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# Once upon a time in the Middle East
- URL: https://larrysalibra.com/once-upon-a-time-in-the-middle-east/
- Published: 2026-08-20T15:59:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-20T16:37:41.000Z
- Author: Larry Salibra
- Tags: china, movies, day-42, daily

This evening, I popped up to Shenzhen to watch the recently released Chinese anti-war movie *Once upon a time in the Middle East* (*欢迎来龙餐馆*). It's the story of a Chinese chef who moves to a fictional country in the Middle East to work in a restaurant and pay off his debts. Unfortunately for him, he arrived right before an American invasion that struck an uncanny resemblance to the 2003 Iraq invasion. It was a very intense, moving and ultimately enjoyable movie that I think even audiences with no connection to China would enjoy.

A few quick notes/thoughts:

- This wasn't a pro or anti-American movie. No effort was spent trying to explain, defend or criticize the geopolitical reasons for the invasion.
- I'm guilty of having a heavy diet of Hollywood movies, so I'm definitely not used to seeing the US military in a movie without being the protagonist. It's not that they were the good guys or the bad guys in this movie, but that they were just guys: some good, some flawed, all human.
- Overseas Chinese workers and the Chinese diaspora are absolutely everywhere and have been for centuries. This story of just a tiny taste of crazy situations some of their members must have encountered.
- Once you speak Chinese, every Chinese restaurant in the world is gold mine for local insight, tips and intelligence. The owners and staff will happily give you the lay of the land and share their unfiltered opinions of their host country.
- The cinematography, especially the footage of food, was literally mouth-watering. The acting and storytelling were both top notch.
- I think this movie could be globally appealing, at least in markets where people are used to watching foreign movies that are subtitled and not dubbed. Hollywood might be getting closer to having their Deepseek moment. Strangely, though, the movie isn't playing in Hong Kong theaters, nor has a release date been scheduled or announced.