>  ML> Over the years I've been struck by the similarities between
>  ML> many Tex-Mex and Mex-Mex foods
> Tex-Mex and northern Mexican is quite similar which makes sense.
> They're both beef ranching, cheese making, wheat growing areas with

And the long-standing populations are pretty much
the same.

> a lot of back and forth contact. But Central and Southern Mexican
> food is quite different. Back when I lived in Ottawa there was

It's funny, though, that those cuisines are still
identifiably Mexican to people who are familiar mostly
with Sonoran cooking. Sure, there's a shift away from
beef to lesser proteins and the spicing schemes are
way different, but there's a common Gestalt, if you
will, the same way Peking and Canton cuisines are both 
Chinese, whereas Japanese and Korean, though 
macroscopically similar, are fundamentally different. 
There is some truth in your tagline about patriotism 
and the food of one's childhood, after all.

> briefly a restaurant near my house that served both Yucatan and
> Portuguese food (due to the nationalities of the two partners.) The
> Mexican section of the menu had things like pork and chicken dishes
> with a bunch of different mole sauces, empanadas, black beans,
> achiote recado sauces, pibil (pit roasted meat wrapped in banana
> leaves) and tropical fruit flavours like tamarind and coconut. It was
> too exotic for Ottawa in 1975 and folded quickly even though the
> food was amazing. 

Many ideas are ahead of their time. There may be little
or no reward for having them - premature anti-Fascism, 
if you will.

>  ML> The question I have is what benefit is there to Starbucks?
> It's not my first choice for coffee but I'll sip one politely at
> the ribbon cutting when it opens.

I'm sure you have learned your skills well.

>  > In the past Yellowknife has been a test market for a lot precedent
>  > setting ventures.
>  ML> Ah, trend setters!
> When McDonalds Canada test marketed their upscale "Build Your Own
> Burger" menu, with touch screen order kiosks and table service,
> Yellowknife was the only location outside of Vancouver and Calgary
> in the first run of 60 stores. And ours was the very first to open
> (by a matter of two days) in Canada.

It's interesting, because in that experiment, pacing
seemed to be important, and I wouldn't have thought of 
Yellowknife as a place with a typical urban rate of 
activity.

> The options include ...
> 3 buns: Black and White Sesame Seed, Brioche or "Artisan" buns
> Also a gluten free, low carb lettuce wrap option.
> 5 cheeses: their standard processed slices, Monterey Jack Jalapeno,
> real Cheddar, "Swiss" and Blue Cheese.
> 12 toppings: Tomato, Lettuce, Guacamole, Sundried Tomato Pesto,
> Caramelized Onions, Crispy Onions, Sliced Jalapenos, Long Sliced
> Pickles, Grilled Mushrooms, Red Onion Rings and a couple more that I
> forget.
> 9 sauces: Ketchup, Garlic Aioli, Mustard, Smokey BBQ, Big Mac
> Sauce, Chipotle Aioli, Grainy Mustard, Mayo, Sriracha Sauce
> The burgers come with loaded fries: poutine, chili-cheese, sweet
> potato fries, and some others that escape me at the moment or a
> decent garden salad. And there's real milkshakes on the new menu.

Given the permutations, especially if multiple sauces
are allowed, it would have been a logistical nightmare
to keep track of all that before computers, in fast
food volumes, I mean. So near-fast-food pacing and
near-artisanal product, a very modern phenomenon.

> We also have the first Miniso store in Canada outside of the major
> markets of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and
> Halifax. It opened here May 1st and is run by a Chinese family in
> the immigrant entrepreneur fast track permanent residency program.
> They're not from China actually but Jamaica where they also ran a
> retail store for a few years. 

Not what I would have thought of either. It would seem
to be a bit of rolling the Daiso.

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Cilantro-Miso Sauce
 Categories: Sauces, Spreads
      Yield: 12 servings

    1/2 c  Cilantro leaves                     1 x  Lime--juice of
      3 T  Miso, light colored                 1 T  Oil, olive
    1/4 t  Pepper black                        1 T  Mirin

  Chop cilantro in a processor until well chopped. Add the lime juice,
miso,
  olive oil, pepper and mirin. Process until smooth. Scrape down the sides
as
  required. Makes about 1/2 cup. Will keep a short period if refrigerated.

  Serve with grilled beef, pork or fish; also over hearty salads.

  Substitute:Fresh coriander leaves for cilantro. Japanese soybean paste
for
  Miso. Sweet rice wine for Mirin. Source unknown

-----
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