Foreword

Since Chinese Americans usually do not eat a three-course meal, we have chosen to format our menu as how a Chinese American would typically eat during the day. There is one representative dish each for breakfast, dim sum, lunch and dinner. We have also decided to use this list as a parallel for Chinese American history, showing how Chinese dishes have evolved from traditional to American, with the most traditional dish at the beginning and the most American dish at the end.

Authentic or Nauthentic?
How Has the Function of Food Changed?

Breakfast:

Congee

Congee is rice porridge that can be made with ingredients such as pork, beef, rou song (dried shredded pork), frog, and thousand-year-old eggs (preserved duck eggs). Smooth and silky, congee consists of subtle hints of saltiness and sweetness, and is a light and cleansing breakfast. Served in a porcelain bowl and eaten with a ladle spoon, congee can be eaten with soy sauce, green onions, and you tiao, a deep-fried bread stick (either dipped in congee or soaked) that provides crunchiness to the dish.

This dish is best eaten with a cup of green tea made with loose green tea leaves; it serves as a fragrant cleanser of the palette.

Dim Sum:

Shrimp Dumplings

Shrimp dumpling is a variation of steamed dumpling that consists of pork, shrimp and assorted vegetables. Chewy and small, shrimp dumplings are a popular savory and salty dim sum dish with both the Chinese and American population. Served in a bamboo steamer, shrimp dumplings are eaten with chopsticks and Worcestershire sauce at restaurants.

This dish is best eaten with Vita drink, a sweet, fruity beverage to counter the dish’s savoriness.

Lunch:

Wonton Noodle Soup

Wonton noodle soup consists of wontons, a variation of dumplings, rice noodles and chicken bouillon broth. Salty and filling, wonton noodle soup is a balance of chewiness from the carbs and coziness from the soup. Served in a porcelain bowl and eaten with either chopsticks or a fork and ladle spoon, wonton noodle soup can be garnished with hot sauce and green onions according to personal preferences.

This dish is best eaten with bubble tea of any flavor; it will provide a sugary and fun aspect to this dish.

Dinner:

Beef and Broccoli

Beef and broccoli consists of beef, broccoli (cooked within a brown and salty sauce made from cornstarch) and egg, usually served over rice. Salty and sweet, beef and broccoli is chewy from the beef and crunchy from the broccoli, balanced with the mellow, sweet and sticky tones of the white rice. Served in a take-out box and eaten with a fork, beef and broccoli is a very popular dish with the American crowd (less so for Chinese Americans).

This dish can be eaten with any soda, with its bubbles clearing up the throat to assuage the intense saltiness of the dish.

Not satisfied? Check out these slideshows to discover even more mouthwatering dishes! Place cursor over the pictures to see description.

Appetizers

Appetizer/Dim Sum

Here is a list of some dishes that are served as dim sum or appetizer:

Roasted Pork Bun

These baked buns on the outside are buttery, soft, smooth bread. Inside there is tasty, red colored, flavored with honey syrup, chopped up pork.

Chicken Feet

This sweet and sour dim sum dish is gooey and delicious. The deep fried chicken feet are puffed up and soft, sweetened by chili honey sauce and made sour by vinegar.

Lunch

Lunch

Here are some dishes that can be made either traditionally or with modern twist:

Frog Congee

This congee is a rice-based porridge. Congee is served with all different types of foods. This one has tender, salted, slightly chewy, frog legs.

Hot and Sour Soup

The slightly sour and spicy soup contains of vegetables, red pepper, vinegar, tofu, wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots and pork.

Ma Po Tofu

The spicy chili, bean based sauce is slightly oily and usually red. This sauce mixed with the tofu and minced beef is a classic blend.

Dinner

Baked Cheesy Pork Chop Over Rice

This baked cheesy dish has pan-fried pork chops with tomato sauce over a rice dish. The pork chops are tender and flavored by the ketchup base tomato sauce. It’s basically a faux Italian dish made by Chinese chefs.

Dinner

Here are some Americanized Chinese dishes:

Shrimp Lo Mein

WRITE DESCRIPTION (State why it's not authentic)

Beverages

Drinks

Here are two drinks, one traditionally Chinese herb tea, and the other a sugary Americanized "tea":

Chrysanthemum Tea

This flower-based tea is refreshing and thought to have medicinal values. It’s slightly sweet and very fragrant.

Bubble Tea

This sugary, milk tea drink has a slight taro root flavor, which slightly tastes light coconut. At the bottom there are black tapioca pearls.