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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)

#131

Post by che_shirecat »

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"…

food is an expression of culture. your post makes sense in a purely utilitarian context but fails to factor in the history and cultural associations behind authentic regional cuisine. there's nothing wrong with new combinations and styles as food continues to evolve, but you're marginalizing an entire facet of culture by trying to distill food down to just taste and nutrition.

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

#132

Post by dyu- »

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…

Went to toronto 2 years ago and the chinese food we've tried there is pretty-amazingly-delicious. And yes, they don't even speak english :-)

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

#133

Post by Chathamization »

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…

> The confusion of "authenticity" with "quality" in the comments here is really embarassing.

I don't necessarily disagree, but a lot of the time "authentic" can be a decent indicator of quality. In my experience, the best food comes from people who actually eat the food themselves and people who are making the food for motivations other than simple monetary motivations. That's the issue with a lot of "inauthentic" food - the people who make it don't necessarily like it or enjoy eating it, but and are often making it to appeal to what they view as the norm for the surrounding culture in an attempt to make more money.

It's not that non-authentic food can't be great, it's just that often times it's more of a cheap cash-grab. It's the same reason you wouldn't expect food at a movie theater or sports stadium to be great (though there are exceptions).

I don't think it's even about what country you're in. You have similar situations with American food in downtown Manhattan, Italian food in downtown Rome, Chinese food in Shanghai, etc., leading to a lot of low quality food in those places. I actually had more luck finding good, authentic Chinese food when I was traveling through the tourist areas of Italy than I did finding good authentic Italian food.

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

#134

Post by ralfd »

orblivion wrote: post #62
tuna-piano wrote: post #44

In the reverse, this is what I got when I ordered a burger at a basketball game in China. I think of this burger when I try and empathize with how other cultures feel when America adapts their cuisine: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5dDMxJP_n1aVWFmby0ydlJfbW8... Also, here's a video of Chinese people trying Panda Express (American Chinese fast food) for the first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo59LlkTDe4

I think that young guy was just showing off how authentic he was to the two ladies sitting next to him. The old people liked it.

Ya, the young people were overly picky because they wanted to.

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

#135

Post by ebiester »

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…

North American food is surprisingly diverse, too. That isn't to take anything from Chinese food, which is amazingly diverse. However, compare the food of Tucson, San Francisco, Santa Fe, San Antonio, New Orleans, Atlanta, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, and Vancouver. (I'm not even comparing to other North American countries such as Mexico, Cuba, and Panama, each with microregions of their own.)

Off topic, I wish there was more Uighur food around the US - that stuff is fantastic.

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

#136

Post by ebiester »

tremendo wrote: post #101
spc476 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can find an American-Chinese restaurant everywhere, but I was very surprised to find a Chinese-Mexican restaurant in Florida (Indiantown, Florida to be precise): https://www.google.com/maps/@27.024428,-80.4724516,3a,75y,21... Haven't eaten there, but have passed the place plenty of times (girlfriend's Mom used to live in Indiantown).

> …but I was very surprised to find a Chinese-Mexican restaurant in Florida… Here in AZ there's Chino Bandido that attempts this fusion, and many seem to like it. Personally I, a mexican, was not particularly impressed. On the other hand I thoroughly enjoy the Jap-Mex Sushirrito. Then again the whole of Mexican food here in the US is at least somewhat americanized too.

When I used to spend more time in Phoenix, it was a semi-regular stop. I look at it as its own thing, not to be judged against its component cultures.

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

#137

Post by whack »

jclos wrote: post #122
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…

I agree completely with trying out different cuisines and recipes. You'd have to be a very boring/close-minded person if you refuse to try new dishes. But that doesn't mean that you should force yourself to eat dishes that you've tried and disliked, just because it's "authentic". Or that you should stop eating something you enjoy just because it isn't "authentic".

Ironically enough, this very obsession with authenticity stunts the evolution, innovation and diversity of cuisines. As a foodie, I consider this to be the real tragedy.

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

#138

Post by Cerium »

inimino wrote: post #124
lhorie wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Maybe people don't view it as fancy, but it is still fancy. I went to one a year ago, sit down restaurant with leather style book menu. Cost enough - 130 RMB for a small pizza!

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

#139

Post by zhemao »

awl130 wrote: post #128
zhemao wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yeah, SF is crap and overpriced, but the surrounding cities have pretty good food. Like every other metropolitan area, you have to get out of the city center to the suburbs where Chinese immigrants actually live.

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

#140

Post by jclos »

whack wrote: post #137
jclos wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

I agree completely with trying out different cuisines and recipes. You'd have to be a very boring/close-minded person if you refuse to try new dishes. But that doesn't mean that you should force yourself to eat dishes that you've tried and disliked, just because it's "authentic". Or that you should stop eating something you enjoy just because it isn't "authentic". Ironically enough, this very obsession with authentic…

Some dishes deserve to be insisted upon and revisited multiple times in my opinion, but it's a case by case basis. Some tastes can grow on you (in my case some organ meat tasted quite bad at first), and often your tastes change and mature with time, but I agree that obsessing over a particular dish is not a healthy relationship to have with food.

There is also a degree related to it: while you can develop a taste for say, for example, some dish you found originally bland (it was the case for an Indian friend of mine who came to Europe from a place where spicy is the norm), I doubt it would happen for something you found utterly revolting.

I am personally all for fusion food and experimenting as long as the original meals are preserved. I am for enriching, but against replacing.

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