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China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

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Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#71

Post by wonnage »

nostrademons wrote: post #27

My dad's a Chinese immigrant, and I've been to China and had Chinese food there. There are two types of Chinese food you can get in America (well, more given all the regional variations, but I'm making a point...). If you went to a strip mall, walked into a P.F. Chang's, and had General Tso's Chicken, that's not Chinese food. But if you walked into an unmarked doorway in Chinatown, walked down a flight of stairs to a…

We eat meat too, primarily pork. FWIW, the PF Chang's menu has a couple of dishes reminiscent of actual Chinese food, even if the execution is slightly different - salt & pepper prawns, pepper steak, fried chicken wings, pretty much all of the soups...

The problem is that "Chinese food" as a category is really an enormous oversimplification, and even in China you can go to a place and be disappointed ordering something they don't know how to make. Furthermore, Chinese dish names are essentially the ingredients + main method of preparation, which while unambiguous in Chinese, sound quite mysterious and unappealing when literally translated (e.g, one of my favorite dishes, 'boiled fish'). So ordering in english is kind of a crapshoot.

Therefore, I always feel an obligation to defend the PF Chang's and Panda Expresses of the world when this topic comes up. To someone outside of China, what is Chinese food, other than something Chinese people like to eat? Perhaps it's illustrative to point out that in China, you go to "Western food" restaurants to eat anything perceived as coming from that general direction...

Oh, and there are "nice" restaurants that aren't in the basement too. Chinese immigrants are overall much wealthier than they used to be, and the restaurants that cater to them have gotten more upscale as well. The dingy basement thing has kind of become a second niche in big cities, for adventurous Americans in search of authenticity.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#73

Post by stupidhn »

nitwit005 wrote: post #56
inopinatus wrote: post #19

I'm married to a first-generation offspring of Chinese parents, a source of regular and scathing remarks on how what is served in the US as "Chinese food" is often a many-generations-removed facsimile thereof. Three items in particular (Chop Suey, Chow Mein and General Tso Chicken) receive very special ridicule and their appearance on a menu can effectively disqualify any restaurant from further consideration. As the…

There is a lot of ego around food when it gets tied to identity. Your spouse is probably rejecting many restaurants that are run by immigrants cooking recepies brought over.

Much of this thread reeks of hipsterism, where nothing is good but the "original", as if cuisine isn't under constant evolution.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#74

Post by notahacker »

bingomad123 wrote: post #23

China does not understand American Chinese Food ? Wait till they find the monstrosity called "Chinese Bhel" an Indian Chinese food.

Or get served Aeropuerto (a wonton sitting on top of an enormous pile of rice, noodles, and potato chips) in a Peruvian Chinese restaurant

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#75

Post by thoraway25455 »

nostrademons wrote: post #27

My dad's a Chinese immigrant, and I've been to China and had Chinese food there. There are two types of Chinese food you can get in America (well, more given all the regional variations, but I'm making a point...). If you went to a strip mall, walked into a P.F. Chang's, and had General Tso's Chicken, that's not Chinese food. But if you walked into an unmarked doorway in Chinatown, walked down a flight of stairs to a…

> walked into an unmarked doorway in Chinatown, walked down a flight of stairs to a very dingy basement, held up a few fingers to tell the hostess how many people were in your party, and then ordered off a menu where nothing was in English and everything either had tendons or organ meat

Pretty effective recipe for food poisoning you got there.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#76

Post by boomboomsubban »

orblivion wrote: post #63

What doesn't add up to me is the idea that American Chinese food evolved from the 1800s, yet every legit Chinese restaurant has owners who have a heavy Chinese accent, clearly from China themselves. Did they come here and so quickly adapt to what was expected from "Chinese" food?

My experience has been that very few Chinese restaurants are owned by Chinese immigrants, most are from some other country.

There are a handful of "Chinese" food distributors in the US that provide for most restaurants. It's more akin to opening a McDonald's.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#77

Post by peferron »

zhemao wrote: post #61
nitwit005 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a lot of ego around food when it gets tied to identity. Your spouse is probably rejecting many restaurants that are run by immigrants cooking recepies brought over.

Seriously, though. California, and the Bay Area specifically, is one of the best places in the US to find authentic Chinese food. OP's spouse is just a snob. Sure, a lot of restaurants feel the need to put some "standard" dishes like General Tso's Chicken on the menu, just in case. You don't have to order those. Outside of tourist traps like SF Chinatown, Chinese restaurants mainly serve Chinese food to a predominant…

Sichuan cuisine in the Bay Area is atrocious compared to the real deal. Maybe Cantonese or Hunan fare better but unfortunately I don't like these cuisines nearly as much.

BTW, I'm neither American nor Chinese, so I don't have any national pride involved either way. I just happen to have spent multiple years in both countries.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#78

Post by slackingoff2017 »

alkonaut wrote: post #70

This is exactly the same with Italian food: even though the US is full of people of Italian descent, that doesn't change the fact that the Olive Garden menu baffles Italians. Italian-American is a different kitchen. Just like British-Indian food. Or Tex-Mex. Sometimes these adaptations are pretty good (the British Indian food, which is what everyone outside india thinks of as "Indian food" is pretty good!) but for so…

Texmex is good if you get it in Texas. Texas was once a part of Mexico. There's a large number of multi generational Mexican-US citizens and plenty of time for American and Mexican food to blend.

What most places call texmex is just low quality imitations of Mexican food.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#79

Post by barry-cotter »

thoraway25455 wrote: post #75
nostrademons wrote: post #27

My dad's a Chinese immigrant, and I've been to China and had Chinese food there. There are two types of Chinese food you can get in America (well, more given all the regional variations, but I'm making a point...). If you went to a strip mall, walked into a P.F. Chang's, and had General Tso's Chicken, that's not Chinese food. But if you walked into an unmarked doorway in Chinatown, walked down a flight of stairs to a…

> walked into an unmarked doorway in Chinatown, walked down a flight of stairs to a very dingy basement, held up a few fingers to tell the hostess how many people were in your party, and then ordered off a menu where nothing was in English and everything either had tendons or organ meat Pretty effective recipe for food poisoning you got there.

I went to a lot of Chinese restaurants that fit that experience in Dublin and never had food poisoning. Likewise for five years living in Shanghai.

Whereof one knows not one must be silent.

Re: China Doesn't Understand the Concept of American Chinese Food (2014)

#80

Post by sooheon »

m_mueller wrote: post #38
jaredklewis wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite example of this is Japanese sushi. In Japan, where totally fresh fish is abundant and easy to purchase, the focus is entirely on the fish and rice. Most every dish is just raw fish and rice. There are simple rolls which wrap, fish and rice in seaweed. Sometimes wa few, sparse other ingredients like shallots or cucumbers make there way into the roll. Then, Sushi gets taken to America, and what I can only a…

Actually rice is the main focus in Japanese Sushi - it needs to be treated perfectly - soft and grained, yet sticky enough to just hold together, with salt and vinegar added to a point, pressed and eaten very quickly. Fish is just there to round off the rice. That's why Sushi chefs train for years just preparing the rice - cutting fish is the last step to learn.

I'm sure rife is important, but you're way over correcting. Fish is just there to round off the rice? Please.
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