Well, I was back in Stuttgart on late night Saturday after a long week away . Mai, one of the new friends, who was with me the whole trip, convinced me that we should enjoy our last day of the trip by eating out, though we spent a lot of money in the past week.
So we went to this Chinese fast food restaurant in the city where I, S. and José once had buffet. Actually, I find the food there nothing like Asian food, they’re just well, chicken wings with salt, noodle with salt, veggies with salt and some other things with salt... but I was surprised by the fried rice with egg and chicken I ordered that day. I thought I found my new favorite take away for some depressing days that I want to treat myself something nice.
Oh did I forgot to mention the waitress? She’s a small middle aged Chinese woman, who I think also is the wife of the restaurant’s owner. She asked us in German “Do you speak Chinese?”, “No, we’re Vietnamese” – said my friend. She surprised us by answered in Vietnamese asking us what we want to order. LOL, she reminded me of the District 5 in Ho Chi Minh City, the chinese food center of the city where Chinese/Vietnamese live and speak Vietnamese as good as their own language.
The waitress brought me a dish of fried rice and my friend a dish a noodle along with 2 pairs of spoon and fork wrapped in napkins. After tasting my friend’s food and my own, I started to notice my friend’s behavior was kinda strange… She suddenly didn’t talk much, silently finished her meal which I knew had something to do with the Chinese, but I was busy looking at some young hot couples sitting next to us and I swear some of them looked back and smiled at me .
I went upstairs to the bathroom. OMG unlike some cheap fast food restaurants, there was hot water in the bathroom, but ONLY hot water, I mean boiling hot water can you believe it? When I came back, it looked like the owner had asked my friend if she wanted to pay, although she hasn’t finished her dish yet (but the portion was too much, I must say, but still, isn’t it rude?). So we paid and received our change back on the table. Yes the owner put it on the table and went away without saying anything.
As we walked out of that place, my friend started to talk and here’s the detail in the eyes of a woman (Yes, the women’s observation is more complicated than us men).
- We don’t have trays while other have.
- My friend’s noodle was cold and was only reheated by microwave for 1 or 2 minutes.
- The restaurant owner insulted his workers with harsh words in front of the guests.
- Their attitude changed after we told them we’re Vietnamese. Needless to say, the owner was rude to us, asked us “Wanna pay?” from a mile away, came to our table, took the money we put there and walked away, came back with changes put them hard on the table and walked away again.
Why Chinese people have to treat us that way? After what they have done and intend to do with our country? Can’t they at least, as the restaurant owners, pretend to be polite to their guests?
Well, no wonder we don’t like them.
And I thought I can finally have some nice Asian meals some time… Well bye bye chinese restaurant!
You should have stood up, thrown some coins to their faces and gone. lol
ReplyDeleteF*cking Chinese! :D
Violence doesn't solve problems :D
ReplyDeleteFind some restaurant review websites and then spam them with this post :D
ReplyDeleteBtw, I think there are some minor errors in your 4th paragraph :D
Fixed it :D :D
ReplyDeleteI'm not reviewing their restaurant, I'm reviewing their attitude (aka hatred) towards Vietnamese. :D
Here is more on the Chinese attitude toward us:
ReplyDeleteRestaurant Review…
La Cuisine
28B Ngo Van Nam, Ho Chi Minh City
The newly opened La Cuisine on Ngo Van Nam street in District 1 bills itself as a ‘bistro and boutique.’ La Cuisine is the brainchild of Frenchman Erwann Serene and his Chinese-Vietnamese wife. Bohemian in style, Erwann explains his passion for independence and why he made the risky move of going from being a salaried chef to opening his own restaurant with all the headaches that go with operating a business: “For eight years I was the chef at La Camargue, and for eight years I was always frustrated by the owner of the restaurant who is so influenced by the American obsession with hygiene. Wash your hands, wash this, wash that, I was so fed up. I even had to shave every day as though I were a bourgeois office worker. Go to the toilet, wash your hands, before preparing the food, wash your hands again! This is too much, there is no need to be constantly washing everything in a kitchen, the heat of the cooking will kill any germs or bacteria and there is no need to be constantly cleaning, washing. We French cook with the sauces, and we can skillfully transform any meat into something delicious with the superior use of spices, seasonings and sauces. Now I am here, with my own restaurant, I can do things as I like without anyone standing over me, judging me.”
Erwann explains his commitment to Vietnam, “We French have a history of more than 150 years in Vietnam. We came here to help the Vietnamese people, to bring them out of their backward ways and bring them civilization. We called and continue to call our mission in Vietnam le grand mission civilisatrice. Look at the great architecture of this city, all French! We brought them everything! Even the writing of the Vietnamese language was invented by a Frenchman. Look at the major crops of Vietnam, all brought here by the French! Here we took what was nothing and we made something, and in thanks the Vietnamese made war with us to force us to leave what was rightfully ours. Yes, they won the battle at Dien Bien Phu, but they won because they cheated us, they did not fight fair and they tricked the French army. If the Vietnamese had fought fairly and not cheated, Vietnam would still be a French colony today. But no matter, we French are back today. I am back today!”
Erwann runs La Cuisine in partnership with his wife. Engagingly, she smiles and offers the listener an introduction of her own cultural heritage: “First of all, you should know that I am not Vietnamese, I am a Chinese with Vietnamese citizenship. This is important because it is we Chinese who gave Vietnam all of its culture, its Buddhist religion, its cooking style, architecture and even the Vietnamese language is from Chinese. Without the Chinese, Vietnam would have nothing, no culture, no religion, no cooking, no architecture and Vietnam would not even have a language without the Chinese. Erwann sometimes says Vietnam is still a French territory, but this is a point where we disagree. For more than 2000 years Vietnam has been one of the southern provinces of China, maybe it is not officially so at the present moment, but like it or not Vietnam is still a part of China, just like Tibet”, she explains. “Just as my husband continues in the French tradition, I too am dedicated to the Chinese tradition of continuing to bring civilization to Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. Sometimes it is hard, but I will always try.”
The restaurant’s business plan calls for a 100% European target market. “Vietnamese have no taste or appreciation for French food, they are even worse than the Americans with their hamburgers and pizzas. La Cuisine is for refined European tourists and expatriates who wish to dine as though they are still back in Europe,” explains Erwann.
Food dishes are plentiful and Chef Erwann will prepare special requests. Open for lunch and dinner, closed Sundays. Prices are on the high end ($$$$$). 28B Ngo Van Nam, District 1, HCMC.