In high school, I worked as a dishwasher for Great China, a Chinese restaurant in Brighton, Michigan. My boss eventually left the company to found his own restaurant, Thai-Chi Express in Detroit. He hired me to illustrate a comic strip for the menu. The text and storyline are his; I only drew the pictures.

Shortly after completing the drawings, I left for my two-year missionary service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bordeaux, France. I never actually saw the completed menu until I returned home two years later.

I visited the restaurant only once, shortly after my mission. At that time, it was under new management. Sadly, the restaurant went out of business not long afterwards, and no longer exists today.

The gentleman depicted in the final panel of the cartoon is Dennis Archer, who was the mayor of Detroit at the time. Apparently he was supposed to make an honorary visit to the restaurant at some point, and my boss wanted his likeness to appear in the menu to flatter him.

Thai-Chi Express Restaurant Menu

If you're curious, you can also view high-resolution scans of the full menu.


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