Just by the title of the chapter, I knew the reading would be very familiar to me, considering I knew of the food customs of Chinese culture. It was interesting to see that it was not that familiar at all; aside from the few dishes, the evolution of many dishes and the types of dishes served at Chinese restaurants are completely different from the ones seen today. Unlike the Chinese restaurants in the past, most restaurants do not explicitly appeal to American audiences by adding steaks to the menu, but rather have Americanized dishes that Americans are used to. What struck me the most was when “family style” dinner was an individual dish for each person, rather than the traditional sharing of entrees between a family. With this in mind, where exactly does the Americanizing begin? Does it stem within the restaurants with the Americanized foods or with families in general feeling the need to assimilate?

Samantha Chiu