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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)

#121

Post by dTal »

whack wrote: post #115

I never understood this fascination with food-authenticity. When it comes to food, there are only 2 things that matter: - Is it healthy? - Does it taste good to me? If something is healthy and delights your taste buds, then why bother trying to find out whether it's authentic ? Conversely, why force yourself to eat something you enjoy less, just because it happens to be " authentic " or because "other people like it"…

Because eating is a social activity. We eat with each other and cook for each other. Sharing experiences is important.

Because food reflects culture, and is an interesting and often pleasurable way to connect with it. Exploring other cultures is important.

Because some tastes are acquired, and take effort. Diversity in experience is important.

Taken to its extreme, your attitude would have us all drinking flavored Soylent.

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

#122

Post by jclos »

whack wrote: post #115

I never understood this fascination with food-authenticity. When it comes to food, there are only 2 things that matter: - Is it healthy? - Does it taste good to me? If something is healthy and delights your taste buds, then why bother trying to find out whether it's authentic ? Conversely, why force yourself to eat something you enjoy less, just because it happens to be " authentic " or because "other people like it"…

Maybe it's the inner Frenchman in me talking (food is very important here), but food doesn't have to just be fuel for your body, it's also a door to the local culture and a social ritual. Tasting different things and eating in an authentic setting can help open your mind, much like learning a foreign language or living abroad in a different culture.

And besides, by educating your palate with tastes that do not exist in your country you can discover things that you would never have thought you would like.

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

#123

Post by [deleted] »

ajross wrote: post #96
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…

> This is exactly the same with Italian food This is exactly the same with all food, everywhere. Cultures appropriate and modify stuff they get from other cultures, continually. Americans did it with Chinese, sure. And also Italian as you point out. And Mexican. And Japanese (the modern conception of "fancy maki rolls" is mostly an American export). And the Italians did it too! And the Mexicans! And the Chinese! The…

[deleted]

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

#124

Post by inimino »

lhorie wrote: post #105
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…

I live in an area in Toronto that is very chinese (chinese supermarkets, chinese mall, even chinese doctor offices - you can pretty much live normally here without speaking a word of english) and my impression of restaurants in the area has been that rather than it being a dichotomy in terms of "american" vs "chinese" chinese food, the dichotomy is that chinese cuisine is extremely diverse compared to north american…

> pizza hut there is apparently considered "fancy food"

Ten years ago, but not so much now.

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

#125

Post by consz »

m_mueller wrote: post #83
sooheon wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I stand by my comment. Any trained Sushi chef knows how to cut the fish properly, all they need is access to a good wholesale fish market like Tsukiji or one of its resellers to offer you some very nice fish - but the way they treat the rice is where you see the biggest difference between a trained sushi chef and a master. No matter where you go in Japan it's still way beyond what you'd get in expensive places abroad…

> Any trained Sushi chef knows how to cut the fish properly, all they need is access to a good wholesale fish market like Tsukiji

This isn't a convincing argument at all, I could just as easily say "any trained sushi chef knows how to cook rice properly, all they need is Amazon and access to a good rice cooker like Zojirushi".

For what it's worth, I don't believe the idea that rice is the main focus -- it just sounds like the sushi chefs are fucking with people when they say something like that.

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

#126

Post by gh02t »

bane wrote: post #120
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…

Something that I found tremendously exciting was Japanese-American food. The menu at Japanese Denny's is incredible. Nothing really "Japanese", but yet everything is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_lUpEma7W4

It amuses me to see "Western" Japanese food (youshoku). E.g. hamburger steak, Napoloitan pasta (totally disgusting to me) or even omurice. Dishes that we vaguely recognize, but are really Japanese creations or Japanese versions in the case of hamburger steak. I imagine an American in Denny's probably feels like a Chinese person in an American Chinese food restaurant or a Japanese person in an American Japanese restaurant.

Also, all the weird sorts of things you can get on pizza in Japan that are utterly foreign to Americans (and even more so to Italians).

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

#127

Post by dlwdlw »

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…

I actually really like general tsaos chicken and often seeek it out as it's a dish you can't get in China. It only appeals to more people more from the south though or have sweeter cuisines like Shanghai.

Many chinese people in the bay area who can't stand it don't like sweet dishes in general. If they're more from the west, they often complain about not being to find authentically spicy food.

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

#128

Post by awl130 »

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…

uhhh, I disagree with your assessment of him/her as a snob. I go to San Gabriel Valley every weekend for dinner and lunch, and I've never seen any of those things on the menu anywhere. Chinese food in SF is abysmal. I'm not a snob, I'm not even Chinese.

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

#129

Post by andybak »

whack wrote: post #115

I never understood this fascination with food-authenticity. When it comes to food, there are only 2 things that matter: - Is it healthy? - Does it taste good to me? If something is healthy and delights your taste buds, then why bother trying to find out whether it's authentic ? Conversely, why force yourself to eat something you enjoy less, just because it happens to be " authentic " or because "other people like it"…

> Is it healthy?

Surely this is worth making exceptions for when the situation demands it? I'm all in favour of eating healthily in general but you're missing out on some amazing experiences if you're sticking to this rule all the time.

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

#130

Post by andybak »

wtvanhest wrote: post #17
ninju wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cuisine is called Indo-Chinese food...it's a fusion of Chinese dishes with Indian spices and vis-versa. It has come about because "close" border between China and India (in the north east) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Chinese_cuisine It is similar to the term Tex-Mex which a fusion of Mexican food with American tastes

I feel like trinidad also has an indo chinese feel to their food. I think they had immigrants from both countries. Absolutely awesome food.

Hmmmm. I had beef-filled Roti in Tobago. That was incredible.
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