Israel To Kick Out Asian Restaurant Workers

[ttthailand]

Israel will kick out every Asian restaurant worker by the end of the year. "We feel an Israeli can hold a wok as well as a Thai or a Chinese person," says a Trade Ministry official in charge of work permits.

According to an Associated Press story from Jerusalem, the Israeli government will send foreign restaurant workers packing by next January. Industry leaders warn they won't be able to provide the food Israelis want and their business will be hurt.

Or, as the AP dispatch puts it: "Israel's sushi craze could be in for trouble."

Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Indian restaurants have grown into a $280 million-a-year business, accounting for 10 percent of the local dining landscape, according to the Israeli Ethnic Restaurant Association.

Asian restaurants employ 900 foreign-born chefs and kitchen workers. But now, that Trade Ministry says Israelis should do those jobs.

The statement by Shoshana Strauss, a lawyer at the Trade Ministry, which regulates work permits for foreign workers, is worth repeating:

"We feel an Israeli can hold a wok as well as a Thai or a Chinese person."

In the minds of Thai chefs, at least, "hold" might be the operative word.

"If we don't have cooks, we don't have food. If we don't have food, we don't have customers," said Steven Lobel, who owns two Asian restaurants employing 14 Asian kitchen workers in the Tel Aviv area.

No kidding. But beginning next year, there will be no work visas for foreigners in the business, only tourist visas permitting brief consulting opportunities for experts in Asian cuisine, the Trade Ministry says.

The ministry has begun offering Asian cooking classes to Israelis, but few have shown interest, generating skepticism enough Israelis will step forward to fill the void.

"I doubt this will succeed," said Arnon Volosky, chief executive of the Ethnic Restaurant Association.

[Jingthing]

This does seem short sighted, but every government has the right to restrict foreign workers. So, so what, and related to Thailand, how?

Edited February 14, 2008 by Jingthing

[Maigo6]

So, so what, and related to Thailand, how?

Thai restaurants employing Thai workers

[ade100]

Ok somebody is going to have to tell Israel that they are themselves in Asia (Well they are not in Europe are they?). But I’m going to let someone else break the news to them. Any offers?

[ttthailand]

I guess the entire world is getting tough on visas and work permits not just Thailand.

You would never read this however in Thailand as foreigners can't do these jobs here without major difficulty. Israel and Thailand restaurant workers now same same...

[bina]

good. that means that anon can demand a higher wage as he is not a foreign worker held by an employer. he can work anywhere just like an israeli (but get taken advantage of in terms of hours since every one knows that thai workers have more stayability. anyhow, a very large jpercentge of cooks in the business are arab israelis. dont know too many israeli wok chefs. and most use thai as staff not for their culinary expertise since its all fast food thai/asian sweet chop suey style anyhow... the thais or chinese are for ethnic reality and cause they are willing to work every day including friday day and saturday late nite, from morning to nite. the rest of us want to work in 8 hr shifts.

and so it will be like thailand. cooks will come on 'training prorams' , consulting sessions, or whatever. everyday there is a new sushi and asian take away even here in jerusalem they are popping up like crazy. most of them are kosher unfortunately and cater to a very local palate. no issaan specialties here.

israel tried cracking down on the agricultural aspects of foreign labour but met with very very firm resistance by the agric. organizations... fruit and veggies literally rotted on the vines w/o thai labour. not too many main stream jewish israelis running to work in greenhouses 14 hrs a day in 40+ heat and humidity, 7 days a week no benefits. and the last time we picked apples, the orchard manager fired us since we ruined the apples (we threw them in to the crate instead of placing them gently... )

so restaraunts must be in place of the agriculture. agriculture btw is run by the moshavim who are predominantly religious and/or right wing oriented and tend to vote for the 'proper' (right wing, nationalistic, religious)political parties who had to get rid of the idea of canceling thai labourers. restaraunters are from a different socioeconomic group. lobbying lobbying lobbying.

not racist, just a last gasp attempt by the government to seem to be trying to provide jobs for its unemployed -- who wont go work in most of these jobs anyway.... go figure...

off to learn to make avocado and smoked salmon sushi blechhhhhhh...

bina

israel

[GuestHouse]

I think a fare percentage of 'Thai Restaurants' are actually re-branded Chinese restaurants.

I would feel weird going to a asian resturant and white people were the ones cooking and serving.

It definately wouldnt be as good

You mean the race of the person cooking and serving makes for better or worse food?

How very strange

[MengWan]

I think a fare percentage of 'Thai Restaurants' are actually re-branded Chinese restaurants.

I would feel weird going to a asian resturant and white people were the ones cooking and serving.

It definately wouldnt be as good

You mean the race of the person cooking and serving makes for better or worse food?

How very strange

1.There are no such thing as 'race' for human beings, we all get down from trees in eastern Africa some time ago !

2.Cuisine is an integral part of something named CULTURE, and one does not acquire a culture by short trainings ...

[Pepe']

Hey thats not kosher!

[Pepe']

I guess the entire world is getting tough on visas and work permits not just Thailand.

You would never read this however in Thailand as foreigners can't do these jobs here without major difficulty. Israel and Thailand restaurant workers now same same...

--------------------------

WRONG!

Today CNN reported that US Immigration and Naturalization lost the applications of 110,000 greencard applicants.

Soloution, just give them all permanent visas... :D

[jstumbo]

I would feel weird going to a asian resturant and white people were the ones cooking and serving.

It definately wouldnt be as good

My wife (chinese) always complains about the Chinese restuarants in the US. She says that the cooks in the restuarants are not any good and that they are probably just people that have made it to the US, but have no training and if they were in China would never be able to get a job as a cook in a restuarant. So just because you are asian working in an asian restuarant does not mean than it will be better.

[TheWalkingMan]

I would feel weird going to a asian resturant and white people were the ones cooking and serving.

It definately wouldnt be as good

:D

I never knew that white people were not able to cook and serve as well as asians.

TheWalkingMan

[geriatrickid]

Umm isn't the use of the expression "kick out" over the top? Makes for a nice rabble rousing headline though. It's a work class restriction that takes place in almost a year. To kick someone out is what Idi Amin did to the Indians when he gave them a few days to sign over their belongings to Ugandans and leave Uganda. It's what Nasser did to certain Egyptians who didn't have the right religion when he gave them 48 hours to leave Egypt.

As many people have mentioned, every country has restrictions on certain work classes. Israel is giving almost a year's notice on this, and it being Israel where finding loopholes and circumventing regulations is a national past time, I doubt it will have much of an impact

Just out of curiousity, I wonder if I could get a job in Thailand as a chef in a Thai cuisine restaurant? Didn't think so.

Edited February 15, 2008 by geriatrickid

[mellow1]

Ok somebody is going to have to tell Israel that they are themselves in Asia (Well they are not in Europe are they?). But I’m going to let someone else break the news to them. Any offers?

I think they already know that. If they would allow freely crossing of their border like many countries allow in Europe, their Arab neighbors would have more opportunities to kill them all.

Anyways this thread was closed yesterday, because someone felt that Thais receiving similar treatment, may lead to abusive comments.

[asiaworld]

Anyway would be nice, if someone could persuade Israeli government/embassy to send a nice note to Thai government hee !! I like to frequent 'israeli food' places, that are all over Banglumpoo , but they are all staffed/cooked by thais ! I'm yet to see a single native cook in those places ! So where's justice, why can't we get an authentic food experience ?!?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Hey thats not kosher!

You are sharper than a scalpel Pepe

[samran]

I think a fare percentage of 'Thai Restaurants' are actually re-branded Chinese restaurants.

I would feel weird going to a asian resturant and white people were the ones cooking and serving.

It definately wouldnt be as good

You mean the race of the person cooking and serving makes for better or worse food?

How very strange

Not the race, but if they aren't from there, then it is unlikely you are going to get the real deal.

If I walked into the local <<insert your favoured national food here>> and there was someone of another nationality cooking and serving it, then I'd have suspicions as to the food I was going to get - at least its authenticity.

Put it down to a childhood growing up in OZ, visiting a country town where the local 'chinese' restuarant was run by someone who thought that soi sauce was exotic and had never been to Asia. Or a Thai restuarant in a latte sipping pricient of Melbourne where lasksa and Mee Goreng we on the menu - cooked by a Malaysian. Or a Thai restuarant where they gave me Chopsticks. Absolute culinary disaster, each and every time.

[Jingthing]

In the majority of cases, if the nationality of the chef matches the food, there is a better chance of getting the real deal, because at least you know that they know what the food is supposed to taste like.

Of course, there are many exceptions. I think Israeli foodies must be sad about this.

Edited February 15, 2008 by Jingthing

[bina]

As many people have mentioned, every country has restrictions on certain work classes. Israel is giving almost a year's notice on this, and it being Israel where finding loopholes and circumventing regulations is a national past time, I doubt it will have much of an impact

Just out of curiousity, I wonder if I could get a job in Thailand as a chef in a Thai cuisine restaurant? Didn't think so.

absolutely correct as i pointed out...

dont worry, maybe 'lemon grass' has pretty decent thai (real central mostly thai) food; but the place where my husband works, and most of the sushi bar/asian food places are just chop suey joints with a twist: a little peanut sauce on one dish, a little pine apple in an other, a third has mushrooms and the fourth is slightly spicey. both he chinese cook and my hsuband cook their own and for me , separately ... for decent flavour and not sweet....

israelis will eat almost anything u put in front of them if its for a decent price .... its the flavour of the year... thai style... but no shrimp, pork and most important of all: NO NAAM PLA OR PRAA RAA at all in any of the dishes. how could that possibly be thai?????????....also gratee (cocanut milk) doesnt feature too frequently either. and these fast food places rarely serve white rice or sticky rice. its all noodles or fried rice combos. or worse: its in a baguette!!!! called a thai sandwich, absolutely vile........

one restaraunt run by a female ex cook who studied in new york has a non asian staff. not sure what the food was like, but she was interested in anon to give authenticity to the restaraunt...

hopefully this wont affect them employing a 'visa free to work anywhere' (due to marriage) thai in cooking.... then we have an ace card to play with....

bina

israel

[Jingthing]

Ouch, that Israeli style Thai food sounds chalushisdick. Maybe the baguette sandwiches are Vietnamese sandwiches?

It occurs to me that gefilte fish would make some nice fish balls.

Or how about Matzoh Thai (pad Jew?), pad Thai with matzoh instead of noodles?

Khao mun gai also sounds a natural, make sure to add extra schmaltz.

Actually, the castrated style of Asian food you are describing reminds me of the Asian food I had in Buenos Aires. Those Argies are really fearful of spices.

Edited February 15, 2008 by Jingthing

[PaulUSA302]

I wonder Israel is using this as a tactic and negotiation ploy. I wonder if the Thai workers in Israel are forced to do Visa runs and now limited to how much time they can spend in Israel in one year?

[PeaceBlondie]

When I lived in New Chinatown in Houston for several years, the more we looked into the kitchen, the cooks were all illegal Mexicans! When we went to the most popular Chinese buffet in Sugarland, I told the Mexican waiters "El gran secreto de los restaurantes chinos, es que los concineros son mexicanos!" The waitstaff in East China Restaurant were illegal ethnic groups from western China. The Thai restaurant on the main road did not have Thai waitstaff, etc. I did find a Thai restaurant run by a lady from Lamphun, though. The biggest restaurant run by Thais makes half pound Texas style hamburgers!

[Jingthing]

I wonder Israel is using this as a tactic and negotiation ploy. I wonder if the Thai workers in Israel are forced to do Visa runs and now limited to how much time they can spend in Israel in one year?

Don't bother wondering. That is absurd.

[PaulUSA302]

I wonder Israel is using this as a tactic and negotiation ploy. I wonder if the Thai workers in Israel are forced to do Visa runs and now limited to how much time they can spend in Israel in one year?

Don't bother wondering. That is absurd.

Your right..... I was just thinking out loud.... Once they are all removed from the country there will be no backlash from the asian countries mentionedl. I bet they have not even contacted isreal in any way regarding this new policy... Everyone will take it in stride with a smile.

I am sure Israel isn't doing this as a ploy but simply want all Asian restaurant workers out of Israel... No if ands or butt's.

Once the Asian's are gone they will focus on the Blacks or Latinos

Edited February 15, 2008 by PaulUSA302

[Jingthing]

Hmmm, I think most of the Africans there are Ethiopian Jews who are mostly Israeli citizens and don't think there are many Latinos (except South American Jews). Asian workers have been used in Israel to replace Palestinian workers for obvious political reasons (boom boom). Israel is about as interested in offering Asian nationals citizenship or permanent visas as Thailand is in offering farangs the same thing here (it isn't). Israel isn't the USA. It is the one and only Jewish state, like it or not. Like Thailand, it doesn't strive to be a multi-culti society like the USA or the UK. Like any other country, they have the right to make their own immigration rules.

Edited February 15, 2008 by Jingthing

[kash]

a Thai restuarant where they gave me Chopsticks.

?

[Tinkelbell]

guesthouse said....."I think a fare percentage of 'Thai Restaurants' are actually re-branded Chinese restaurants...."

................................................................

It's so true. Totally agree with you.

As you know NYC has the most authenic foods from all nations around the world. Where we live we have about dozens of SE/ Asia reataurants within a total squar mile, with Chinese leading the top number.

Years ago when Thai food started getting well know and more people requested, to stay competitive, some of these Chinese restaurants just add more Thai dishes on the menu, hire some Thai waiters, put some Thai figurines for decoration and set ready to go as a Thai restaurant. The business is better than before since most Thai dishes fetch higher price on the menu (not necessary high cost for the ingredients or raw material).

I even see some of them go one step further. Now the owners of these eating establishments see that Americans is crazy about sushi & sashimi. Have you ever observe many of these places put on the billing as 'X Thai Food & Sushi Bar'

[Jingthing]

Yeah, it is funny how average Thai food commands higher priced than Chinese food in the west. Pad Thai for example vs. chow mein. Fish sauce is probably cheaper than soy sauce. Definitely a marketing success.

[Mossfinn]

a Thai restuarant where they gave me Chopsticks.

?

Care to elaborate Kash?

Moss

[Scott]

If I recall correctly, Chow mein is an American food, not Chinese.

I think a lot of people are missing the point about guest workers, immigration etc. Countries will vary on what people they need or want inside their borders. This is about equality. If a country needs maual laborers, they let them come. If they need Civil Engineers, they let them come. If they don't need them, they can't work there.

Immigration/Work Permits etc. are about national interests. Of course it will be inconvenient for some. Now Israeli's will have to learn to do it to a more skilled level than previously. May even have to come to Thailand and attend a cooking class or two.