"Chinese food is so delicious and diversified that it has also won favor with Mexicans," Ren Hongyu, the owner of the Chinese food restaurant named "Bei Douxing" in Mexico City said smilingly.
"Bei Douxing" is a typical household Chinese restaurant. Although inconspicuous at first glance, it is rated by Chinese and Mexican customers as one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants, witnessed by the regular tide of visitors at noon and night.
The first time he visited the restaurant, a customer named Rafael was dazzled by the enormous diversity in the supply of staple and non-staple foods there.
He said starkly that Mexican food features a dominance of meat and strong flavors, but Chinese food maintains a balance between meat and vegetables and is delicate in flavor. Thus, he predicted a good marketability for Chinese food in Mexico where obesity is a serious problem. Moreover, it is custom for Mexican families to go out and dine together on weekends. In Chinese restaurants, people sit around enjoying meals, creating an oriental family atmosphere that is very consistent with the local culture.
As the "pillar industry" of the Chinese economy, the Chinese food industry is expanding slowly in Mexico.
In order to cater for the Mexican taste of spicy and sweet, many Chinese restaurants localize their cooking. Examples are the addition of a scoop of sugar or several scoops of soy to the food before it is emptied out.
"Hunan Restaurant" is a typical Mexican Chinese food restaurant. Speaking of his winning formula, the manager said that "Chinese cooking is too diverse for Mexicans to distinguish what is authentic. But localized cooking can bring about deliciousness, so why not?"
According to an expert, the profound Chinese cooking culture cries out for innovative and diversified business models and marketing strategies. Undoubtedly, more and more Mexicans will be attracted by Chinese food that features color, flavor, and taste. Chinese food is subtly promoting cultural exchange between China and Mexico.
Edited and translated by People's Daily Online
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