Re: OT: Junk/Dim S(ui)m

John Cowan wrote:
> It's said that there is no city in the world without a Chinese restaurant
> and associated (usually Cantonese-speaking) community.  This obviously
> depends heavily on the definition of "city".
>
In Lima, Peru, oddly, they're quite popular, though I never got to one.
Other than that, random observation suggests they might be hard to find in
Argentina.  I didn't look for one, since Argentine/French/Italian cuisine
was so excellent, but I never saw anyone in the streets who looked even
vaguely Oriental.  Brazil has lots of Japanese, but again, I did not
partake.

Ethnic restaurant misadventure No.29-- At the end of my year in Indonesia,
in Jakarta waiting for the plane out, I developed a hankering for Italian.
I'd heard that a place called Maria's was good, so off I went (no problem,
the pedicab-boy knew exactly where it was).  7:30ish, sitting all alone in a
courtyard, had a couple drinks, a bottle of red plonk, and something called
Veal Parmiggiana, which was truly dreadful, probably water-buffalo. The
pedicab  waited for me, when I returned the driver smirked and said, Back so
soon?  Next day I reported this to my minder at the Ford Fdn. and he had a
good laugh-- "Roger, Maria's is the fanciest whore-house in Jakarta!"

A day or two later, back in Western Civ. in Sydney, I hunted up a REAL
Italian rest. and stuffed myself silly.