The only cheap-o I can think of in that immediate area is the old Lam's, essentially once a Chuck-a-Burger or similar drive-in from long ago. There's also Royal Chinese BBQ, In Soo and Shu Feng, but those are all about a block west of there.
Sun Sing on Woodson Rd, about 1½ miles south of the airport.
It's the very model of a hole-in-the-wall joint - the interior is wood paneling, and you talk to the employees through a single 2'x3' window. The menu is hand-painted on a piece of plywood, with specials/additional menu items hand-written on poster board. There are no tables, just folding chairs in small public portion of the restaurant - it's takeout only. That's a good thing, though, because I don't believe they have heat or A/C - I've never been there when either was on. And it's a cash-only establishment.
All that said, the food is phenominal. The cost savings of never having sunk a dollar into the upkeep of his restaurant is passed on to the customer in the form of low prices for good food. I'm particularly fond of the duck and the Chicken St. Paul sandwich, but I've never had anything bad there.
-RBB
It's the very model of a hole-in-the-wall joint - the interior is wood paneling, and you talk to the employees through a single 2'x3' window. The menu is hand-painted on a piece of plywood, with specials/additional menu items hand-written on poster board. There are no tables, just folding chairs in small public portion of the restaurant - it's takeout only. That's a good thing, though, because I don't believe they have heat or A/C - I've never been there when either was on. And it's a cash-only establishment.
All that said, the food is phenominal. The cost savings of never having sunk a dollar into the upkeep of his restaurant is passed on to the customer in the form of low prices for good food. I'm particularly fond of the duck and the Chicken St. Paul sandwich, but I've never had anything bad there.
-RBB
RBB wrote: I'm particularly fond of the...Chicken St. Paul sandwich...
-RBB
You do realize we're talking about Asian food in this thread, don't you?
bonwich wrote:RBB wrote: I'm particularly fond of the...Chicken St. Paul sandwich...
-RBB
You do realize we're talking about Asian food in this thread, don't you?
I thought the St. Paul sandwich was a St. Louis classic Chinese sandwich?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul_sandwich
trent wrote:I would love to have a section of town specifically known as Chinatown. A distinct and strong Asian population would be a wonderful thing for the area.
I know what you mean...but how does that go about happening in a city? Do city developers and politicians just decide...this looks like a good spot for a Chinatown, make it happen?
There's got to be a three block stretch somewhere with buildings all connected with eachother, with tempting incentives for the Chinese to create a walkable chinatown, like boston's. I always thought something like the Mexican part of Cherokee would be perfect.
- 11K
^ !?!?! 
Hey hey, "the Mexican part of Cherokee" is great for . . . Mexicans! There is a "Chinatown" on Olive - what would make it "official" is if a business group or the town would pay to erect gates and market it as such.
Hey hey, "the Mexican part of Cherokee" is great for . . . Mexicans! There is a "Chinatown" on Olive - what would make it "official" is if a business group or the town would pay to erect gates and market it as such.Grover wrote:^ !?!?!
Right, I know it's for Mexicans.
Just thought that maybe they're be a way to relocate the Olive one to something more urban...walkable...something LIKE the Cherokee street section. I'd be willing to pay for the gates! We could just make temporary gates out of paper machee for now as a group forum get-together.
phoaddict wrote:Grover wrote:^ !?!?!
Right, I know it's for Mexicans.
I'd be willing to pay for the gates! We could just make temporary gates out of paper machee for now as a group forum get-together.
The city destroyed the old chinatown. So, I say the city should rebuild it, as reparation .
As far as Cherokee St. goes, I don't know how it works for the various Asian communities in St. Louis, but in many Mexican neighborhoods, the center of that neighborhood typically is established around successful businesses; typically tienderias (mexican grocery stores), restaurants, and any other businesses that were there since and before that neighborhood was even considered a "Mexican enclave."
So, if the Asian community works the same way, all it would take is one brave business to move into a neighborhood, attract a following, and bring comfort and services to immigrants who move into the area. Others will soon follow.
Think that Wonton King is better that LuLu for dim sum these days. Wei Hong isn't bad, and Hunan Garden up by Lindbergh/Page is pretty decent too.
Our old favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place was called San Dong, up off Woodson and Page. Closed a few years back.
Favorite Vietnamnese place is Bahn Mi So #1 on South Grand...
Our old favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place was called San Dong, up off Woodson and Page. Closed a few years back.
Favorite Vietnamnese place is Bahn Mi So #1 on South Grand...
Recently, a vast majority of the chinese that have been coming here are from Mainland China and India.
I want MORE! St. Louis should be the Ellis Island for asian immigrants. Does St. Louis even advertise in these countries? We should hand over portions of the Northside to these new arrivals. Forget advertising in Springfield MO, let's get some people with brains moving to St. Louis!
Also, the percentage of "foreign born" residents was far higher 100 years ago in St. Louis than it is today!
- 11K
JCity wrote:Also, the percentage of "foreign born" residents was far higher 100 years ago in St. Louis than it is today!
This percentage was much higher everywhere in America 100 years ago. The rate of immigration at that point was not sustainable. I welcome additional immigrants, but our city will never again be 30%+ foreign-born.
Grover wrote:stlmizzoutiger wrote:I agree with Dave Gibson:
Immigration Without Assimilation Equals Invasion
By Dave Gibson
"In many parts of this country, there are communities which would appear unrecognizable to the majority of Americans. Whereas, immigrants to the United States once made a valiant effort to learn English and create a good life for their families--too many of today's immigrants want the rights entitled to American citizens, without making any effort to assimilate.
These United States are in essence, being colonized."
I'm proud to say St. Louis is bucking the trend. Many Bosnians have done a great job learning English. God Bless them
Immigration is always a hot issue and I mean always. If you look back to newspaper stories from the 1910's it was the Italians that were the problem and wouldn't learn English, and the Germans, Poles, Greeks . . . . So now it's some other group. The quote cited from Dave Gibson literally could be from any decade in American history. It demonstrates nothing other than the perpetuation of fear.
You are correct, but you also leave out that these groups were eventually forced to assimilate. For example, large portions of the country (especially our city) spoke German, but with WWI against Germany, it was largely suppressed. Immigration was severely restricted in the 1920s (if I remember correctly). That forced groups such as the Italians to assimilate and become American.
I think it would be great to see MLK and Grand rehabbed/rebuilt as a thriving international boulevards, but I'd also like to see the grandsons and granddaughters of the original residents living there as well, instead of in the county. Maybe instead of the city advertising in other countries, it could actually attempt to perform some of its basic duties such as keeping crime at minimum so that the latter has a chance of happening as well.
stlterp wrote:Think that Wonton King is better that LuLu for dim sum these days. Wei Hong isn't bad, and Hunan Garden up by Lindbergh/Page is pretty decent too.
Our old favorite hole-in-the-wall Chinese place was called San Dong, up off Woodson and Page. Closed a few years back.
Favorite Vietnamnese place is Bahn Mi So #1 on South Grand...
their banh mi sandwiches are definitely #1 in stl!
bonwich wrote:RBB wrote: I'm particularly fond of the...Chicken St. Paul sandwich...
-RBB
You do realize we're talking about Asian food in this thread, don't you?
They actually do have real asian food there, too.
-RBB
What do we think? Any immigrants or first-generation Americans out there please chime in:
Which do you think is more likely to attract immigrants to a particular city; identifiable and/or branded ethnic population concentrations such as Chinatown, Little Korea, Little Italy, Little Bosnia, etc., or thoroughly diverse city neighborhoods with blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, and recent immigrants of every shade and pattern living, working and playing together?
Granted, I am a Caucasian and my ancestors have pretty much been here for 150 years or so, but my gut feeling is that the answer is the former.
Which do you think is more likely to attract immigrants to a particular city; identifiable and/or branded ethnic population concentrations such as Chinatown, Little Korea, Little Italy, Little Bosnia, etc., or thoroughly diverse city neighborhoods with blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, and recent immigrants of every shade and pattern living, working and playing together?
Granted, I am a Caucasian and my ancestors have pretty much been here for 150 years or so, but my gut feeling is that the answer is the former.
jlblues wrote:What do we think? Any immigrants or first-generation Americans out there please chime in:
Which do you think is more likely to attract immigrants to a particular city; identifiable and/or branded ethnic population concentrations such as Chinatown, Little Korea, Little Italy, Little Bosnia, etc., or thoroughly diverse city neighborhoods with blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, and recent immigrants of every shade and pattern living, working and playing together?
Granted, I am a Caucasian and my ancestors have pretty much been here for 150 years or so, but my gut feeling is that the answer is the former.
The last one exists, mostly for 1st, 2nd , and 3rd generation, but the ethnic neighborhoods make newly arrived immigrant groups feel more comfortable. My family grew up first, in a Mexican town, then we all branched out our own ways. I don't know many of us still living in an ethnic neighborhood. I've grown up, being outnumbered culturally, growing up in the Metro East, and a few other places.
Like most immigrants, my whole family eventually learned English. We celebrate American holidays, and we do American things. We’re very much assimilated.
It would be great if we could recruit immigrants to come to St. Louis, but how would that work? Would you offer incentives? Can you imagine the uproar among disadvantaged Americans if we offered some type of financial incentive to non-Americans to come live here?
Can anyone cite a specific example of a city or metropolitan area recruiting immigrants from a particular country in the last few decades? Of course in some cases, e.g. LA, San Diego, Texas and Miami, the primary factor is proximity to the homeland, but I suspect that all of the other cities that attracted large immigrant populations in the last few decades did so simply because of a combination of an abundance of low-skill jobs, lax immigration enforcement, and easy access to services and public transportation. There are some exceptions of course, such as the displaced Bosnian population. I suppose there is some opportunity there. There are something like 2 million Iragi refugees that want to emigrate, and I would guess at least twice that many Sudanese. Maybe the city of St. Louis should go to the INS and say, "We'll take 'em! We have lots of room!" We could be the largest city in the country almost literally overnight!
Can anyone cite a specific example of a city or metropolitan area recruiting immigrants from a particular country in the last few decades? Of course in some cases, e.g. LA, San Diego, Texas and Miami, the primary factor is proximity to the homeland, but I suspect that all of the other cities that attracted large immigrant populations in the last few decades did so simply because of a combination of an abundance of low-skill jobs, lax immigration enforcement, and easy access to services and public transportation. There are some exceptions of course, such as the displaced Bosnian population. I suppose there is some opportunity there. There are something like 2 million Iragi refugees that want to emigrate, and I would guess at least twice that many Sudanese. Maybe the city of St. Louis should go to the INS and say, "We'll take 'em! We have lots of room!" We could be the largest city in the country almost literally overnight!
jlblues wrote:What do we think? Any immigrants or first-generation Americans out there please chime in:
Which do you think is more likely to attract immigrants to a particular city; identifiable and/or branded ethnic population concentrations such as Chinatown, Little Korea, Little Italy, Little Bosnia, etc., or thoroughly diverse city neighborhoods with blacks, whites, Latinos, Asians, and recent immigrants of every shade and pattern living, working and playing together?
Granted, I am a Caucasian and my ancestors have pretty much been here for 150 years or so, but my gut feeling is that the answer is the former.
Ethnic enclaves like Chinatown are "useful" in the first waves of immigration, but as the immigrants get established, people are tending to move out to suburbs. In the case of Chinatown, the inhabitants in these areas tend to be older and less affluent, compared to areas like Monterrey Park (LA), Menlo Park, Fremont and many suburbs of the Bay Area, etc. We're seeing some of the same with the Bosnian population in St. Louis, moving from South City to South County.
The real answer is jobs. And schools.
^So what is your answer to the question? Or is your answer neither...? 
Which do you think is more likely to attract immigrants to a particular city?
I still think we should create schools for particular groups. I don't care if they're not "diverse". Some city schools are not "diverse" at all right now, they're 100% black. I think the city should offer to set up a chinese school or a bosnian school. Hmm, why do all the Bosnians move out of the city? THE SCHOOLS... it' VERY simple.
jlblues wrote:^So what is your answer to the question? Or is your answer neither...?
Which do you think is more likely to attract immigrants to a particular city?
both are good.
umm, obviously its more of the former, unless they're third generation Americans. People tend to go where people are similar to themselves. It's pretty simple. Bring on the asian invasion!
There are something like 2 million Iragi refugees that want to emigrate, and I would guess at least twice that many Sudanese. Maybe the city of St. Louis should go to the INS and say, "We'll take 'em! We have lots of room!" We could be the largest city in the country almost literally overnight!
The boost in population would be great and all, but I feel pretty strongly against living under Sharia law...
Okay, maybe this is kind of grammar nazi-ish, but shouldn't it be "Asian cultures" not "asian culture"? Considering that Chinese and Indian culture are far different from one another, and that's not even counting the southwest- or southeast-asian national cultures.
Sorry... It's just at at the same time we admonish ourselves for being too "eurocentric" or "amerocentric" -- it would be hypocritical to treat China as all of Asia, or India as all of Asia, etc.
Sorry... It's just at at the same time we admonish ourselves for being too "eurocentric" or "amerocentric" -- it would be hypocritical to treat China as all of Asia, or India as all of Asia, etc.