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[LessinSF]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

This is the most fascinating discussion of the origins of what we like to call Chinese Food you'll ever see. And the woman, Jennifer 8. Lee,* who does it is just awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6MhV...layer_embedded

I knew General Tso's was invented here, but back when I discovered that, I was highly disappointed. I was exposed to the dish when I first moved to New York in the 70s and we had no untensils or plates or anything for the first week or so and we ate chinese from across the street every night (and way too frequently for the first 6 months). Needless to say, I learned how to use chopsticks really fucking fast, as my mother wouldn't let me eat Chinese food any other way. The owner was the nicest man and after ordering spicy chicken with cashew nuts from the menu one too many times, he told me he would prepare something for me that wasn't on the menu. Awesome. What he gave me was General Tso's chicken and I thought for quite some time that it was his own invention. It should have been, because I've never had the dish prepared by anyone else that was even close to as good as his.

Anyway, the video is very interesting and you should give it a watch.

TM

*According to Wikipedia, she chose her middle name herself in her teen years because her first name was so common.

Thanks. I enjoyed it, and found it quite true of my experience in China, although I really liked what they call Chinese food too.