Chinese Food?

Question

I had a friend go to China, and she said the cooking there is completely differnt then Chinese places in the states. Do you think our Chinese food is like fast food to them?

While optimistic p has obviously done some research, FYI, just put the link to the site, not the entire contents in the answer.

Answer 1

I am Chinese and I am living in the states. I can tell you that the Chinese food, especially those cooked at those take-out places, like my father said, is lousy. So, I would not even say that it is like fast food; at least, fast food is still food. If you were to go to Chinatown, you can something more authentic than those you get in those Chinese take-out places.

I remember taking my mother to a Chinese take-out place for the first time. To this day, my mother still remembers that wonton soup. The wontons were gigantic and the dough was super thick. Nobody would even waste money on buying these wontons if they were being sold in China or Hong Kong, which is where I am originally from. And the other thing is, the Egg Foo Young's are weird. We have Egg Foo Young in Hong Kong but the Egg Foo Young over there is like, imagine scramble egg in some kind of egg sauce; so, it is fluffy and kind of watery. But the Egg Foo Young's in the states are like deep fried omelets. I can keep going on and on about how the Chinese places in the states have butchered the authentic delicious Chinese dishes. What I want to say is, the Chinese food here in the states is greatly Americanized to fit the Americans' taste buds.

Oh by the way, in case some of you may not know, Fortune Cookie is not a Chinese food. I have never had a Fortune Cookie before I came to the states.

Answer 2

I went to 12 different cities in China from Beijing to Shanghai. Each one of them has a different variation in their cuisine. I think if a Chinese come here in USA for the first time, they will not recognize the food in Chinese Restaurant.
Some Chinese Restaurant in USA are really good. Do you know how to find a good Chinese Restaurant? If the clientelle are mainly Chinese, then the food is good and authentic. You should try it.

Answer 3

Most definitely. If you go to the authentic Chinese restaurants in Chinese populated cities like San Fran or Vancouver, or Toronto, you can get a taste of what the different styles of Chinese food from the northern cuisine, to southern and szechuan. They all differ rather than just the usual "chop suey" most people are aware of.

Answer 4

As someone who grew up in China, I have to say that Chinese food here is completely different. It's very americanized--laden with heavy, sweet sauces and mostly fried. Seriously, I have never heard of General Tso's before I came here. Chinese cuisine is much more diverse than the regular menu you see in American restaurants. The fortune cookie was also invented in the US!

Answer 5

What we eat here in the States is "Americanized" Chinese food. There are a few places (that aren't buffets) where you can find real Chinese food, depending on where you live.

Answer 6

Most of the chinese restaurants in here are not authentic...or should I say most chinese take out place in the US are not authentic. It's always greasy and too salty. I don't blame them for it, if they want to stay in business, they have to tailor their food to their customers (Americans) who have diff tastebuds than real chinese ppl. So, general tso, crab ranggoon and even fortune cookies are americanized. You will never find these in china.
Therefore, the rule of thumd for authentic chinese --> look for a place w/ most asians guests.

Answer 7

Our Chinese food isn't as good, definitely. They have a lot of weird spices and techniques that are hundreds of years old. We have a random guy frying up rice and pork with soy sauce and calling it Chinese food.

Answer 8

Yes, I don't our chinese food here is authentic unless you get it home cooked from some chinese grandma from the old country.

Answer 9

The Chinese food here is American, is well... mostly American Chinese and not authentic... plus many Chinese foods we eat, were created for the American taste buds..

Answer 10

the chinese food we get here greatly differs since they coome from different regions in china and so they have different styles. Same as pizza here in the US. Chicago pizza is very different from NY pizza.