In class, we discussed authentic Chinese food as compared to the American- styled Chinese food. Growing up in an immigrant family from China, I’ve experienced both sides. I’ve grown up eating General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet ’n’ Sour Chicken, Egg Rolls, and the famous fortune cookies, but I’ve also eating the real deal. To me, good food is good food and it doesn’t matter much if it’s labeled as “authentic” or not. However, I think there is nothing inauthentic about American-Chinese dishes. I think a lot of these restaurant were created by Chinese people for the Chinese people. During the 1840s Gold Rush in California, many Chinese immigrants began to flood the country but they had no or extremely limited access to traditional Chinese ingredients. Because of this lack in ingredients, it was impossible to recreate the exact same dish. So these Chinese immigrants used what they could find in their homes to create these new dishes, including chop sued, one of the first Chinese dishes invented in the United States.
During this time, white Americans wanted almost nothing to do with the social and culinary customs of Chinese immigrants. Chop sued and many of the other American-Chinese basics that we know today weren’t created to satisfy the the palates of white Americans but rather the cravings of real Chinese people.
According to CNN, it wasn’t until after World War II in 1945 that mainstream Americans began eating and appreciating Chinese food in large numbers. By this time, the American-Chinese menu was already well established.
It’s not a question that American Chinese food is not the same as authentic Chinese food, but you can’t call it inauthentic either.
Jackson, I totally agree with your viewpoint. Just because something doesn’t quite replicate the food of another country, it doesn’t mean that it is totally inauthentic. As someone who is half Italian and a descendant of an Italian immigrant, I can easily say that most food that Americans see as Italian food really isn’t quite authentically Italian. Some classic examples of food that don’t quite reflect the Italian cuisine are spaghetti with meatballs, pepperoni pizza, fettuccine alfredo, garlic bread, rainbow cookies, and chicken parmesan. These are meals that all Americans know, and they would be truly surprised to think that these meals aren’t actually traditionally Italian. Italians generally don’t eat that in Italy. These meals are actually Italian-American hybrid foods created by Italian Immigrants who were cooking with the ingredients that they had in the United States. In fact, contrary to popular belief, Italian cuisine is actually quite healthy. There even is actually a popular joke that when someone goes to Italy, they tend to lose weight.
However, just because these meals aren’t truly Italian and are “American knockoffs”, you can’t say that they are completely devoid of any Italian culture or cuisine. These dishes were created by authentic Italians and should be treated as such. Italian- American cuisines were created to be enjoyed by both Italians and Americans alike. If it wasn’t for these people, the Italian cuisine in general wouldn’t be as popular and highly regarded as it is today.
It seems as though food is going to be a major talking point this semester. I’m happy that you gave a historical background and shed a light on where American style Chinese food came from. I wonder if Chinese people who immigrated recently enjoy American Chinese food as they did back around the time of the gold rush. I hope one day to experience real Chinese food so I could tell the difference. However, until then I’ll just be thanking the Chinese for bringing their style of cuisine here whether or not it’s authentic.
I think Jackson brings up an interesting point. I have visited India a few times and have tasted authentic Indian food. Additionally, I have also gone to places near Baruch, such as Indikitch, that mimic authentic Indian food to create a sort of Indian-American dish. While I do agree that both of them are delicious, I think we failed to discuss the significance of places like Indikitch. While Indikitch and similar sites are not authentic Indian food, I think the fact that so many restaurants are created by people that are interested in Indian food is amazing. By this replication of Indian foods, the Indian culture is spreading to people who may be completely unfamiliar with it otherwise. Although the food might not be 100% the same as actual Indian food, by letting people eat somewhat similar foods give outsiders a means to taste Indian culture. In some people situations, they don’t have the capital to visit India and experience its authentic culture. Thus, they can have a more multicultural lifestyle through these places.
Jackson, I totally agree with you that “good food is good food”, and the authenticity of a dish and/or meal doesn’t matter so much when evaluating its delectability. When eating, we shouldn’t investigate how “authentic” a dish and/or meal is. Just because the dish we eat isn’t being eaten at its country of origin doesn’t mean that that dish is inauthentic. In fact, I believe that cultural diffusion would further elevate the delectability of a dish, rather than turning it into an inauthentic dish. For instance, a Chinese-American who was born here would very much like to combine American culture with Chinese culture when opening his own Chinese restaurant. Instead of entirely using the same ingredients when making a Chinese dish, that person would use ingredients unique to Americans to make that dish. The end product shouldn’t be deemed as an inauthentic Chinese dish, but rather, it should be revered as a high-quality dish which artistically displays the combination of cultural values from 2 different countries.
I agree with Jackson’s last point, ” It’s not a question that American Chinese food is not the same as authentic Chinese food, but you can’t call it inauthentic either.” I enjoy American Chinese food and appreciate the change that was made to the authentic Chinese food because the new product that is sold is delighted with the new taste that it brings. At the same time, I hope to be able to taste authentic Chinese food one day and hope the culture is preserved and passed down. I think it is important for people to know that there is a distinction.
Jackson, I agree with you that we should focus on the taste of the food rather than focusing on whether a dish is labeled as “authentic” or “inauthentic”. However, if we must put the label on the food that we taste, I would label American Chinese food as inauthentic Chinese food. Although these food and restaurants might be originally established for Chinese immigrants, they had changed drastically over the years in order to fit the taste of Americans. These American Chinese food are merely American food tagged with a Chinese label in order to attract more customers. If the name of the dish is the only link between a dish and how it is suppose to be authentically, then the dish should be considered as inauthentic.