiance. Way too many people crammed way too close, way too much din. It was $88 plus tip for four people. It was worth it because this was the real deal, almost everyone in the restaurant was Oriental. We miss good Chinese Lakeside but all he other opportunities to dine out within a pleasant walk from our house really offset this one.

You know, it is interesting. You can go to practically every country in Europe and there are Chinese serving good to great Chinese food. Ditto in North America. But not Mexico. I get the feeling the country really doesn't welcom Orientals.

You are right on the Chinese. The very best hot and sour soup I ate anywhere in the world was in our hotel, on the Nile, in Cairo. The most beautiful Chinese restaurant we ever ate in, fantastic ambience, and well above average food was also in Cairo on a floating barge on the Nile. Both places are memorable and who would expect to find these gems in a city like Cairo? There is not a country in the world we have traveled to and tried at least one or more Oriental restaurants. The worst Chinese we have eaten is in Guadalajara.

[jimmiller]

You are right on the Chinese. The very best hot and sour soup I ate anywhere in the world was in our hotel, on the Nile, in Cairo. The most beautiful Chinese restaurant we ever ate in, fantastic ambience, and well above average food was also in Cairo on a floating barge on the Nile. Both places are memorable and who would expect to find these gems in a city like Cairo? There is not a country in the world we have traveled to and tried at least one or more Oriental restaurants. The worst Chinese we have eaten is in Guadalajara.

"The worst Chinese we have eaten is in Guadalajara". I guess you haven't been to Ramona California

[More Liana]

You know, it is interesting. You can go to practically every country in Europe and there are Chinese serving good to great Chinese food. Ditto in North America. But not Mexico. I get the feeling the country really doesn't welcom Orientals.

Mainecoons, Mexico has a long and complex history with the Chinese. Many, many Chinese live in this country, primarily in the far north; most have Cantonese ancestors who originally arrived in Mexico when they hit a block to entering the USA. Back in the 1800s, when the USA was expanding its railway system, male Chinese were encouraged to get to the States to work building the railroads. Because of the immigration quota system in those days, their families--wives and children--were not allowed to enter the country--only cheap-labor men were wanted. Many Chinese attempted to enter the USA through Mexico, to avoid being caught by immigration. And that, my friend, is the reason the USA instituted immigration posts at the Mexico/USA border: not to keep the Mexicans out, but to keep the Chinese out.

Because so many Chinese people from the province of Canton were unable to enter the USA and were unable to get back to China, they settled wherever they could in Mexico. Most settled along the Mexico/USA border, primarily in Baja California and Sonora. There are enormous numbers of Chinese restaurants along the border in those two states. There are tiny Chinatowns in both Guadalajara and Mexico City.

However, most of the 'Chinese restaurant' owners are descendants of those original Chinese immigrants. They're Mexicans now, many, many years and generations away from China and Chinese food. The cuisine has been diluted and diminished over the course of those years until the cooking is a pale shadow of what many of us know as Chinese food.

Chinese food credentials note: at one time in my life (and for a couple of years), I worked as a Chinese (Szechuan/Hunan specialties) chef in a restaurant in upstate New York.

I know of one single restaurant in Mexico City that specializes in Szechuan (generally highly spiced) food; all the other Chinese restaurants I've tried in Mexico have their very distant roots in Cantonese cuisine, which is at best a delicate and subtle, albeit somewhat bland style of cooking.

The last time I was there, ALL of the patrons at this Mexico City Szechuan restaurant were Chinese, although the waitstaff were young Mexicans. If you're ever heading to the DF, take the name and address: Ka Won Seng Restaurante Chino, Albino Garcia #362, Corner Calle Sta. Anita, Colonia Viaducto Piedad, DF. Get off the Metro at Viaducto and walk several blocks. I'll be interested to hear how you like the VERY authentic food. This is not a tourist neighborhood and is not particularly 'savory'. You'll need to speak fluent Spanish in order to get there and get back to where you're staying.

On the other hand, Mexico welcomes expatriates from China and other Asian countries. Most folks who arrive here today from those shores are highly qualified professionals in other fields, not in the field of restaurant ownership. Unfortunately, most Chinese would rather settle in the USA or Canada--first-world lands of opportunity--rather than settle in Mexico, which they probably perceive as less-than. According to INEGI, there are only about 1000 Chinese living in Mexico City, and about 6000 Mexican-Chinese.

And I'm sure when you wrote "North America" you really meant the USA and Canada. Mexico is, of course, part of North America.

[Shira]

I think part of the problem for Chinese restaurants is getting ingredients and when they do get them they can be costly.

There are many Asians in New Zealand. I kept trying different Chinese restaurants there and one was worse than the other until I found one in Christchurch that was fantastic and packed with Chinese patrons. I hit it every night I was in Christchurch as it is the one food I miss here.

[willieboy]

Yep, good point and well made, Gringal. We love the ability to walk to so many nice SMALL restaurants in the Village. Compared to Albuquerque where we used to live, Lakeside is far superior for both price and variety and ambiance of the restaurants.

So many restaurants NOB are way too big, crowded and noisy for us. We really enjoy the human scale and personal touch of he local places Lakeside.

We took my brother and his girlfriend out to Chinese in Irvine, CA. Fantastic food, but lousy ambiance. Way too many people crammed way too close, way too much din. It was $88 plus tip for four people. It was worth it because this was the real deal, almost everyone in the restaurant was Oriental. We miss good Chinese Lakeside but all he other opportunities to dine out within a pleasant walk from our house really offset this one.

You know, it is interesting. You can go to practically every country in Europe and there are Chinese serving good to great Chinese food. Ditto in North America. But not Mexico. I get the feeling the country really doesn't welcom Orientals.

Orientals and North America? Wow.

[Mainecoons]

Okay, how about Asian and NOB? Although I was referring primarily to people from China, in fact the near absence of Asians from Mexico when compared to the U.S., Canada and Europe is pretty noticeable to us. My brother informed us that Asians are now the majority population in Irvine, which is a very affluent community and just loaded with great Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants.

Anyone care to comment on why there seem to be so few Asian follks in Mexico?

[Guest Gringal]

Okay, how about Asian and NOB? Although I was referring primarily to people from China, in fact the near absence of Asians from Mexico when compared to the U.S., Canada and Europe is pretty noticeable to us. My brother informed us that Asians are now the majority population in Irvine, which is a very affluent community and just loaded with great Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants.

Anyone care to comment on why there seem to be so few Asian follks in Mexico?

When you arrive, you will be tickled to find that there is now an excellent Thai restaurant in our neighborhood. It's so popular that you need to make reservations. Good food, nice people, beautiful ambiance.

[jimmiller]

Okay, how about Asian and NOB? Although I was referring primarily to people from China, in fact the near absence of Asians from Mexico when compared to the U.S., Canada and Europe is pretty noticeable to us. My brother informed us that Asians are now the majority population in Irvine, which is a very affluent community and just loaded with great Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants.

Anyone care to comment on why there seem to be so few Asian follks in Mexico?

Why are there so many Mexicans in the US? same reasons

[cosalamx]

Okay, how about Asian and NOB? Although I was referring primarily to people from China, in fact the near absence of Asians from Mexico when compared to the U.S., Canada and Europe is pretty noticeable to us. My brother informed us that Asians are now the majority population in Irvine, which is a very affluent community and just loaded with great Chinese, Korean and Thai restaurants.

Anyone care to comment on why there seem to be so few Asian folks in Mexico?

Mainecoons, if you were living in China and had the financial ability to migrate, would you pick Mexico over the US and Canada? Depending on the immigration policies in effect at any point in time, it may be easier to get into Mexico, but the economic climate here is nowhere close to the opportunities in either Canada or the USA, even at present. I don't think a successful restaurateur in China could hope to be as successful in Mexico. A typical citizen of China could likely not meet the income tests for Mexico, let alone Canada or the USA, so the recent immigrants have different skills and training than previous immigrants.

Many of the best Asian restaurants in Western Canada, other than Chinese, are operated by recent immigrants, many of whom came as refugees, so the food is very authentic. The Chinese are more likely to have been in Canada longer than many Koreans or Vietnamese, and the recent Chinese immigrants are more likely to be wealthy professionals and business people with skills outside restaurant operations, but still the food is authentic and varied. When we traveled to China three and five years ago, we were surprised at how the food in the restaurants everywhere we traveled was virtually identical in appearance and taste to the restaurant food available in Edmonton and Vancouver.

[Guest RevImmigrant]

This place is generally a waste when it comes to Chinese. I had to bring some Chinese sauces in jars back from Chinatown in Houston Monday when I returned. And here they don't know what Dim Sum is. We had brunch at an excellent Chinese restaurant in Chinatown in Houston Sunday; it was Dim Sum where the ladies come around with the little carts and you order what you want.

Some of the worst Chinese I have ever had was in Ajijic at Chung's (no longer there), MeeMee in Chapala and a place in Darmstadt several years ago. I have been to some excellent chinese restaurants in Berlin and even a VietNamese/Thai restaurant in Frankfurt/Oder. In east Germany many of the Asian restaurants are run by VietNamese, but not all of them.

[Doolittle]

Mainecoons, if you were living in China and had the financial ability to migrate, would you pick Mexico over the US and Canada? Depending on the immigration policies in effect at any point in time, it may be easier to get into Mexico, but the economic climate here is nowhere close to the opportunities in either Canada or the USA, even at present. I don't think a successful restaurateur in China could hope to be as successful in Mexico. A typical citizen of China could likely not meet the income tests for Mexico, let alone Canada or the USA, so the recent immigrants have different skills and training than previous immigrants.

Many of the best Asian restaurants in Western Canada, other than Chinese, are operated by recent immigrants, many of whom came as refugees, so the food is very authentic. The Chinese are more likely to have been in Canada longer than many Koreans or Vietnamese, and the recent Chinese immigrants are more likely to be wealthy professionals and business people with skills outside restaurant operations, but still the food is authentic and varied. When we traveled to China three and five years ago, we were surprised at how the food in the restaurants everywhere we traveled was virtually identical in appearance and taste to the restaurant food available in Edmonton and Vancouver.

That's a shame. I visited China on business for many years and found very little good food there. In some places it was barely edible. Hong Kong is another case entirely, lots of good food. But Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, and other places were a vast wasteland foodwise. Thin on cultural artifact too since they're all in Taiwan.

[slumdog]

The majority of Chinese restaurants back home specialize in what I would call "junk food"; these are the chicken balls, deep-frieds, and many meat dishes. China is not a land of meat or dairy; food from all provinces is mainly rice and vegetables (although in the south I am told they prefer a kind of ricey mess, and in the north they go for noodles. Those restaurants that offer higher-quality, or "cuisine", in North America usually become well-known quite quickly. That being said, I love Chinese junk food.

I think it's neat that a popular expression in China, which equates somewhat to our "How ya doon?", is “ni chi fan le ma?” or "Have you eaten rice yet"?