Lime Fresh Mexican Grill -- a chain of "Mexican" restaurants seemingly stretching from D.C. --

[MiddleFingerMom]

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... down to Miami and as far west as Alabama. Considered "good" along the lines of a Chili's or Applebee's
dining experience -- but not really considered "real Mexican food".
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They don't even call their style "Tex-Mex"... but "Fresh-Mex" (the tout their humanely-raised meat and their
daily deliveries of produce that is prepared onsite daily).
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Just another American "Mexican" chain... except for THIS sign that's apparently outside of at least ONE of the
establishments (I LOVE this -- we DO have a reputation around the rest of the country and, unfortunately... it's
pretty well-deserved).
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[grasswire]

1. Is this related to the Baja Fresh chain?

I like the Baja Fresh chain's food. Lots of options, and lots of fresh lime, incidentally.

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. I don't think so. Baja is HQ'd in California and Lime is HQ'd in Tennessee (figures).

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Fresh... local... unfrozen... humane... organic... prepared onsite... I think these are just ubiquitous
buzzwords in the restaurant biz right now -- from fast food to haute cuisine.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Would a good analogy be as Italian as Olive Garden?

[MiddleFingerMom]

3. Very good possibility. Though it's not "real" Italian, the two times I went to Olive Garden...

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... left me pretty happy at the end of the experience.
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I think if we had truly "authentic" ethnic restaurants across-the-board, they would fail miserably. Asian
would probably be the "worst" (ethnocentrically), but I remember having to push and push and push yet
again in Germany to get more than a pinkish tinge to my pasta when ordering spaghetti w/red sauce at
what I had assumed were "authentic" Italian joints.
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For most of the 16 years or so before I moved to Tucson, I lived in the Philly area. Mmmmmmm, great
hoagies and cheesesteaks (my favorite being "pizza" steaks).
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I went to a Philly's Finest here and wondered if ANYONE in the company had ever been east of the
Mississippi. Terrible... and the young man behind the counter just slowly repeated "Pizza steak?" --
giving me the impression he had never even HEARD of them before.
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He DID tell me they had BBQ sauce to add to the cheesesteaks, if desired.
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[KaryninMiami]

5. Lime began here on Miami Beach

And grew to a small chain before it was purchased which is why they are expanding nationally. Cannot recall who bought tgem at the moment but I bleieve the founder is still very much involved.
We LOVE Lime- it really is different- food is fresh and delicious. Happy to see it growing- sincerely hope they stay true to their original vision. So if one opens near you- enjoy! Have the fish tacos-yum!

[mvccd1000]

6. I grew up in the midwest thinking Mexican food was "Chi-Chi's."

And, having been to Mexico, I've found that I generally prefer "Americanized" Mexican food. (But not as much as I prefer Americanized Italian food after visiting Italy!)

I get tired of the slams against Arizona, though. My sister-in-law is from Mexico (making my niece as truly "Mexican-American" as one can be), and she's firmly against illegal immigration. In spite of all the hysteria, I haven't heard of her or her relatives from Mexico encountering any of the supposedly widespread profiling in Arizona.

[Gman]

7. Many Mexican-Americans I know here in Texas

Strongly oppose illegal immigration. It seems the activists are pretty much the only ones that support it excuse it. And if the Mexican-American here is a veteran, they're vehemently opposed. Just who I've talked with.

[Kali]

8. is your s-i-l a republican?

I have heard the same from some of the Hispanic hunters that show up here during the seasons. I have also heard sympathy and compassion from other Hispanics. In my opinion it is the same old "got mine, fuck you" that a certain demographic always spews.

This was posted at teh entry to our road, makes me weep thinking of this family.




my thread about it http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002933192

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. I got two impressions from both of those two replies.

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One is a broadbrush generalization from limited anecdotal evidence/experience/contact
(including "It seems the activists are pretty much the only ones that support it excuse it&quot .
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Sounds pretty familiar to me -- how 'bout you, Kali?
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With a pretty strong sense of (though they seemed smart enough not to use these words),
"Some of my best friends are Mexicans."
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[mvccd1000]

10. I don't know what to tell you...

...I grew up in the midwest. There were far more American Indians and African-Americans than Mexicans in my schools. My first widespread exposure was in the Navy, and I don't recall us discussing immigration. (We were more interested in what there was to do at the next liberty port, or - more commonly - how many days we'd have to stay awake to repair a piece of machinery.)

My next experience was after moving to Arizona. I have Mexican co-workers, neighbors, and now relatives. Again politics has not been a big discussion... I guess my sister-in-law has been the only person I've talked about it with, so hers is the only first-hand viewpoint I'm aware of.

I'm sorry if she doesn't fit into an expected stereotype. Perhaps I should begin quizzing my neighbors until I find someone who thinks the way you believe they should?

[MiddleFingerMom]

11. "Perhaps I should begin quizzing my neighbors until I find someone...

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...who thinks the way you believe they should?"
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I think that's an EXCELLENT idea.
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Let me know what you find.
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[Mosby]

13. There is long standing friction between Chicanos and recent immigrants

I think that is where most of the anti-immigrant sentiment stems from, though most if not all of the Latinos I come in contact with support guest worker programs etc.


SAN JOSE, Calif. - Feb 10, 2005 - Growing up as a Chicano, three generations deep in the United States, I have always felt the segregation between Chicanos and Mexican immigrants -- what we call "border brothers" and some call "wetbacks." It is a clash of identity and misunderstanding on both sides. Even something as lethal as the gang warfare between Nortenos and Surenos here in the Bay Area has this conflict at its base.

http://www.imdiversity.com/villages/hispanic/dialogue_opinion_letters/pns_wetback_0205.asp


Can't seem to C/P, see page 132:
http://catarina.udlap.mx/u_dl_a/tales/documentos/mes/garcia_rc/capitulo4.pdf

[Mosby]

12. There is no nutritional info at their website

I consider that a red flag these days.

Does anyone besides me think Chipotle is massively overrated? I ate there once and hated the entire bowl concept.