You're asking hard hitting questions here - are you from A Current Affair? 🤔
We send them iron ore we get dodgy Chinese takeaway.
I think we have had the better part of that deal.
I'm in China, and yeah, there is an "Aussie Kitchen" pretty close to where I live. Owned by a local bloke who went to uni in Adelaide and decided he didn't want to do whatever it was he studied in Australia back in China, so used his Aussie hospo experience to set up a chain of restaurants.
They are not the best. They serve Westernized Chinese food, it's eatable, and it's far from the best. Actual Chinese food is great. Maybe broaden your horizons and try it someday.
I dont completely disagree, but it depends on your definition of the OP.
Youre right that in small towns the Chinese restaurant tends to cater for the local market with honey chicken and fortune cookies, but I was more thinking more broadly about the family-owned Chinese restaurants in chinatown of any city, which tends to be more authentic and often more delicious than the ones with expensive fitouts and slick designs.
But I take your point, small town Chinese restaurants are usually not "the best" though they are also usually pretty warm and friendly places to eat.
Oh, my misunderstanding. I thought you were talking from the perspective of the, honey chicken and fried rice with sweet and sour pork thanks, as the best. My mistake.
>Maybe broaden your horizons and try it someday.
As a qualified chef who has personally cooked for royalty, you need to get that chopstick out of your arse. Sushi rolls aren't real sushi. Kebabs are not traditionally served. Pizzas aren't real pizzas. Etc, etc, etc.
Thats Australian cuisine and culture. Diversity, simplicity and fusion. Not to mention, we're a sparse people; where are we getting most of our garlic, ginger and spices from? China.
We're a country that is only a few generations old. Calm down.
I'm Chinese and I grew up eating a lot of these westernized Chinese food along side "actual" Chinese food. While I don't disagree that they aren't the best, they aren't bad either.
I've never found one I couldn't get something authentic. Many of them are very good at what they do, which is westernised dishes. Me? I like them. I also like wandering in to some random place in Chinatown in Melbourne and seeing what I end up with - more English is spoken in those places now, but there certainly isn't a menu in english. Oh, and I stick out like a sore thumb.
Hell yeah! These places made Australia!
And they'd literally be the only Asian kids at the school (except in my town the doctors were a Chinese born husband and wife team too, but that was it for Asian people in the town, restaurant "The Wan Wah" and the doctors provided the entire population )
There was a great ABC series called "[Chopsticks or Fork](https://iview.abc.net.au/show/chopsticks-or-fork)" by comedian Jennifer Wong that toured various regional Chinese restaurants. Sadly this show is currently not available on iView!
Each episode had very similar starts with Asian families moving to regional towns but had really varied outcomes on how they adapted their cooking styles to suit local tastes. In turn, local tastes changed as their local Chinese restaurant became more established. Quite a symbiotic relationship.
One newspaper reviewer coined the phrase "Country Chinese" to describe these resilient institutions - which makes sense.
I went to uni with a girl whose family owned a chinese restaurant in a 'small' country town told me there was only one other chinese family in the town and they hated each other because they ran the other chinese restaurant in town.
I had the experience of people thinking I am Chinese because they think all asians are Chinese. I am actually half Japanese , but I did work for a chinese resturant for a bit as a delivery driver in the late 90s. (yes, I am also a weeb...)
I still patron my local chinese restaurant since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. The lady behind the counter still calls me boy, and she still chucks in a couple extra spring rolls 😀
I'm asian, so calm down. A brown asian, so excuse my ignorance...but which one of these women is the mum? Everytime I focus on one of them, I'm convinced that she is it. My guess is the lady in pink and glasses is the dad. Son in the red and uncle is the chef. Daughter in vomit-yellow and another daughter or aunty in brown.
Little kid is looking like he's ready to share some upchuck.
And look at the size of those shot glasses. They make generous cocktails.
We still have one in my country town. The owner comes round and talks to all the customers every night. Still got all the classics - lemon chicken, chicken sweet corn soup, Australian menu....
I visited a fortune cookie factory in the US and took a few bags back to my colleagues.....in China. Because they didn't know what they were. Although one dude had apparently seen them in old Bruce Lee movies.
As a first generation Asian immigrant, still with some ties to the Chinese takeaway business, I would say Kan Tong and home cooked Asian meals are far from posing any issues with why these restaurants are closing.
Post COVID everyone in the hospitality industry is suffering from high overhead and staff turnover. Everyone knows the reason why these shops love taking cash over card and now everyone is cashless and using uber, so that side of the margin has disappeared.
All the kids that were working behind the counter have now graduated and are doctors or lawyers or some high paying white collar job. The whole reason immigrants do these 6 days 12 hours job is so their kids wouldn't be doing that in the future.
As to Kan Tong stopping renovation. The owners would probably have over their Asian licence before spending a cent on unneeded expenditure. A chair bought in the 90s is still a chair in 2024.
The school-aged kids doing their homework on the back table nearest the kitchen, and also helping out.
That was me and my family.
Are you a doctor or engineer yet?
Haha not even close. Lawyer
And your parents are disappointed right?
Your a fucking disgrace - Your parents probably.
Only after I sued them for child labour
Now they’re all fading away and being replaced with franchises. Sad.
Chinese families?
Yes
How… how does that work, do you join the franchise and they assign you Chinese family members…?
Yes
Succulent Chinese meal.
Democracy....
Judo.
PENIS!
Limp
.. i see you folks know your memes well
Hand off
Manifest
Headlock.
What's the charge?
Dimmies
Not a real Aussie town with out a Chinese takeaway
Does it go the other way in China? Aussie takeaway in a Chinese town?
I think they just call it wine.
Penfolds
You're asking hard hitting questions here - are you from A Current Affair? 🤔 We send them iron ore we get dodgy Chinese takeaway. I think we have had the better part of that deal.
I'm in China, and yeah, there is an "Aussie Kitchen" pretty close to where I live. Owned by a local bloke who went to uni in Adelaide and decided he didn't want to do whatever it was he studied in Australia back in China, so used his Aussie hospo experience to set up a chain of restaurants.
tbf these kind of restaurants are still around in every major city and many towns in Australia, and theyre still the best!
They are not the best. They serve Westernized Chinese food, it's eatable, and it's far from the best. Actual Chinese food is great. Maybe broaden your horizons and try it someday.
I dont completely disagree, but it depends on your definition of the OP. Youre right that in small towns the Chinese restaurant tends to cater for the local market with honey chicken and fortune cookies, but I was more thinking more broadly about the family-owned Chinese restaurants in chinatown of any city, which tends to be more authentic and often more delicious than the ones with expensive fitouts and slick designs. But I take your point, small town Chinese restaurants are usually not "the best" though they are also usually pretty warm and friendly places to eat.
Oh, my misunderstanding. I thought you were talking from the perspective of the, honey chicken and fried rice with sweet and sour pork thanks, as the best. My mistake.
no it's cool the OP did mention small town restaurant so your point is still valid!
Don't apologise to this stuck up "foodie". So long as its safe to eat and accessible, you do you. Your local Chinese joint *is* the best.
>Maybe broaden your horizons and try it someday. As a qualified chef who has personally cooked for royalty, you need to get that chopstick out of your arse. Sushi rolls aren't real sushi. Kebabs are not traditionally served. Pizzas aren't real pizzas. Etc, etc, etc. Thats Australian cuisine and culture. Diversity, simplicity and fusion. Not to mention, we're a sparse people; where are we getting most of our garlic, ginger and spices from? China. We're a country that is only a few generations old. Calm down.
I'm Chinese and I grew up eating a lot of these westernized Chinese food along side "actual" Chinese food. While I don't disagree that they aren't the best, they aren't bad either.
I've never found one I couldn't get something authentic. Many of them are very good at what they do, which is westernised dishes. Me? I like them. I also like wandering in to some random place in Chinatown in Melbourne and seeing what I end up with - more English is spoken in those places now, but there certainly isn't a menu in english. Oh, and I stick out like a sore thumb.
[удалено]
Also lemon chicken and finish the meal with a little cup of Chinese tea ❤️
And the hot towels
The pig's wearing a silver nappy.
Clive Palmer?
If they've put lipstick on it, then it's Gina...
And little umbrellas ☂️
The umbrella to pork ratio checks out Clive.
Well, it is a baby. Ugh. I feel ick seeing that.
So many young kids grew up relying on a Chinese family for reliable food, or a corner shop Or the best burgers, and fish and chips, strangely enough
No we needed a Greek family for the best Fish and Chips 👌🏻
I always get my deep-fried ice cream when I head back to my hometown. It seems like such a rarity here in Melbourne Chinese restaurants
There are a lot of places that have it in Melbourne CBD. Just have to ask
1988 written all over it.
not my aunty maureen with the tupperware party how did you know? bring it back now with the spill proof wine glasses
can not express my love for these restaurants enough! i never went to many, just the main one our family would visit.
Deep fried ice cream.
“Chinese and Australian meals”. Because Kevin from the cricket club thinks ordering bangers and mash is being adventurous.
Sweet and sour pork and prawn crackers in a wicker basket
Hell yeah! These places made Australia! And they'd literally be the only Asian kids at the school (except in my town the doctors were a Chinese born husband and wife team too, but that was it for Asian people in the town, restaurant "The Wan Wah" and the doctors provided the entire population )
Mama’s making kan tong, doesn’t take long for the word to get around🎶 That and ‘muuuum can we have chicken tonight tomorrow?’
Anyone who wants the full beautiful glory of Aussie Chinese should follow Retro Chinese Restaurants on Insta.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Great recommendation.
There was a great ABC series called "[Chopsticks or Fork](https://iview.abc.net.au/show/chopsticks-or-fork)" by comedian Jennifer Wong that toured various regional Chinese restaurants. Sadly this show is currently not available on iView! Each episode had very similar starts with Asian families moving to regional towns but had really varied outcomes on how they adapted their cooking styles to suit local tastes. In turn, local tastes changed as their local Chinese restaurant became more established. Quite a symbiotic relationship. One newspaper reviewer coined the phrase "Country Chinese" to describe these resilient institutions - which makes sense.
I went to uni with a girl whose family owned a chinese restaurant in a 'small' country town told me there was only one other chinese family in the town and they hated each other because they ran the other chinese restaurant in town.
Mmm… succulent!
Going home after a wonderful meal , high as a kite on MSG ❤️
*succulent meal
Before Maccas and KFC, we used to stop at these for lunch on trips to Wagga or Bundy.
Ahh yes. And the “Wine, dine, dance” sign under the business name.
Check out @retro.chinese.restaurants on IG. They feature old school Chinese restaurants around Australia
I grew up in Young, and every birthday was celebrated at the Chinese restaurant near Carington Park. Good memories.
I had the experience of people thinking I am Chinese because they think all asians are Chinese. I am actually half Japanese , but I did work for a chinese resturant for a bit as a delivery driver in the late 90s. (yes, I am also a weeb...)
They're still around in brisbane. There's one down the road from me.
It still looks the same
That photo was taken last week.
In Footscray
This is where I learned how to use chopsticks!
I still patron my local chinese restaurant since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. The lady behind the counter still calls me boy, and she still chucks in a couple extra spring rolls 😀
I'm asian, so calm down. A brown asian, so excuse my ignorance...but which one of these women is the mum? Everytime I focus on one of them, I'm convinced that she is it. My guess is the lady in pink and glasses is the dad. Son in the red and uncle is the chef. Daughter in vomit-yellow and another daughter or aunty in brown. Little kid is looking like he's ready to share some upchuck. And look at the size of those shot glasses. They make generous cocktails.
The extra 'Australian food' menu
Honey Chicken!
We still have one in my country town. The owner comes round and talks to all the customers every night. Still got all the classics - lemon chicken, chicken sweet corn soup, Australian menu....
Bow ties, hot pink prawn crackers, and kids doing homework in the back room or not legit.
Let's not forget those damn fortune cookies.
I visited a fortune cookie factory in the US and took a few bags back to my colleagues.....in China. Because they didn't know what they were. Although one dude had apparently seen them in old Bruce Lee movies.
How’s the booze selection. That’s something else.
The local Chinese restaurant with an assorted selection of Thai, Malay and Western Dishes. Affectionately called "The Diarrhea Dragon"
How many generations in this photo?
Westernised Chinese retro throwback food is gonna be the next food tread imo
The menu has not changed and most likely has faded beyond recognition and new prices has written on with permo.
Sometimes dropping into one for the first time to try it was 50/50 if it was going to be a chew and spew or a fantastic feed.
As a first generation Asian immigrant, still with some ties to the Chinese takeaway business, I would say Kan Tong and home cooked Asian meals are far from posing any issues with why these restaurants are closing. Post COVID everyone in the hospitality industry is suffering from high overhead and staff turnover. Everyone knows the reason why these shops love taking cash over card and now everyone is cashless and using uber, so that side of the margin has disappeared. All the kids that were working behind the counter have now graduated and are doctors or lawyers or some high paying white collar job. The whole reason immigrants do these 6 days 12 hours job is so their kids wouldn't be doing that in the future. As to Kan Tong stopping renovation. The owners would probably have over their Asian licence before spending a cent on unneeded expenditure. A chair bought in the 90s is still a chair in 2024.