These Gansu guys (who would probably identify as Huizu [回族], Chinese from the West of China who practice Islam) provided us with dinner in a big city in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. I had my hopes up for those yummy wide noodles that are stir-fried with lamb or beef and big chunky vegetables, and maybe a skewer or two of spicy lamb. I kept asking about this dish and that dish, pointing out likely looking delicacies on the menu on the wall."Sorry, don't have that."
"How about this one here?"
"Nope, not that either."
These folks were so friendly and the smells from the kitchen were so yummy that I gave up and asked "Okay bring what you have," and Jo (who actually speaks and understands Mandarin, while I only fake it), pointed out to me that they are only allowed to serve boiled foods.
Plenty delicious, but the wall to the right (and out of view here) had such lovely goodies on display that I was a little bit dismayed. Its the same menu that most Huizu restaurants have, anywhere in China. But the offering here was sort of limited. Howcome?
Local government was re-habbing the neighborhood, and won't let this restaurateur have a license for anything but boiled food. No wok, no grilling. Water pollution, we were told; inadequate sewer hook-ups. Next door is a Sportswear mall, brand new, not quite finished. The top floor will have a food court. You can bet that they will have all kinds of food, not just boiled noodles and boiled Jiaoze (佼字）.
Discrimination against minority people is illegal, in China--unconstitutional in fact. But all the world over, discrimination against micro-entrepreneurs seems the order of the day. Too often, the banks and the big developers win, and the small operator makes do. In this case, selling (delicious) boiled noodles and jiaoze, which were more fun to eat, cheaper, and probably fresher than most of the stuff sold in most of the food courts, anyhow.
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