The irony of me eating at a Chinese Restuarant less than a week after leaving Hong Kong is not lost on me. The fact it tasted nothing like authentic Chinese food is not lost on me either. My plate was piled high with four types of chicken with various sauces or fried textures, with a handful of shrimp and mushrooms. The one item that remotely reminded me of my foreign home were the lovely garlic green beans. The MSG flavor and spice were noticeably missing, a testament to my taste buds changing from being in the spiciest region of Mainland. Eating sweet and sour chicken with a fork was strange as well, with chopsticks nowhere in sight.
Chinese and Japanese art were side by side, along with advertisement for Chinese and Japanese dishes. The only Japanese food I saw was the sushi, which was decent and pleasurable to enjoy. I could not help but feel I was just at an Asian decorated-American Restuarant. To Americans and Westerners alike, these places are Chinese. From the chicken nuggets to the fortune cookies, we are convinced that these are the legit for real deal. For those of us who have ventured into the old orient, however, we know the true flavor of one of the most ancient civilizations in the world.
I understand that whenever one country introduces itself to another, they must change and adapt to the culture of that location, KFC in Hong Kong serves its meals with corn more often than potatoes, and the wings are most likely to be thing and honey sesame glazed rather than original recipe seasoned. McDonald's has served milk tea and black sesame buns, complete with entire rice dishes you will never see in America. It's just not our culture. So we adapt. The Chinese do the same as the enter into our side of the world. They sweeten the sauces and cut the heat, edit out the chicken feet and fish balls, replacing them with more American cuts of meat. They don't have cooked lettuce dishes, but provide a western-style salad bar. Catering to picky kids, they throw in McNuggets, and catering to adults, have crab feasts. By time the restuarant opens, it 'looks' Chinese to us, with giant paper fans on the walls and Chinese characters on paintings. We associate the food served there with Asia and begin to say how much we enjoy Chinese food. It is a beautiful compromise between east meeting west, and both sides are happy to do business with each other.
But enter into the real east. The colorful orient is filled with exotic favors and spices, smells and sights. Giant rice cookers are present in every restuarant, at no charge to the customer for how many bowls of it they eat. Straight away you are served hot tea, also at no cost to you, for as many refills as you can hold. Tea helps the cut the oil and starch you will shortly be consuming, so it's the normal drink wherever you go. Some places have the pictures of the dishes on the wall, while others you just point and pick what you want put into a dish or soup or order off of a menu (some have pictures, others do not). Your choice of restaurants were divided into these categories:
Dumpling
Soup noodles
Fried rice and fried noodles
Dishes
Hot-pot
Soup dish
My favorite fare were the dishes restaurants. The more people I was with, the more dishes we could order. Fried eggplant, fried green beans, fried shredded potatoes, twice cooked pork with bamboo shoots, vinegar lettuce, lotus root, sweet and sour pork, sweet fried corn kernels..........the list could go on! If I was at a hot-pot place or soup dish place, I enjoyed having a special type of tofu, quail eggs and lotus, among other lovely and delicious foods. Pork soup noodles were also a favorite, with mushrooms and lettuce cooked with it. Twice cooked bacon fried rice was always a treat, or beef dumplings by the dozen. Often, you had the option of having a small dish with which you could put in soy sauce, garlic, chives, spicy oil, etc, as a dipping sauce, adding another layer of flavor to an already enjoyable meal.
This is the food of the orient. The bitter, the sweet, the sour, the spicy, and the salty. They strive to create dishes that tantalize each and every taste bud- and they succeed, in every way possible.
So maybe this is why I do not consider the Chinese restaurants in America "Chinese". The flavors are more American than Chinese, with nearly everything battered and fried or sweet. That is not to say I do not enjoy western cuisine, in fact, quite the opposite. It's refreshing to be surrounded and reminded what real American food is. Roast beef smothered in gravy with giant heaps of mashed potatoes. Pizza overflowing with cheese. Cottage cheese. Chicken patties with sour cream. Stuffing and corn. Hash-brown casserole. Cherry cheesecake and chocolate pudding. Chocolate covered pretzels and raisens. Fudge of every type and flavor of your imagination. Dozens of different types of cheese. Ice cream and donuts year round. Coffee shops on every corner with muffins and toast. Amish food shops and Mennonite vegetable markets. Cheese biscuits with tomato basil chicken. Sweet iced southern tea.
So you see, I love east's and west's food. Some days I will crave pizza, while other days yearn for fried eggplant. Both food is beyond amazing and flavorful. But both places interpreted each others food very differently when adapting. Do I wish it weren't so? Indeed yes. Do I understand why we must adapt to the culture we are in? Emphasize my yes.
God bless Mainland and God bless America.
My two homes.
<3
Peace & Blessings
Ashley
~*~Leave a Legacy that will Make a Difference in the World Around You.~*~
