[Sca-cooks] Chinese/Cuban resturants

[Stefan li Rous]

Brighid ni Chiarain replied to me with:
> On 10 Feb 2002, at 0:29, Stefan li Rous wrote:
> > Ok, so what is the logical reason for seeing a Cuban/Chinese
> > resturant?
>
> The same reason for seeing an American/Chinese restaurant.
>
> In the 19th century, many Chinese laborers went to Cuba to work
> on the sugar plantations, just as they went to the U.S. to work on
> the railroads and in the mines.  They -- and their descendants --
> remained.  When the Communists rose to power in Cuba, many
> members of the Chinese-Cuban community chose to emmigrate to
> the U.S.  A bunch of them went to New York.
>
> I first discovered the joys of fried plantains at a Cuban-Chinese
> restaurant on the Upper West Side.

Okay, I was not aware that a large number of Chinese went to Cuba to
work on the sugar plantations. With that, yes it makes more sense.
Some of the best "Chinese" food I've had was in Salt Lake City. Why?
because that is near where the trans-continental railroad was
finished and the Chinese laborers, almost all working for the
Union Pacific, were released in 1869. So, some stayed in the area.

Rather than being two seperate cuisines that happened to be served
in the same resturant, as I at first suspected, given the details
above I would expect to see more of a melding of Chinese and
Cuban cooking rather than two distinct cuisines. Was this your
experience there, Brighid?

--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
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