Chinese restaurant claims best Mexican food in town

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I laughed when I read the banner on the front of the Chinese Lantern restaurant in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Best Mexican food in town! I wonder how the Chinese food is?

8-14-11

 

[robklurfield]

Great image, Chris. Could that Southwestern sky possibly be any bluer?

Have you ever had Cuban-Chinese cuisine? Tasty stuff. If that works, I accept that Mexican-Chinese might be okay, too. Or, maybe this was just adaptive re-use of the building signs.

Anyway, I love irony.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

A little OT but in San Francisco, some of the best Italian Chefs are Chinese. These Chinese Chefs went to work under many of the famous Italian restaurant owner/chefs and were trained by the best in Italian cooking. They now are working in the better restaurants in the city - and in high demand.

http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2010/11/16/did-spaghetti-come-from-china/

But do the Chinese Restaurants sell Spaghetti? lol!

 

[Bill58]

Maybe there's some suspicious (name your pet) meat in the tacos. Funny sign front anyway.

 

[greyelm]

My local fish and chips shop is run by Chinese. Great traditional British food!

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

My local fish and chips shop is run by Chinese. Great traditional British food!

What I found funny about this place was not that Chinese people were operating a Mexican restaurant. Lots of 'ethnic' restaurant are owned and operated by people who are not from the ethnic group whose national cuisine the restaurant sells, as you guys have pointed out in your examples. What was funny was that this is a Chinese restaurant advertising non-chinese food. I don't know if Chinese people own this place. It doesn't matter. Its a Chinese restaurant, which means it sells (should sell) Chinese cuisine, no matter the race/ethnicity of the owners or employees.

 

[tomalophicon]

Well it is 'New' Mexico 🙂

 

[farlymac]

The best Chinese food I ever had was in a restuarant in Karachi, Pakistan. The worst Italian food I've ever gotten was in a restuarant run by a Japanese guy in Salem, VA.

If you didn't go in to sample the cuisine Chris, it could be a failed Chinese place that is now a Mexican diner, and they haven't changed the signs yet. At least, that's what the banner reminds me of.

Wonderful series of pics, as always.

PF

 

[jky]

Nice image with lovely colors.... and funny.

 

[Rayt]

Chinese food is the most adaptable food there is. In fact Chinese food in America notably the so called Cantonese food (chop suey etc) were invented by immigrants in the 19th century. The typical fare in the Chinese menu are quite foreign to any restaurant in China. When I ate Chinese food in Manchester UK I noticed they follow the US version of Chinese food. That was very strange to me. In fact whenever I travel I make it a point to visit Chinese establishments as a hoot really. I have had Chinese food all over Europe and can say they mostly follow the US model. In India and Pakistan the best dishes have lamb's brains and curry, a localized version of Chinese food but IMHO recognizable as such. I have even had kosher Chinese. So it really does not strike me as strange to see a Chinese/Mexican restaurant. Chinese food like Chinese immigrants are very adaptable.

 

[dbarnes]

And then there's Phoenix, Arizona's Chino Bandino, the "Chinese Mexican Takee Outee," home -- for those who like it hot -- of the "Hen Grenade" chicken.

 

[Field]

Boring image to me but that is how buildings go for me most of the time.

The humor though, I can see how it has appeal. To me it seems typical Chinese making pho-english jokes.

Perhaps though it had something to do with the notion of after you eat the food?!

 

[jsrockit]

There are more than a few mexican restaurants run by chinese in NYC. I don't agree with Field though...this isn't boring. Then again, I'm a fan of many photographers who don't feel the need to have people in their photos.

 

[shadowfox]

Years ago in Colorado, my wife and I stopped by a Chinese-food restaurant that looked like it was doing well. As we waited our turn to be seated, I read the story of the restaurant posted on the wall.

It turns out the restaurant was owned by a Mexican gentleman who started as a clean-up guy for a Chinese restaurant, worked his way up to become one of the chef, and eventually opened his own Chinese restaurant 🙂