Chinese Food

[shadowmouse]

chifir

'Nuff said, that would explain it. Regular tea would probable seem pretty close to tap water.

but lets not pretend that there isn't an extremely dark side to it in certain places.

Nor is that unique to Chinese food. @belfpala got any good stories about adulterated foods, questionable additives, mishandled food or stuff like that?

[ls-]

'Nuff said, that would explain it. Regular tea would probable seem pretty close to tap water.

Haha, I'm surprised that you knew/heard about it But yeah, tap water comparison is quite spot on.

[Zelk]

5 spice and mayonnaise is enough for something to be classed as chinese here.

[Elegiac]

Chinese food in Seattle, like most of the US, is fairly hit or miss; quite a few places have adjusted their menus and flavor profiles to appeal to an American palate; the flavors and spices tend to be fairly muted with the sweetness being emphasised. There are some hole in the wall establishments that do sell more authentic food and a few higher end restaurants that try to combat the idea of Chinese food as being cheap/borderline fast food.

Probably the best Chinese food I've had has been in Hong Kong and Singapore respectively; food on the mainland in China is kind of....bad.

[shadowmouse]

food on the mainland in China is kind of....bad.

I'd be curious to know what makes you say that.

[ghotihook]

My brother lived in China for 7 years and his wife is Taiwanese. I asked him about Chinese food her and he agreed with most of the posters here. 90% of "Chinese food" here in the USA is not even close. Many invented Chinese dishes or dishes labeled as authentic that really do not taste the same. But there definitely are places (mostly in urban areas) that serve very close to traditional Chinese food. Even from my non-expert opinion, (I spent 3 weeks in China and 2 weeks in Taiwan) I think Chinese food here just doesn't taste as fresh. I don't know if it's additives or just that it's truly not as fresh. I LOVED Chinese food when I was in China. I traveled from Hong Kong to Beijing by car, bus and train.

[Dwarfhamster]

Chinese food in Seattle, like most of the US, is fairly hit or miss; quite a few places have adjusted their menus and flavor profiles to appeal to an American palate; the flavors and spices tend to be fairly muted with the sweetness being emphasised. There are some hole in the wall establishments that do sell more authentic food and a few higher end restaurants that try to combat the idea of Chinese food as being cheap/borderline fast food.

Probably the best Chinese food I've had has been in Hong Kong and Singapore respectively; food on the mainland in China is kind of....bad.

Like any other food-serving establishment in the world, it all depends, no? The best Chinese food I had in China wasn't at the high end restaurants, but rather the smaller, family-owned joints. I don't know if the high-end restaurants try to copy American Chinese food to appeal to a broader, more international patrons, or some other reason. But damn, the smaller places were amazing.

I haven't been to HK, but yeah, agree on Singapore. Chinese food there is pretty good and almost 100% guaranteed that their ingredients are legit.

[Elegiac]

Like any other food-serving establishment in the world, it all depends, no? The best Chinese food I had in China wasn't at the high end restaurants, but rather the smaller, family-owned joints. I don't know if the high-end restaurants try to copy American Chinese food to appeal to a broader, more international patrons, or some other reason. But damn, the smaller places were amazing.

I haven't been to HK, but yeah, agree on Singapore. Chinese food there is pretty good and almost 100% guaranteed that their ingredients are legit.

We did a mix of higher end and smaller establishments in both Shanghai and Bejing, but again my impression of mainland food was not a good one.

Maybe I'm just too Anglo :P

[I Push Buttons]

Whenever I get Chinese food, I usually get a dish called General Tso's Chicken.

Its always under the spicy section for places around here, but they all make it sweet, really sweet, like almost candy.

I really enjoy it.

[shadowmouse]

@Didactic Shanghai food must be an acquired taste, I've had friends try to get me to like it but as I said earlier -- Jiangsu food in general is my least favorite. I lived in Jiangsu for awhile and there are only a couple of dishes that I ever miss.

Beijing can be hit and miss, it has grown too quickly and there are too many tourists. Even if you get a good place, it might not fit what you are comfortable with. There are things that are Old Beijing style that locals gush over, but they're surprised I can handle. One such dish is almost a Chinese version of refried beans; the hardcore traditional version uses mutton grease, but even many Chinese prefer it with soybean oil. A lot of good places were closed up in the run up to the 2008 Olympics and reopened as mediocre Sichuan restaurants because of the Sichuan earthquake.

By all reports, Singapore has amazing food and so does Hong Kong, by no means would I discount either as not having good Chinese food (albeit perhaps with local characteristics). I'd just note that the mainland is huge and densely populated, with a wide variety of choices. We have a hell of a lot of options to sample.

[Rasulis]

The average Joe might know what they are getting, but they DON'T know that its not really authentic Chinese food. That's where the fraud is happening. They are tricked into believing what they are eating is Chinese food, when it isnt

The average joe may have issues with authentic Chinese food. When my wife and I got married, we had a 10-course Chinese banquet, and I still remember the reactions from my wife’s side of the family when they brought out the Peking Duck with the head still attached to the tables. My wife is pretty cosmopolitan when it comes to international cuisine, and she still would not touch eel (deep fried eel with Kaylan is my favorite dish).

Also, the real Chinese food, as in regular Chinese people food, tend to use meat a lot more sparingly than the food that you see in the US. Even in so called authentic Chinese restaurants. Meat is used to accent (add flavor) to the dishes, as opposed to it being the main attraction. The best Chinese food I have ever had was made by the father of my girlfriend in college. The guy was from Hong Kong and worked as a cook in a Chinese restaurant in SF Chinatown. When he cooked for the family at home, he hardly used meat, but his food was just out of this world. When we broke up, I was more upset about not eating her father’s cooking than the break up itself.

[Beazy]

I think real Vietnam food is better than real Chinese. Pho and Thịt Nướng are some of the best foods on earth. Seriously, anyone who says Pho isnt the best soup created by humans on planet earth, deserves an ass beating with a baseball bat.

[Elegiac]

@Didactic Shanghai food must be an acquired taste, I've had friends try to get me to like it but as I said earlier -- Jiangsu food in general is my least favorite. I lived in Jiangsu for awhile and there are only a couple of dishes that I ever miss.

Beijing can be hit and miss, it has grown too quickly and there are too many tourists. Even if you get a good place, it might not fit what you are comfortable with. There are things that are Old Beijing style that locals gush over, but they're surprised I can handle. One such dish is almost a Chinese version of refried beans; the hardcore traditional version uses mutton grease, but even many Chinese prefer it with soybean oil. A lot of good places were closed up in the run up to the 2008 Olympics and reopened as mediocre Sichuan restaurants because of the Sichuan earthquake.

By all reports, Singapore has amazing food and so does Hong Kong, by no means would I discount either as not having good Chinese food (albeit perhaps with local characteristics). I'd just note that the mainland is huge and densely populated, with a wide variety of choices. We have a hell of a lot of options to sample.

Shanghai food just seemed pretty flavorless to me; the exception to my mainland impression is Guangzhou, as the food there was fairly enjoyable. But not a scratch on Hong Kong.

But as you said, China is a frickin' massive country and you need a lot of time to really explore what it has to offer in terms of cuisine.

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The average Joe might know what they are getting, but they DON'T know that its not really authentic Chinese food. That's where the fraud is happening. They are tricked into believing what they are eating is Chinese food, when it isnt

Considering you've never been outside of the US, I highly doubt you'd know what 'authentic' Chinese food is like.

[Rasulis]

OK, even I had to break into the Gaoliang to get that image out of my mind. Why would you do that to dahongpao!

Talking about Gaoliang remind me of when I was young. We used to go to the family temple every Chinese New Year, and they would have Gaoliang wine in big gigantic pots (not in sissy bottles). All the old guys would be drinking the wine in the back of the temple. The cups pretty much stayed full because they would get refilled before they were empty. Those guys usually got really boisterous. However, I don’t remember seeing them get real drunk or throwing up.

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I think real Vietnam food is better than real Chinese. Pho and Thịt Nướng are some of the best foods on earth. Seriously, anyone who says Pho isnt the best soup created by humans on planet earth, deserves an ass beating with a baseball bat.

Ever had Vietnamese 7 courses of beef? Bright red thin slices of raw beef in a sweet tart sauce with onions is my favorite.

[Elegiac]

I think real Vietnam food is better than real Chinese. Pho and Thịt Nướng are some of the best foods on earth. Seriously, anyone who says Pho isnt the best soup created by humans on planet earth, deserves an ass beating with a baseball bat.

Laksa is better than Pho.

Come at me.

[Freighter]

I think real Vietnam food is better than real Chinese. Pho and Thịt Nướng are some of the best foods on earth. Seriously, anyone who says Pho isnt the best soup created by humans on planet earth, deserves an ass beating with a baseball bat.

It sucks.

[shadowmouse]

Also, the real Chinese food, as in regular Chinese people food, tend to use meat a lot more sparingly than the food that you see in the US.

I can see why you would say that, but there is a reason that China has a strategic reserve for pork. Particularly with growing affluence, many Chinese eat a hell of a lot of meat. Pink (2.1) just brought us 50 kg of smoked meat from her mother's farm and being a moderate Buddhist and a very slender 145 cm she goes light on meat. Even when cooking for other women she uses a considerable amount of meat. For reference, my grandfather was a rancher in Oklahoma -- if the steak fits on the plate there is something wrong. I still get meals with Chinese friends that have what I would have to call hefty amounts of meat.

As for Gaoliang, that's another thing Chinese can't really believe I can handle. The first question asked is -- how much can you drink? Hard drinking is part of the local culture. Ah, yes, the big jars. We have shops that specialize in Gaoliang. You go in and the whole place is packed with them, and fragrant with the fumes. I always like visiting one of those shops and never get out without a few liters.

[Jofe]

I don't have photos, but here Chinese food usually = Rice with something else. The rice has this roots which name I don't know but from what I know they're a staple of Chinese cuisine. It can have any of these: shrimps, pork, chicken, vegetables. There are also some side stuff in the form of bittersweet pork, quail eggs, vegetables among others.

[Afrospinach]

I don't have photos, but here Chinese food usually = Rice with something else. The rice has this roots which name I don't know but from what I know they're a staple of Chinese cuisine. It can have any of these: shrimps, pork, chicken, vegetables. There are also some side stuff in the form of bittersweet pork, quail eggs, vegetables among others.

That is only one style of chinese food. It is a country the size of a continent with the population of a continent. Generally westerners are only exposed to cantonese style cooking.

[Dwarfhamster]

I think real Vietnam food is better than real Chinese. Pho and Thịt Nướng are some of the best foods on earth. Seriously, anyone who says Pho isnt the best soup created by humans on planet earth, deserves an ass beating with a baseball bat.

As a Vietnamese American ... I agree with sad Spidey-Tobey McGuire.

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Laksa is better than Pho.

Come at me.

Laksa is good, but I think pho has more depth. Also, laksa is Malaysia is better than laksa in Singapore.