I've really been enjoying this thread but I am wondering about something. Many posters have indicated that they feel some food, say Chinese, is better is China than in SF or LA. I'm generalizing because I am not familiar with the different types of Chinese cuisine. When I was in high school I dated a guy who was from Hong Kong. His dad was a cook/chef both in Honk Kong and California. He finally got the money together to open his own restaurant. Now I couldn't tell you if it was good or bad food because I don't care much for Chinese food but why would his restaurant immediately be considered inferior because it was in LA and not China. At least that is the message I am picking up from some of the posts.