Local businesses

[Peregrine]

Thanks to all the people contributing to this thread. It's been a fantastic and illuminating read :).

[LongHaul]

Great Post BG2008!  That was really fascinating.  You got an enormous education from your parents that is invaluable.

 

That is why I have heard immigrants can make great tenants. 

 

Any thoughts on wage arbitrage - what does this mean exactly?

 

 

[Peregrine]

One thing I should add about the Fujian people with respect to the Chinese take-out business: the Fujian people are especially known for being hard-working and entrepreneurial, even among the Chinese. They are very hard people to compete with in businesses characterized by efficiency and power of will.

[BG2008]

Re Chinese in Long Island

 

I live in Long Island near the border of Suffolk and Nassau county and did not find the Chinese food very desirable. As I mentioned before,  am a transplant from the Bay Area, CA and my wife is Chinese ethnically, but we both found the Chinese food quite terrible, especially the takeout variety. So far, we only tried it once. They solely cater to the "white" populace and only have standard fare like Kung Pao, Orange Chicken, egg roles etc.

There are a few good restaurants in between, which I think are mostly recent opening from emigrants. Those are sit in restaurants which do takeout on the side and charge a little more. There is a cluster of decent places near Stony Brook catering to the large population of Asian Students there. I did find Indian restaurants to be much better than in CA generally, but for Chinese food, it is the opposite.

 

I can attest to the long hours are willing to work  and determination that Chinese emigrants have to get ahead and provide for their kids. Comparatively speaking, Vietnamese, Thai and Philippino's seem to be less successful. Compared to all these above, I grew up with a golden spoon emigrating from Europe with a very good education.

 

You should go to Flushing for much better Chinese Food if you're looking for Chinese Food catered to Chinese people.  Being from the Bay Area means that you're used to much higher quality.  I can assure you that within the "catered to Non-Chinese" Chinese food category, the Long Island Chinese food scene is actually much better than Detroit, Colorado etc. 

[SharperDingaan]

The key to many of these businesses is the ability to think outside the box,

& having the cohones to execute.

 

In the Greater Toronto area (GTA) there are a great many very good, and very reasonable, ethnic eating establishments. All you need do is look in the window - and count how many other people of the same ethnicity are sitting at the tables; they wouldn't be there if it was the same as they could do at home. Quality of food/service, or value for money; and not in ritzy locations.

 

There are also a great many gems where it's literally maybe 10 indoors tables, and a moderately sized outside patio open in summer. The places are usually on the rural fringes, & only open 5 days a week (12:30 am close by 8:30 pm weeknights, maybe 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday). The food is superb & it is almost always a retired chef, purely in the business for fun - working a 40 hour week. Quality of life.

 

Good artisans (chefs, bakers, brewers, cheese/cake makers) are also part of their community. In many ethnic family businesses it's not unusual for family friends to voluntarily work the business for a week/month or so, along with the patrones kids, while the patrone/wife take a vacation. Paying it forward.       

 

Some of these are truly sh1te businesses, but if it's your passion - it doesn't really matter.

To be happy, you've got to do what you love.     

 

SD

 

[undervalued]

Thank you BG and SD for sharing.

[LC]

 

To be happy, you've got to do what you love.     

 

 

Can't argue with that :)

[Spekulatius]

 

You should go to Flushing for much better Chinese Food if you're looking for Chinese Food catered to Chinese people.  Being from the Bay Area means that you're used to much higher quality.  I can assure you that within the "catered to Non-Chinese" Chinese food category, the Long Island Chinese food scene is actually much better than Detroit, Colorado etc.

 

Yes, your can definitely get excellent Chinese food in Flushing. Actually, you pretty much can get any kind of food in Queens.

 

I have generally found that you need to go or be close to immigrant clusters to get good ethnic food for reasonable prices. This means you get Indian food in Hicksville, Vietnamese food San Jose, Koerean food in the Korean cluster in a midtown Manhattan, Thai food in Hollywood (Thaitown). WHenever there is a cluster of immigrants, the quality of the ethnic food they like goes up and the prices often go down - competition at work. This also seems to be a matter of supply chain, such that it's easier to get the ingredients readily and for a reasonable cost.

 

Well at least in Long Island, you get very good Italian food pretty much anywhere.

[BG2008]

 

You should go to Flushing for much better Chinese Food if you're looking for Chinese Food catered to Chinese people.  Being from the Bay Area means that you're used to much higher quality.  I can assure you that within the "catered to Non-Chinese" Chinese food category, the Long Island Chinese food scene is actually much better than Detroit, Colorado etc.

 

Yes, your can definitely get excellent Chinese food in Flushing. Actually, you pretty much can get any kind of food in Queens.

 

I Haare generally found that you need to go or be close to immigrant clusters to get gun or ethnic food for reasonable prices. This means you get Indian food in Hicksville, Vietnamese food San Jose, Koerean food in the Korean cluster in a midtown Manhattan, Thai food in Hollywood (Thaitown). WHenever there is a cluster of immigrants, the quality of the ethnic food they like goes up and the prices often go down - competition at work. This also seems to be a matter of supply chain, such that it's easier to get the ingredients readily and for a reasonable cost.

 

Well at least in Long Island, you get very good Italian food pretty much anywhere.

 

Thai food is really good in Elmhurst New York try (Chao Thai or Ayada, they are both tiny restaurants, but amazing food. Literally like 8 small tables).  Korean Food is really good on Northern Blvd in Queens.  If you drive, there's a restaurant on Northern Blvd called Tang.  Amazing decor, great restaurant, spacious, great service, and you can get a set of grilled Galbi and a Soft Tofu Stew for $20 (both dishes).  I kid you not.  It's my favorite Korean place.