So what is considered a chinese restaurant? From a Modern Asian Restaurant, a Thai, a Viet., Japanese restaur

Question

There's a chinese takeout restaurant with a execlusive "No other Chinese restaurant within the same shopping center". But what is considered a Chinese Restaurant? Must be chinese to cook? Must have chinese writings? What is legally a chinese restaurant?

Answer 1

I would think that if you served mainly Chinese type dishes you might get into a confrontation with the other restaurant with the exclusive designation.

Answer 2

There's no legal definition of a "Chinese" restaurant, so the owner can decide if they are Chinese or not.

The menu certainly won't determine that it's a Chinese restaurant, as the food served in Chinese restaurants in the US bears little resemblance to the food served in China.

Most Americans would not eat the stuff they serve over there. I've spent several months in China and getting around the food is one of the biggest challenges to the Western palate! How does shredded pig's intestines, tiger penis, bear gall bladder or monkey brains grab you? Yummy! NOT! Quandry: If your host orders tiger's penis he's just honored you by ordering one of the most expensive items on the menu -- it can run several thousand dollars! If you don't partake, you'll be committing a MAJOR insult.

Just for giggles, I asked some Chinese friends to translate the writing in several Chinese restaurants. It ran the gamut from meaningless gibberish to insults aimed at Westerners who could not read it. A common one was simply "Chinese Restaurant" along with a few of Confucius' sayings among other things.

Answer 3

Look on the box where the frozen food comes from. Although packaging can fool you.

The cuisine is the decider.