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Getting Real About EthniCity
Charlotte cuisine covers the globe, but do the locals care?
By Tricia Childress
Page 2 of 4
But then these Latino restaurateurs were quick to tell me that their restaurants had specialties not found elsewhere in the city: the cut of meat, or imported ingredients.
Toi (Sukanya) B. Rogers, a native of Bangkok, owns Thai Marlai in Cornelius. She moved to Charlotte with her American husband in 1972. In the 1980s, she opened the phenomenally popular Thai Cuisine. Then in the 1990s, she opened Thai Orchid. Does Rogers consider her Thai Marlai an authentic Thai restaurant? She responded wryly, "I am 100 percent Thai. My sister who is cooking in the kitchen is 100 percent Thai. We get our seasonings, our chilies and many other ingredients from Thailand, and the recipes are my family's. And they are 100 percent Thai, too. If someone does not think this place is an authentic Thai restaurant, they should come talk to me."
Many restaurateurs agree with Rogers. Nader Behrouzjou opened North Carolina's only Iranian (Persian) restaurant seven years ago. He said, "My dishes at the Kabob House are all Iranian dishes. People tell me I should convert some of the recipes, to Americanize them. But my culture is 2,500 years old. I serve the authentic kebob marinated with different spices."
Alex Ayalew, a native of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, opened Meskerem Ethiopian Cuisine last year. He reports, "Our food is authentic. It is exactly the same as the food in Ethiopia. We get all the spices from back home. The taste is the same." He said it is just as important for him to educate his customers about his culture as to serve them delicious food, and he hopes that more Charlotteans will visit his restaurant, which is less than one mile from Trade and Tryon. "We try to market to everyone. Once they try it, they come back."
In Pineville, Gitta and Tom Maier opened the Waldhorn Restaurant six years ago. The restaurant is named for her parents' restaurant in Stuttgart and her husband is a Culinary Institute of America graduate whose father is a German baker. Gitta Maier said, "We are definitely authentic. Our customers rave about the food and say it reminds them of Germany. Two-thirds of our customers are American, the rest are Germans who live here."
But the truth is that although some restaurants such as those mentioned above remain true to their heritage, others do not. As the clientele grows to include more Americans, a funny thing happens to the menu. It is a common practice, for example, for Chinese restaurants to have two menus. One is for Asians and the other for non-Asians. On the latter are such Americanized Chinese dishes as Chicken Chow Mein, Chop Suey and, more recently, Crab Rangoon. And no, there isn't cream cheese in traditional Chinese cuisine.
Why two menus? Tony Koos, owner of Dragon Court Chinese Restaurant in the Asian Corners Marketplace, puts both of his menus in the same folder — that way Asians and Americans alike can choose. He stated, "We have the two menus, the regular Chinese and authentic Chinese. Both types use the real Chinese vegetables. What is different is the cooking style. The authentic style is totally different."
But serving authentic can be challenging for the restaurateur who wants to hear that cash register ring. Would an American choose black chicken feet stir fry at a Chinese restaurant?
The change in dishes may be subtle. Kevin Cheng, who serves extraordinary Taiwanese cuisine at Tomi, related, "We have one dish that we had to change. The dish called for a chicken leg cut up with the bone and the skin. First, Americans don't like dark meat. Next, they don't like the bones, and third, they don't eat skin, so we use boneless chicken breast as the meat for this dish. But all the other ingredients and the sauce are the same."
Some restaurateurs opt out of the whole authentic arena altogether. At Salsas, Sergio Gomes said their restaurant's concept is "American Mexican." "We considered both directions and went with this concept. While we have authentic Mexican choices on the menu, we primarily have Tex-Mex. But everything is made fresh in house. We try to reach as many people as we can, so the dishes are not too spicy. About 70 percent of our clients are Americans; the rest is Latino, but that segment is increasing."
But what happens to the other ethnic restaurants if one within a category acquiesces to American taste buds? Bhupen Engineer, owner of Bombay Cuisine, noted that having high quality Indian restaurants is important to him. He opined, "Many people will judge all Indian restaurants from one Indian restaurant. If they do not have a good experience at my competitor's place, then I will lose a future customer."
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Calendar
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The Blush Brunch: R&B Day Party @ Blush CLT
- Sundays, 1-7 p.m. Continues through June 29
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Hip Hop Bingo @ Blush CLT
- Sundays, 5-7 p.m. Continues through June 29
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Rosé Wine Tasting at Little Mama’s Rea Farms @ Little Mama's Italian Kitchen Rea Farms
- Tue., June 17, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
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Date Night: Wine & Hookah @ Blush CLT
- Fridays, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. Continues through June 20
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Juneteenth: Queen City Adult Prom @ Blush CLT
- Fri., June 20, 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
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Recipe: Rose Water Tea Cookies 1
Cookies, tea and shouting. In that order. Ascending order.
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Hungry? Try one of Charlotte’s historic, hole-in-the-wall restaurants 2
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Recipe: Roasted Vegetables with Dijon Béarnaise Sauce
Vegetables. Cheese. Béarnaise. These are things you're going to put in your mouth shortly after reading this.
