Is chinese food at chinese resturaunts in America the same as in China?

Question

I have heard that the people in China would not recognize the "Americanized" version of chinese food, is that true? What is authentic chinese food really like?

I have gone to the China Town by us... But it is the same as all the rest of the chinese resturaunts around here.....

Jacob R~~ Are you SERIOUS???

Answer 1

No, it's not the same, it's been Westernized to suit our palates. If you find a good Chinese restaurant where Chinese people eat, you may be able to get authentic Chinese food. Go with a chinese person, they will help you.


Real Chinese food in China is quite bland mostly - although it's a big country with LOTS of different styles of cooking.

Remember also that they are traditionally a poor country and nothing goes to waste. And I mean nothing! They eat intestines, feet, brains and even the blood of animals - things we'd never eat.

Answer 2

I would say yes and no. There are some foods in restaurants that are "authentic." But the problem is that there are so many different provinces in China and the food differs tremendously depending on which region you're in. Hunan cuisine, for example, is very spicy. The authenticity of Chinese food also depends on where you live. If there aren't very many Chinese people in your area, chances are, the food is altered to cater to western taste buds.

Check these out:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/h/x/hxf140/assign7.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Chinese_cuisine

I wanted to add that the Chinese culture strives for balance (you may have heard of yin and yang) and the same is true for food. There are certain foods that are considered yin and yang, hot and cold, or wet and dry. You can't survive without the other. Chinese children are brought up to eat everything.

It's true that some Chinese eat meats (dog, snake, elephant, etc) that are not served in America. They also eat every part of the animal that is edible, including blood and that's something that's even sold in the markets here (so that leaves out fur and bones).

Someone once told me that she would get in trouble if she didn't finish all her rice. It used to take a lot of work to harvest rice so it was not allowed to waste it. Maybe that's not true in modern China now...

Soups are very important because they're supposed to cleanse the body. Hot and sour soup, egg flower soup, and wonton soup are not part of the daily diet.

Answer 3

To cite one example, the fortune-cookies served at Chinese restaurants in the West are definitely not originated from the genuine Chinese menu. I am not sure how it got started in the West but it illustrates how a foreign cuisine can be customized locally to suit the tastes and expectations of the local communities.

The best way to find out what is on the menu in China is to go to China and try it for yourself. But regrettably, there are dishes in China made from exotic and even endangered animal species, that's something you cannot have in America.

I beg to disagree with TonyB that Chinese eat animal offal because it's a poor country. China got poor ever since the Qing Dynasty when western countries started to invade it and exported opium to the Chinese. But long before China's decline in the 19th century, animal offal were already on the Chinese menu not as a sign of poorness but discerning taste. French too, eat animal offal.

Answer 4

Not exactly if you go to every Chinese restaurant you will get different results i have been to alot of Chinese restaurants i asked them if they have the same food from china
each of them said no and some say yes but there cooking are different they put different ingredients the ingredients are there passion to there cooking and tradition.

I took 12 cooking classes from school
Job at a chinese restaurant
and understanding my heritage
its quite fun to understand between tradition and cooking

Answer 5

Depends on where you go. 90% of the restaurants in this area have "americanized" chinese food. Foods like egg rolls, etc aren't as big in china as they are here.

Ask around and you'll probably find more "real" chinese food places just like you would other ethnic foods if you ask about those.

Answer 6

I hope not. I can't imagine it is though. All american chinese food seems basically the same and China is a huge country. Historically part of China made noodles same made wheat and some grew rice. Different kinds of things grow in different areas.

Answer 7

Of course not. Chinese food in America is a lot more salty than in China. Chinese people don't use soysauce on everything. Also, they have never heard of fortune cookies in China.

Answer 8

No it isn't the same and yes the food is different. If you go to China the preparation and sanitation is different. United States have laws that limit us to various types of meat we can use and sanitation is not any where near as safe as in America. Some ingredients vary so you will have a different taste even though it is the same menu name. Sanitation I refer to is not necessarily cleanness but bacterial prevention.

Answer 9

Is Little Joe or Hoss at Ponderosa when you get there?

Of course not they are both dead.


So are most of the cats within a 1/2 radius of a Chinese restaurant.

I digress.

No they use native vegetables and very little meow, sorry, meat in their cooking..

Answer 10

All chinese food here is "Americanized"!!! For starters they have not fried foods. If you catch a chinese worker on break eating, you will see that they are not eating the food that is served on the buffet line.