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Andrew Zimmern fired for critiquing Chinese food

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Andrew Zimmern fired for critiquing Chinese food

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Old Dec 30, 2018, 3:43 pm
  #16  
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Originally Posted by fly2nrt
Because "sh*tty .......ized American Chinese food" is delicious... that's why. It's its own, uniquely American phenomenon.

General Tso's isn't "Chinese" food (whatever that hell that is even supposed to mean) but it is delicious.

Instead, the blowhard comes along on the authenticity train throwing insults at the hundreds of thousands of hard working Chinese family owned restaurants and their patrons for being "uncultured"....

Meanwhile, his own "Chinese" restaurant turns out to be nothing more than en epic flop.

https://www.eater.com/2018/12/7/1813...troversy-visit
I believe it originated in Taiwan, which China claims as its own province.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 3:55 pm
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"General Tso's isn't "Chinese" food": then this statement is false!
The PRC can claim what it wants, but The Republic of China is a Sovereign nation!
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 4:18 pm
  #18  
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Does anyone watch the Travel Channel? Whenever I surf past it they’re showing some old show with zero relationship to travel. It should be called the “We need to air something, let’s look in the bottom of the barrel” channel.

You can get good authentic Chinese in the Midwest. Come to Chicago and I’ll give you a tour.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 4:44 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by gkbiiii
"General Tso's isn't "Chinese" food": then this statement is false!
The PRC can claim what it wants, but The Republic of China is a Sovereign nation!
Even though the is the PR forum, I try my best to stay out discussions about the 两岸问题. Nevertheless, I think everybody agrees that Changsha (where Peng Chang-kuei was born) is part of the PRC.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 5:22 pm
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Yes the Executive Chef was born in Mainland China (same Provence with General Tso): but the dish was invented, at
The Presidential Palace, in The Republic of China, Taipei ,Taiwan.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 5:36 pm
  #21  
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Zimmerm is somewhat of a local celebrity, although he sometimes is sighted in my grocery store. Yet somehow this is the first time I've heard of his new "Chinese Tiki" restaurant or of the controversy and suspension (or whatever you want to call it) of his cable TV show. It's not making the local media for some reason.

Travel is one of the cable channels that I wish would return to their roots: Travel should be about travel, such as the Samantha Brown hotel series, and not ghosts. (Why not try for reruns of the reality series about Southwest Airlines? Or even the worst place to be a pilot miniseries? Or maybe Great Race reality contest previous seasons? There's lots of content available even it they're not creating much of their own.) Animal Planet should focus on animals and not the building of tree houses and fish tanks, or backwoods cop reality shows. History should be about the past rather than hillbillies and moonshine, etc. Just IMO.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 5:53 pm
  #22  
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This raises many questions:

Is a dish created by a Chinese chef that is similar to or a variation on dishes commonly served in China considered to be Chinese food if it is created outside of China? Or do the foodie snobs sniff that it is "not really Chinese food."

If a white Canadian moves to China, opens a restaurant offering his personal variations on Canadian recipes will foodie snobs in China sniff that it's "not really Canadian food?"

Is it appropriate for the British to declare chicken tikka masala a British dish just because it was created in Glasgow by a Pakistani chef who used his traditional cooking methods and spicing? Do English gourmands dismiss the dish as "not being authentic Indian/Pakistani food?"

Is the declaration that Chinese food served in middle America and Canada is "not really Chinese food" simply posturing by food pedants and other elitists who want to dismiss cuisine and the people who eat it as below their lofty standards?
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 9:39 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
This raises many questions:

Is a dish created by a Chinese chef that is similar to or a variation on dishes commonly served in China considered to be Chinese food if it is created outside of China? Or do the foodie snobs sniff that it is "not really Chinese food."

If a white Canadian moves to China, opens a restaurant offering his personal variations on Canadian recipes will foodie snobs in China sniff that it's "not really Canadian food?"

Is it appropriate for the British to declare chicken tikka masala a British dish just because it was created in Glasgow by a Pakistani chef who used his traditional cooking methods and spicing? Do English gourmands dismiss the dish as "not being authentic Indian/Pakistani food?"

Is the declaration that Chinese food served in middle America and Canada is "not really Chinese food" simply posturing by food pedants and other elitists who want to dismiss cuisine and the people who eat it as below their lofty standards?
I think if you put the word traditional in front of those, it makes it a bit more clear.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 10:22 pm
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In reality many foods, such as American Italian are often better than in the home country. They are often dishes invented by immigrants, which have access to much better meat & produce, in in their native lands. My travels abroad aboard, including three MSC vessels (in bout Yacht club & Specialty Dining) has proven this to me, that American Italian is better than much of true Italy.
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 10:46 pm
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
This raises many questions:

Is a dish created by a Chinese chef that is similar to or a variation on dishes commonly served in China considered to be Chinese food if it is created outside of China? Or do the foodie snobs sniff that it is "not really Chinese food."

If a white Canadian moves to China, opens a restaurant offering his personal variations on Canadian recipes will foodie snobs in China sniff that it's "not really Canadian food?"

Is it appropriate for the British to declare chicken tikka masala a British dish just because it was created in Glasgow by a Pakistani chef who used his traditional cooking methods and spicing? Do English gourmands dismiss the dish as "not being authentic Indian/Pakistani food?"

Is the declaration that Chinese food served in middle America and Canada is "not really Chinese food" simply posturing by food pedants and other elitists who want to dismiss cuisine and the people who eat it as below their lofty standards?
Didn't that happen with the two Portland white women who basically peeked in the windows of the women of Puerto Nuevo and took the technique back to the US last year (2017)?
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Old Dec 30, 2018, 11:00 pm
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Originally Posted by travelinmanS
..Chinese food in the Midwest is generally terrible, it is much better, and cheaper, than Chinese food in most of the EU.
Ain't that the truth! When I came to the US from Europe, I did enjoy their brand of Chinese food a lot. It was fresher and offered a much larger variety. But after living in Asia for a decade, I don't like either variety. At least the Chinese food in Switzerland is comically bad, so you can get a laugh out of it.
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Old Dec 31, 2018, 1:13 am
  #27  
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Originally Posted by moondog
I believe it originated in Taiwan, which China claims as its own province.
Yes, well Koreans claim that Confucius was Korean. So it must be true.

(Sorry, but since I live on the receiving end of China's bellicose threats--and missiles, it's a sensitive topic for me. Leave Taiwan alone, China. We've got a nice little country here. Keep your greedy mitts off of it.)

Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel
Yeah. A very telling incident many years ago. My wife (China-born) was along on a work outing in Los Angeles. Dinner was at a Chinese place. They had the usual dual-language menu, but there was a handwritten page in the front, all Chinese, no English. She was in both heaven and hell looking at that page--it was authentic Chinese food, not Americanized. Stuff she hadn't tasted in many years. Unfortunately, we were heading home in the morning, she was only going to get one meal, what to choose?!?!?! I've never seen her take as long to order as that day.
Heh, I've got a bit of a different take on the "secret menu" at Chinese restaurants. A couple years back, I took my (Taiwanese) in-laws on a road trip tour of the American West. By the time we reached West Yellowstone, MT, my sister-in-law was dying for Chinese food. She'd already had about ten straight days of American restaurant food, and she was fed up (no pun intended). I was surprised to find there was one Chinese restaurant in town, so we went there. When we sat down, the waiter (who heard us speaking Chinese) gave us Chinese-only menus. Out of curiosity, I asked if I could also see the English menu. He emphatically explained that the items on the Chinese menu were more suited to the Chinese palate and strongly encouraged us to order from the Chinese menu (where no prices were listed). Although red flags were waving in my head, my (wealthy) BIL was paying the bill, and I knew there was no way to talk his wife out of having an "authentic" Chinese meal. She grabbed the menu and started ordering dishes. The real scary thing to me was that within 3 minutes after ordering, they were already delivering plates to the table--as if everything was pre-made and just scooped onto serving plates. There was no way it was made-to-order. The food was mediocre at best by Asian standards, and I'm convinced it was the same food they serve from the English menu. But the real shock came with the bill. Everything was at least double the prices from the English menu. I remember the most ridiculous example was a plate of fried rice for $25. They have a real scam going there, knowing that any Chinese guests will be desperate for "Chinese" food, and since they're the only game in town, they will be willing to pay just about anything. Even my SIL admitted it was lousy food. It ended up being the most expensive meal of our trip--by far.

Last edited by iluv2fly; Mar 3, 2019 at 6:56 pm Reason: merge
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Old Dec 31, 2018, 3:12 am
  #28  
 
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I may be close to the only one here, but Chinese food does not sit well with me. It's just variations of a single theme, which is deep-fried fat. What's more, in my neck of the woods Chinese restaurants are consistently ranked lowest when it comes to hygiene. To anyone who's been to China that's hardly a surprise; they are, for lack of a better word, swine. It stinks, it tastes all the same and it's mainly saturated fats. Regardless of whether it's in China, Europe, the US or the Middle East (I've had the misfortune to be invited to Chinese restaurants in all of those places), it's just foul. Chinese food in China was, however, on it's own distinct level of disgusting - and that's before we even touch on the hygiene.

I fully appreciate the Chinese kitchen is considered one of the 5 great kitchens, and you're welcome to it if it tickles your tastebuds. Personally I prefer any of the other 5 (Italian, French, Mexican and Turkish), thank you very much. And while we're at it, Korean food hardly does anything for me either. Thai, on the other hand, can be very delicious if prepared properly and using quality ingredients. Here's my favourite, which holds a Michelin star: https://www.kiin.dk. If you're ever in CPH, make sure to have reserved a table well in advance.
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Old Dec 31, 2018, 6:47 am
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
Is the declaration that Chinese food served in middle America and Canada is "not really Chinese food" simply posturing by food pedants and other elitists who want to dismiss cuisine and the people who eat it as below their lofty standards?
I would answer “Yes”.

Originally Posted by Sheikh Yerbooty
Personally I prefer any of the other 5 (Italian, French, Mexican and Turkish), thank you very much.
I prefer Cajun/Creole. I have yet to see a “Turkish” restaurant in the United States but I can tell you the location of several “Brazilian” meat orgy palaces.
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Old Dec 31, 2018, 6:52 am
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Badenoch
This raises many questions:

Is a dish created by a Chinese chef that is similar to or a variation on dishes commonly served in China considered to be Chinese food if it is created outside of China? Or do the foodie snobs sniff that it is "not really Chinese food."

If a white Canadian moves to China, opens a restaurant offering his personal variations on Canadian recipes will foodie snobs in China sniff that it's "not really Canadian food?"

Is it appropriate for the British to declare chicken tikka masala a British dish just because it was created in Glasgow by a Pakistani chef who used his traditional cooking methods and spicing? Do English gourmands dismiss the dish as "not being authentic Indian/Pakistani food?"

Is the declaration that Chinese food served in middle America and Canada is "not really Chinese food" simply posturing by food pedants and other elitists who want to dismiss cuisine and the people who eat it as below their lofty standards?
Since the Hong Kong diaspora, I have found the Chinese food quality in Toronto and Vancouver to be very authentic, depending on where you go. I try to find out where the HKG chefs are working. I"d call that Chinese food.
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