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How Much do you Know About Chinese Food?Friday, March 30, 2012 By Ying Zhong
There are many people who like to have Chinese food, not only in The United States, but also all over the world. How much do people know about Chinese food? That might be a question that you have never thought about when you are enjoying that delicious Chinese food. China is a very traditional country with a long history. People have been making different kinds of food for many years, and more and more new dishes have appeared recently. After World War II, China was very poor and people lived with hunger and pain. However, the economy is finally getting better and better, which allows many people to be full right now. Therefore, people eat a lot and think a lot, and the kinds of Chinese food are becoming a lot more colorful and wonderful. Chinese food becomes well known and popular in so many places as China becomes more international. Let’s get to know more about Chinese food. Chinese food is a combination Many people may only know Chinese food is from China and cooked in a very different way (fast food). In fact, Chinese food has many different kinds and ways to cook it. There are some of my friends who ask, “Is the Chinese food in the United States not real Chinese food? Is it very different?” The Chinese food in the United State is limited, only a small part of the Chinese food. But it is definitely real Chinese food. There are many provinces in China, just like there are many states in the United States. In Ancient China, provinces used to make up little countries. Later, emperors combined all the little countries into one big country. Then wars happened, a big country was separated, and then combined again and again. And the different environments also have an effect for the Chinese food. For example, people love to eat seafood in the south, because they are near the ocean. In the middle of China, they love to eat spicy foods and grow pepper because hot food can keep them warm. In the east of China, they eat sheep, meat, and beef, but not chicken or pork. Because the provinces are being separated and the environments are different, people from different parts of China grow their own cultures and design their own flavored foods. So it ends up that every part of China has a favorite taste of food and special ways to cook food. The limited Chinese food in the United States is always a combination with dishes from different parts of China. Maybe I am not even familiar with some of them, but that is only because those may come from places that I have never been, or maybe because I haven’t tasted those before. Chinese food is not scary or weird I am not surprised that some people think Chinese food is weird because they are not familiar with it. Some people might even have a bad impression of Chinese food after they see some article in the newspaper. Last year, I was an exchange student in Taxes. My host dad asked me if Chinese people eat weird stuff, such as frog legs, rabbit, or anything like that. In addition, some of my classmates asked me the same sort of question. They asked with a nervous face, “I heard that Chinese people eat dogs! Do you eat dog too? Have you ever eaten dog for supper?” Imagining the dogs running around in their home, they can hardly accept that there is someone eats dogs. However, I cannot deny that Chinese do not eat dogs, because the truth is some people really do. Not all the Chinese eat dog or cute little animals like that, but there are hunters everywhere all over the world. There are also people who eat the animals they hunt. Some people sell what they hunted to earn a living, and someone will eat what they hunted to stay alive. Top 10 popular Chinese foods in the United States I have made a research about the most popular Chinese food in the United States. These are the latest outcome in 2012. If you are interested in Chinese food, they are worth trying out and you might like them. 1. CHEW MEIN/LO MAIN (Basically it is like fry noodles with oriental things and sauce) 2. SPRING ROLL 3. KUNG PAO CHICKEN/BEEF/PORK (In china KUNG PAO CHICKEN is more common) 4. CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI 5. FRIED RICE 6. DUMPLING 7. MAPO TOFU 8. HOT AND SOUR SOUP 9. DIM SUM (This is a name in Cantonese for snakes. You are able to try a local taste in Gourmet Dumpling House. These are snacks from Canton, South China, which is where I came from!) 10. HUNAN BEEF/SICHUAN CHICKEN (Spicy, but you have options, such is less spicy, medium spicy, and super spicy, which it is my favorite) Tips for having Chinese food Here I am going to recommend two very amazing restaurants in Chinatown in Boston, MA. You might like it, or you might not. In my personal opinion, you can try many kinds of Chinese food there, and the taste is very local and delicious. I always see people waiting in a long line for seats, so if you don’t want to wait, you should get there early. 南北 风味 /Gourmet Dumpling House Address: 52 Beach St Boston MA 02111 Tel: 617-338-6223 You can have seafood, stir fry, dumplings, noodles, and so on. It is not a very big restaurant, but there are always a lot of people. The Mapo tofu, Dimsun, Lobster, Hunan beef, and soup there are very worth ordering and trying. The price is pretty reasonable, and each plate is big. You might want to order less at first and see if it is too much or enough. The Q Restaurant 660 Washington St (between Boylston Sq. & Beach St) Boston, MA 02111 Neighborhood: Chinatown Tel: (857) 350-3968 If you have never tried hot pot, or you don’t know what hot pot is but are curious about it, you can come to this place in Chinatown. This is one of the well-known places in Chinatown to have hot pot. The place is very nice and quiet, and it is pretty trendy and casual. Also there is always music on and the waiters have nice service. Early spring and winter are great seasons to have hot pot. It will warm you up! There are three reasons to have Chinese food: it is healthy, it is delicious, and it is also an option when you don’t know where to go. |