Excited
Have you ever noticed how Americanized Chinese food, really isn’t so Chinese?
I’ve found that interestingly enough, the food is… well, coarsely made. I’m not really sure how else to put it, but a lot of it is bigger, the time it’s taken to create the taste isn’t there. Just in general, it’s like the difference between say a burger at a fast food restaurant versus one served at a sit-in restaurant.
But that’s not all. A lot of the foods just aren’t the same, perhaps because the audience differs. It reminds of this one time when I took two of my colleagues to dim sum. They were open to trying the different types of food but in the end they broke down and asked if I could order something they were more used to seeing. The waiter actually asked me in Mandarin if he should bring out the American menu. (Yes, there ARE two different types of menus). From a Cantonese perspective, I would imagine that some people would have trouble swallowing the thought of eating barbeque chicken feet, or thousand year old egg in congee.
There are two different types of fried rice for example. When ordered in a Chinese environment, usually the rice is white and there are usually more vegetables and seems a lot less salty. In more Americanized fried rice, there usually is the tint of soy sauce in the rice itself, pan seared, and a lot more meat and egg. They both taste great, but one differs from the other.
Sorry, hate to break it to those that love it, but there isn’t chop suey, crab rangoon, or even the favorite “fortune cookie“. And I know that last one breaks the heart of one of my good friends to now know that it’s not even Chinese.
Photo Credit: (Slice)
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I too recommend The Fortune Cookie Chronicles.
I remember when I was a Jewish kid growing up in Pittsburgh, my parents used to get La Choy Chow Mein from the supermarket. To this fussy kid it looked incredibly unappetizing. I didn't try Americanized Chinese food until I was nearly 30.
I remember being introduced to authentic Cantonese food by a co-worker several years after my first Americanized experience, starting with jellyfish, cheung fun, and barbecue-sauce chicken feet at a dim sum place in SF Chinatown. I loved it.
Yeah, there are some dishes I don't go for (sea cucumber, bitter melon, egg yolk in my moon cakes) or don't even want to be in the same room as (stinky tofu). But I've gotten much fussier about the Americanized Chinese food I still sometimes eat.
I used to love bothering some Chinese friends by asking them, "where can I get some really authentic Chinese chicken salad?"
While I generally avoid Americanized Chinese (easy to do in Silicon Valley), blends of Chinese food with other ingredients and cultures can yield interesting results. Filipino food has Chinese influences. Malaysian and Singaporean restaurants are pretty popular now, the food there a blend of Chinese, Malay, and Indian influences. I have been to a number of Chinese oriented Japanese restaurants. The one Chinese blend I want to try is Indian style Chinese food (Desi Chinese food). Does anyone know if there any desi chinese places in the Bay Area?
Who opts for the Western menu over dim sum? Were you dining with republicans?
And, the fortune cookie is indeed a Japanese creation.
Chinese culture is unique in that it spans the globe. Chinese diasporic communities in many countries, influenced and influencing many communities. It's not like off shoots of a idealized TRUE Chinese food are tying to be 'so Chinese'. It's just amazing that they can and do flourish in their own terms. I think people need to have a broader understanding of what so called Chinese food is. And coupled with that, what Chinese culture is.
Yeah, the thing about Chinese Food is that everything needs to be cooked, even iceberg lettuce. So Jen is right. There's no Chinese salad ever.
American Chinese food is a cuisine all on its own and I would argue that Fortune Cookies are Chinese, just not traditional Chinese cuisine. I'm pretty sure it's invented by a Chinese in San Francisco. :)
Another thing about Chinese cuisine, I think, is that everything is either good for you or brings you good omen. So that's where American Chinese and Traditional Chinese cuisine differ.
I'm a Cantonese but I too stay away from chicken feet (BBQ or Vinegared) . Just not my style... lol
u00e2u0080u009cWhy American Chinese cuisine isnu00e2u0080u0099t exactly Chineseu00e2u0080u009d is sort of the whole premise of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, which I've blogged about. You should check out the book!
As my Chinese friend likes to say, "Chinese people DON'T eat salad"
i always think of his statement whenever I see the Chinese Chicken Salad option at the Cheesecake Factory...
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[...] version of the menu and a fork. I hate the American menu. 8Asians.com is diplomatic in their assessment of American Chinese food: Have you ever noticed how Americanized Chinese food, really isn’t so Chinese? I’ve found that [...]