They’re tenacious, those Chinese restaurateurs! The Washington Post gave props to a lo mein outfit in Tripoli that’s been dishing out the fried rice and egg rolls as the bombs fly. Turns out this isn’t the first time the Chinese have stayed put as the walls came down around them. According to the article:
Baghdad’s Chinese restaurant at the al-Mansour Hotel kept the stove on during the worst of days, feeding the Chinese diplomats who operated out of the oft-attacked establishment. Another Chinese restaurant, in the Iraqi capital’s Green Zone, became part of Baghdad lore, with a stream of burly contractors timidly walking out of its mysterious backrooms.
In Kabul, Golden Key Seafood Restaurant is a favorite Chinese joint among expats in landlocked Afghanistan, and one of the establishments that meets the security requirements that make them accessible to employees of certain non-governmental organizations.
While the hair-raising tale of delivering crab rangoon by cab while bombs drop is a good read in and of itself, our favorite part of the article was the restaurant’s origin story.
The Dais moved to Tripoli in 2004 from their native Zhejiang province on China’s eastern coast with a dream of opening a clothing store.
Dai Sonxian soon discovered that Libyan women were far larger than the women she dressed in China. So she decided the family would instead profit by feeding them.
An amazing story about fantastic food. We salute you, brave deliverymen!
Not ready for a war zone? No worries! If you want to brave the weirdest cuisine Shanghai has to offer, try UnTour Shanghai‘s Weird Meat offering and find out if you have what it takes to eat like a local! If you’re not in the mood for skewered insects, try our tamer
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