The Curious History of General Tso's Chicken

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by Ymir's blood

Ok, so I tried General Tso's chicken today and it tasted like a blander version of sesame chicken. In fairness, I had just had some of the chicken and shrimp in the nuclear hot orange sauce.

Yeah, what wei said. I try it at every new Chinese restaurant I stumble on, and so far I've only encountered a truly delicious version at one of them. It's the ingredients, imo. Lots of sad veg and second-rate, slightly off-tasting chicken drowned in bottled sauces at most places.

[Ymir's blood]

Well, all in all the place I eat at isn't bad. The aforementioned chicken and shrimp dish is tasty, though the hotness varies from day to day. Several other dishes are pretty good. It also has a ton of selections with steamed broccoli, a personal favorite.

[curses]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Yeah, what wei said. I try it at every new Chinese restaurant I stumble on, and so far I've only encountered a truly delicious version at one of them. It's the ingredients, imo. Lots of sad veg and second-rate, slightly off-tasting chicken drowned in bottled sauces at most places.

Name of restaurant, plz.

[Ymir's blood]

For Christ's sake liv, don't tell her the name. She acts up awfully in Chinese restaurants, throwing food and all manner of shenanigans.

[viscousmemories]

There's Chinese Food and Chinese food.

Chinese Food is American and can be quite tasty.

Chinese food is Chinese and can also be quite tasty, but often includes parts of animals Americans don't typically eat.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by Ymir's blood

For Christ's sake liv, don't tell her the name. She acts up awfully in Chinese restaurants, throwing food and all manner of shenanigans.

[wei yau]

I don't know about "often", vm.

Sure, there are some dishes which fit your description, but by and large, it's the same cuts of meat that most Americans might know.

That being said, the typical American diet is far from varied, so I blame that more than I blame esoteric cuts of meat.

[viscousmemories]

Yeah I was just being silly. It's just that I can never mention my dim sum fetish without someone bringing up chicken feet.

[wei yau]

Chicken feet is awesome. What's not to like about chicken feet?

Other more exotic dim sum would be:

- duck's blood
- stewed beef tripe
- pork tripe

I'm surprised that there's good dim sum by you, though you have said that Austin is not quite like the rest of Texas.

[viscousmemories]

I've had the tripe, but no blood (that I'm aware of).

They have something I call a duck sandwich at my favorite dim sum place here: It's roasted duck on a steamed bun with some chutney and a little green onion.

Unfortunately I recently adopted a meat-free diet so dim sum is pretty much over for me.

[wei yau]

yeah, very little veggie dim sum.

Though, the Shanghai-nese have a breakfast that might work for you, if you can find it.

[viscousmemories]

Speaking of Asian food, I had vegetable pho for lunch today that was delish. Unfortunately I'm near certain it was beef broth.

[Ensign Steve]

That's why it tasted so good.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by wei yau

I've long learned to refrain from commenting on the general quality of Chinese food in this country. With the exception of a few oases, NYC, San Francisco, etc. Most Chinese food here is just plain bad food and really not so much Chinese.

Chung King Chop Suey in a can. We called it 'chopped sewage'. So much for Chinese food from San Fran....

I've had Chinese in NYC and San Francisco (and reputed 'premiere' restaurants) and they aren't any better than here, or Seattle, or Vancouver. Is that because the west coast is privileged? I would think it would require an established Chinese-American community in which new immigrants with the requisite culinary skills felt comfortable and willing to stay. That, or big money that can be made in short order and then get the hell out.

[viscousmemories]

I prefer chicken broth akshully.

If I decide to maintain the meat-free lifestyle I might make an exception for broth anyway. There can't be that much real animal product in processed broth, can there?

[LadyShea]

Pretty sure broth comes from cooking cuts of meat no matter how processed.

When we went to Chinatown in SF, we went into back side roads, found a restaurant with dead things hanging in the window and no English written anywhere and no non-Chinese eating there, and like pointed at someone else's food to order.

Still have no idea what we ate, but it was awesome.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by Ladyshea

Pretty sure broth comes from cooking cuts of meat no matter how processed.

I'm not so sure. It seems to me that a restaurant that makes tons of soups (like a pho place) would use bullion cubes or something.

[livius drusus]

Stock is a great way to get rid of kitchen scraps. I would imagine the broth is made from discarded bones, skin, whathaveyou.

[godfry n. glad]

There ARE vegetable broths...without the taint of meat. Check your local Adventist or vegan grocery.

[wildernesse]

Originally Posted by viscousmemories

I'm not so sure. It seems to me that a restaurant that makes tons of soups (like a pho place) would use bullion cubes or something.

Yah, but bullion cubes still contain meat products. As my jar of bullion says: Made with Real Chicken! Ingredients include chicken fat and dried chicken.

[Deadlokd]

I used to work in a restaurant and we made our own broth with left over bits. The seafood broth we'd throw what was left of the filleted fish in, and mussels and stuff that wasn't good enough for the customers. It'd boil all day then get strained and kept. For the beef broth we'd use offcuts and bones. Same thing, boil it all day in a huge vat, strain it off and store it.

So from an ethical point of view you're just using the leftovers of someone else's meal.

[BrotherMan]

I mourn the general malaise of Chinese food pretty much anywhere I've lived. It's not so much that I don't like it or can't find something pleasing to my palate. It's biggest sin is that it all tastes the same. Every little mom and-or pop store from the strip mall(s) to little sit down places have, nearly to the item, same menu, same food and same flavors. I wouldn't know genuine or "good" Chinese if it jumped up and bit me.

I've only been there once but there is a darling little Vietnamese place in town that is genuinely Vietnamese (the single chef being one of those people).

[godfry n. glad]

It sounds like you need to live in some better places...like Shanghai.

[Qingdai]

If you are going out for Dim Sum in Portland, Wong's King is the only place to go.
The Chinese I work with love the place. They have a fabulous selection and waits out the door on weekends. During the week they have a good selection.

There are some up and coming Chinese restaurants around 82nd that I haven't tried yet, that are supposed to be good.

[godfry n. glad]

I'm not quite sure what makes for a good dim sum place....

We go to Legin Restaurant at SE 82nd and Division. We've wandered in when they were having dim sum and seen a veritable sea of Chinese faces, so I'd guess that it's a decent place. Hung Far Low is now on 82nd, and there is a growing concentration that runs from Stark Street in the north, with the long established Chinese Village, which was there when I was a kid, to around Foster on the south.

Why is it that Wong's King "is the only place to go"?