The ChinesePod Weekly American-Chinese Food vs. Authentic Chinese Food Find out more and start learning Chinese at chinesepod.com. Welcome to the ChinesePod Weekly, your chance to find out what's going on at ChinesePod this week! Chinese food – you can find in just about every corner of the world, and it has long been prevalent in North America as a take-away standard. After all, who can resist that late-night General Tso’s Chicken (左宗堂鸡)? While most people acknowledge the difference between “American” Chinese food and authentic Chinese food, just exactly how do these two differ in terms of style and taste? Well, for one, most people would agree that a lot of American Chinese food has its roots in Cantonese cuisine, but over the years has adopted a more North American taste. Basically this means more sugar, more sweet and sour, more deep-fried dishes and more, well, broccoli (and I mean the western kind–西蓝), which is a vegetable typically not seen in authentic Chinese dishes. Another big difference is the famed fortune cookie, which is solely an American-Chinese creation. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to even see any fortune cookies on mainland China, be it in restaurants or at local grocers. I actually did manage to find some one time at my local Chinese supermarket though – in the foreign goods section! So what about authentic Chinese food? Well, China is a big, culturally diverse country and putting all the vastly different types of authentic cuisine into one bucket won’t really give you any “standard” results. And, I suppose, this versatility in itself is a big difference when considering American Chinese food vs. authentic Chinese food. To make things simpler, let us take a look at what we here a ChinesePod are most familiar with, Shanghainese food: Shanghainese cuisine can also be considered sweet, but its sweetness takes on a different form than that of American-Chinese food. Sugar is often used in combination with soy sauce to make savory dishes such as the well-known Shanghainese dish, Hongshaorou (红烧肉). Alcohol is also used widely in Shanghainese cuisine, where fresh seafood is dipped in spirits and served either steamed or raw, as in my personal favorite, 醉虾(Druken Shrimp). In addition, rice is far less common in Shanghainese meals, and many times omitted completely, with the focus being on a perfect balance of meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes. When rice is eaten, it is typically served last, as it is generally considered bad form to do otherwise. For a quick peek at the variety of different authentic specialties around China, have a look at this scrumptious article from CNN travel. Also, be sure to check out this week’s Upper Intermediate Lesson on American Chinese Food.
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