A word about Chinese food
(Note: before reading this, it's helpful to know that I spent three years teaching English in China, where I met and married my husband, who is Chinese. I am Chinese only by marriage ;) )
My sister called me tonight asking what Chinese people typically eat for breakfast. A friend of hers had eaten at a Chinese restaurant with her family, and they realized that Chinese restaurants don't tend to serve breakfast. She knew my sister was related to a Chinese person, and called her to ask. She had no clue, as any breakfast she may have eaten at our house would almost certainly have been of the cereal and milk variety. Hence, she called me to find out. I told her a bowl of rice porridge, a couple of fried breadsticks, and a glass of warm soymilk would be a yummy breakfast for many a Chinese person (I agree with all but the warm soymilk).
It occurred to me that, really, most Americans don't know what typical Chinese food for ANY meal is like, as the majority of Chinese restaurants I've eaten at in the States do NOT serve typical Chinese food. Some of the names are the same, but believe me, the (insert name of any Chinese dish) in your local China Buffet does not compare to the real thing.
So I've come up with some rules for the uninitiated, so you can better find and enjoy REAL Chinese food.
1) To determine if a restaurant serves authentic Chinese food, look at the Asian-to-white ratio. If there are one or two Chinese people, there might be a couple of good things on the menu. If about half of the people are Chinese, they've got some real good food, but it still might not all be authentic. If yours is the only white face, you've hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, you usually have to go to a Chinatown to find this, and even then, you'll have to ask around. Ask where tourists are least likely to go.
2. Minute Rice is just wrong. To be authentic Chinese rice, it must stick together. The reason for this is that it's easier to eat with chopsticks. Which leads me to:
3. Chopsticks: Don't Be Intimidated. I actually started using chopsticks long before my first trip to China, when I was in high school. When I was growing up, we didn't have any Chinese restaurants around where I lived (as opposed to now, where there China Buffets seem to be as abundant as Starbucks). We did have Benihana about an hour away, a Japanese restaurant where I could have fun with chopsticks. My parents and sister would play with them for a minute, then switch to forks. I forced myself to use them the whole meal, just for fun. By the time I went to China for the first time in 1992, I could already use them quite proficiently. After coming home from my three years in China, Chinese food just did not taste the same if I had to eat it with a fork. Bamboo ones are easier than plastic (plastic is too slippery).
4. Real fried rice is not yellow or brown. It's white, aside from the meat and veggies in it. If it's good, instead of being flavored with soy sauce, it will be flavored with garlic, green onions, and fresh ginger (the Big Three in Chinese cooking).
5. If you don't like it hot, you're missing out on a lot. I know. I never used to eat anything spicier than a bell pepper. But when I was living in China, there were times I had to eat extremely hot things if I did not want to hurt the cook's feelings. One particular trip to Hunan, eating meat spiced with whole peppercorns that made my lips numb, stands out. And you know what? It built up my tolerance. I still don't like whole peppercorns, but I do know hot is good when it makes me need MORE. Mapo doufu (tofu)is great; kung pao chicken can be, but not at the buffets.
6. The world is a better place because of boiled dumplings. And I'm not talking about the previously-frozen half-cold ones sitting in the warming pan on the buffet (rarely are the buffets any good for anything, anyway). No, you have to go to a real dumpling or noodle house to get good boiled dumplings, or jiaozi. Dim sum places will usually have a good selection of jiaozi. If they actually have more than one kind of filling to choose from, you're in the right place. And if you're ever at my house, maybe we'll cook you up some homemade ones.
7. Be adventurous. If you are afraid of trying something, just because you're not sure what it is, you might miss out on one of the best things you ever tasted. (Sometimes you're better off not knowing, anyway.) Just because the name "black wood ear fungus" sounds disgusting, and just because it looks like the wet, slimy, black leaves at the bottom of your leaf pile during a rainshower in October, does not mean it IS bad. (I just had some for dinner tonight that my husband cooked with spareribs. MMMMMMMM....)
8. Along with being adventurous, Do not discriminate against what animals you're willing to eat. Once again, you'll miss out on some really good stuff. I'm standing here to tell you that snake, dog, and goat meat are worth trying. Especially dog...it's like really tender beef. (And quit with your yelling at me that it's wrong to eat dogs. The dogs in China that people eat are raised for the meat, like we raise cattle. If you're a vegetarian, I understand, but if not, get over it!). The one thing I've heard is not worth trying is cat; apparently it's just too tough to be any good.
9. Do not discriminate against the body parts you are willing to sample. I've had gelatinized duck blood, goat's testicles, pig's brain, chicken feet, duck feet, pigs feet...if it's edible, I've probably tried it. The cheeks of a fish, along with the yellow eggs inside, are the BEST, but you'll never have a chance to try unless you're willing to look at a whole cooked fish, head and tail, on the serving plate. I haven't enjoyed everything I've tried (chicken feet and pigs feet stand out, as do the goat testicles), but I don't lose anything for trying.
10. Don't expect dessert to be exciting. Chinese are not big on sweets. They usually eat fresh fruit for dessert. There are a few sweet dishes you can try if you have a sweet tooth; caramalized apples, pineapple, or bananas are very good (the bananas are the richest). Some places might have a Chinese version of jello (coconut is good), but it's not spectacular. If you're in a Chinatown, and want something sweet for dessert, walk around after your meal and look for a Chinese bakery. You'll find some good things there. If you want to try something very special, go for a mooncake. These are most widely available in September or October, around the Moon Festival, but you can often find them other times of the year. My favorite filling is red bean paste, but many other Americans prefer lotus seed filling. If you're really adventurous, get it with a salty duck egg yolk baked into it. This is GREAT with coffee (though my husband would say green tea).
And an extra rule, just so you know:
11. Fortune cookies are not found in China. Neither is chop suey, or crispy "chow mein" noodles. Most Chinese restaurants in the States have the fortune cookies, nonetheless, but if the restaurant has chop suey or La Choy chow mein noodles...run, as fast as you can, in the opposite direction.
My sister called me tonight asking what Chinese people typically eat for breakfast. A friend of hers had eaten at a Chinese restaurant with her family, and they realized that Chinese restaurants don't tend to serve breakfast. She knew my sister was related to a Chinese person, and called her to ask. She had no clue, as any breakfast she may have eaten at our house would almost certainly have been of the cereal and milk variety. Hence, she called me to find out. I told her a bowl of rice porridge, a couple of fried breadsticks, and a glass of warm soymilk would be a yummy breakfast for many a Chinese person (I agree with all but the warm soymilk).
It occurred to me that, really, most Americans don't know what typical Chinese food for ANY meal is like, as the majority of Chinese restaurants I've eaten at in the States do NOT serve typical Chinese food. Some of the names are the same, but believe me, the (insert name of any Chinese dish) in your local China Buffet does not compare to the real thing.
So I've come up with some rules for the uninitiated, so you can better find and enjoy REAL Chinese food.
1) To determine if a restaurant serves authentic Chinese food, look at the Asian-to-white ratio. If there are one or two Chinese people, there might be a couple of good things on the menu. If about half of the people are Chinese, they've got some real good food, but it still might not all be authentic. If yours is the only white face, you've hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, you usually have to go to a Chinatown to find this, and even then, you'll have to ask around. Ask where tourists are least likely to go.
2. Minute Rice is just wrong. To be authentic Chinese rice, it must stick together. The reason for this is that it's easier to eat with chopsticks. Which leads me to:
3. Chopsticks: Don't Be Intimidated. I actually started using chopsticks long before my first trip to China, when I was in high school. When I was growing up, we didn't have any Chinese restaurants around where I lived (as opposed to now, where there China Buffets seem to be as abundant as Starbucks). We did have Benihana about an hour away, a Japanese restaurant where I could have fun with chopsticks. My parents and sister would play with them for a minute, then switch to forks. I forced myself to use them the whole meal, just for fun. By the time I went to China for the first time in 1992, I could already use them quite proficiently. After coming home from my three years in China, Chinese food just did not taste the same if I had to eat it with a fork. Bamboo ones are easier than plastic (plastic is too slippery).
4. Real fried rice is not yellow or brown. It's white, aside from the meat and veggies in it. If it's good, instead of being flavored with soy sauce, it will be flavored with garlic, green onions, and fresh ginger (the Big Three in Chinese cooking).
5. If you don't like it hot, you're missing out on a lot. I know. I never used to eat anything spicier than a bell pepper. But when I was living in China, there were times I had to eat extremely hot things if I did not want to hurt the cook's feelings. One particular trip to Hunan, eating meat spiced with whole peppercorns that made my lips numb, stands out. And you know what? It built up my tolerance. I still don't like whole peppercorns, but I do know hot is good when it makes me need MORE. Mapo doufu (tofu)is great; kung pao chicken can be, but not at the buffets.
6. The world is a better place because of boiled dumplings. And I'm not talking about the previously-frozen half-cold ones sitting in the warming pan on the buffet (rarely are the buffets any good for anything, anyway). No, you have to go to a real dumpling or noodle house to get good boiled dumplings, or jiaozi. Dim sum places will usually have a good selection of jiaozi. If they actually have more than one kind of filling to choose from, you're in the right place. And if you're ever at my house, maybe we'll cook you up some homemade ones.
7. Be adventurous. If you are afraid of trying something, just because you're not sure what it is, you might miss out on one of the best things you ever tasted. (Sometimes you're better off not knowing, anyway.) Just because the name "black wood ear fungus" sounds disgusting, and just because it looks like the wet, slimy, black leaves at the bottom of your leaf pile during a rainshower in October, does not mean it IS bad. (I just had some for dinner tonight that my husband cooked with spareribs. MMMMMMMM....)
8. Along with being adventurous, Do not discriminate against what animals you're willing to eat. Once again, you'll miss out on some really good stuff. I'm standing here to tell you that snake, dog, and goat meat are worth trying. Especially dog...it's like really tender beef. (And quit with your yelling at me that it's wrong to eat dogs. The dogs in China that people eat are raised for the meat, like we raise cattle. If you're a vegetarian, I understand, but if not, get over it!). The one thing I've heard is not worth trying is cat; apparently it's just too tough to be any good.
9. Do not discriminate against the body parts you are willing to sample. I've had gelatinized duck blood, goat's testicles, pig's brain, chicken feet, duck feet, pigs feet...if it's edible, I've probably tried it. The cheeks of a fish, along with the yellow eggs inside, are the BEST, but you'll never have a chance to try unless you're willing to look at a whole cooked fish, head and tail, on the serving plate. I haven't enjoyed everything I've tried (chicken feet and pigs feet stand out, as do the goat testicles), but I don't lose anything for trying.
10. Don't expect dessert to be exciting. Chinese are not big on sweets. They usually eat fresh fruit for dessert. There are a few sweet dishes you can try if you have a sweet tooth; caramalized apples, pineapple, or bananas are very good (the bananas are the richest). Some places might have a Chinese version of jello (coconut is good), but it's not spectacular. If you're in a Chinatown, and want something sweet for dessert, walk around after your meal and look for a Chinese bakery. You'll find some good things there. If you want to try something very special, go for a mooncake. These are most widely available in September or October, around the Moon Festival, but you can often find them other times of the year. My favorite filling is red bean paste, but many other Americans prefer lotus seed filling. If you're really adventurous, get it with a salty duck egg yolk baked into it. This is GREAT with coffee (though my husband would say green tea).
And an extra rule, just so you know:
11. Fortune cookies are not found in China. Neither is chop suey, or crispy "chow mein" noodles. Most Chinese restaurants in the States have the fortune cookies, nonetheless, but if the restaurant has chop suey or La Choy chow mein noodles...run, as fast as you can, in the opposite direction.
posted by Andrea | 10:06 PM
7 Comments:
Very informative and interesting post Andrea!
I must say I'm not ready for 8 or 9 -- but I'm fussy with any food including American food whatever that cuisine might be.
For Lucy's sake, I'm glad cat is tough...
steamed dumplings are one of my favorites...maybe some day you can post a recipe?
We have a really good chinese restaurant in Lansing. I've never seen a white face working, and few white faces eating there. I used to love, love, love chinese food. Until: I ate at a chinese buffet when I was about 8 months pregnant with Brennen. My ex-husband and I got so very sick, we ended up in the ER because I started contracting. I've never been so sick in my life. Toilet and bucket. Ironically, Brennens favorite food: Chinese. And mexican. And mint chocolate chip ice cream. Those were the things I ate (only things) while pregnant, until the buffet incident. His favorite: General Tso Chicken, but he says they dont make it spicy enough. I've learned to eat chinese food again, but each time I get afraid. I'll only eat it from 2 places. The 'good' place, and a place right down the street thats family owned. Again, no white faces work there. :-)
MB--most Americans aren't ready for 8 or 9 :) And because of Lucy (and Linus), I probably would not be able to try cat even if it didn't have a reputation for being tough. I've just never owned a dog.
I'll try to come up with a recipe for the jiaozi, but it will probably be pretty rough. It would be my husband's "recipe", and he typically doesn't cook with them!
Lawbrat--The funny thing about most of the Chinese restaurants near where I live is that about half of the employees appear to be Mexican immigrants. And at one of the two buffets we deem acceptable, about a quarter of the patrons are Hispanic.
I do like General Tso's chicken, and a handful of other things you can find at the buffets; but of the two buffets we go to, I usually go for the sushi, ironically enough!
mrtl--I didn't know you'd lived in Japan. How cool. I bet you've had some really good sushi. Like most people with Chinese food, I'm sure I have no clue what good sushi is supposed to be like.
My surname aside ("Ling" is, oddly enough, Swedish), I loathed Chinese food for most of my life and could never understand what the big deal was - why people would eat stuff that was so tasteless and bland. My joke was "If Chinese food is so good, how come you don't see so many fat Chinese people?"
Then I went to San Francisco with some friends and we went to Chinatown for a meal. None of us were from there or knew any restaurants, but one person in the party kept looking in restaurants and saying "If it's real Chinese food, we'll see real Chinese people eating it."
After twisting and turning down a dozen tiny streets and alleyways, we came upon a tiny restaurant (a diner, really) with spartan tables and a grundgy-looking exterior. Inside were perhaps a dozen people, every one Chinese, many of them older people.
Despite some serious reservations on my part (remember, I didn't even like Chinese food to start!), my friend insisted this was the place.
Best food - Chinese or otherwise - I've ever eaten. And since the menu was in Chinese and not one single person - either on the staff or among the clientele - seemed to understand a word of English ... to this day, I have no idea what I put in my mouth.
Some days, you fly on faith. On this day, faith was kind.
Nilbo, I've surfed around your blog and website enough to stumble on your surname, and I did wonder about it! Swedish, huh? Wouldn't have guessed.
And you're right, the grungy-looking places are usually the best. Though if you visit them frequently, you might want to make sure you've been vaccinated against hepatitis ;)
Oh Lordy: I love the Chinese food and the people. I was always drawn to the asian features and pretended I was Asian when I was a little girl. In college I had a major crush on 2 beautiful Chinese men. God they were beautiful.
I married a Puerto Rican man with Asian eyes. Every time we go to our fav. Chinese joint, the ladies as: "Are you part Chinese?" to him. He always say's yes. We really have no idea, as he was adopted, but didn't want to hurt their feelings."
I love this post and will take it all under advisement. My DH is from NYC and knows all the best places to eat in Chinatown. He used to work there so he spent a lot of time hanging around and eating.
I also have a recipe or two for real Chineses food from a friend of mine that recently moved from Hong Kong. He told me to rinse my "enriched" rice as it was coated in bitter vitamins etc.
I don't know if our rice is enriched or not, but I should add another rule: rice is not fit to be cooked unless it's been rinsed at least three times. Why? Got me. So it gets rinsed the magic three times.
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