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5.09.2007

too "oriental" for italy

The local government in Treviso, Italy has ordered the city's Chinese restaurants to remove red lanterns from their windows because they look too "oriental": Forget it, Jake... It's Chinatown. All this fuss over lanterns? They're just freaking lanterns! But then again, this really isn't about lanterns, is it? Treviso, just outside Venice, is run by the populist, anti-immigrant Northern League. And last month, you'll remember that police in Milan clashed with the local Chinese community over a traffic dispute... Things don't seem to be going well for Chinese folks in Italy. You know, it sort of reminds me of those people who don't want a 99 Ranch Market built in Chino Hills...