David R. Chan's love of lists and determination never to eat at the same place twice has seen him eat at over 7,300 Chinese restaurants and become an accidental expert on Chinese-American history
It's funny, but I grew up with the "traditional" American Jewish approach to Cantonese Chinese food - it's the perfect family meal since there's no dairy used and you can avoid the pork dishes....
It's funny, but I grew up with the "traditional" American Jewish approach to Cantonese Chinese food - it's the perfect family meal since there's no dairy used and you can avoid the pork dishes. From childhood onward, various Chinese cuisines have been favorites, and if I'm not constrained by dining companions, I'll go looking for the best, most authentic hole-in-the-wall restaurants in every city I visit.
I've eaten Hunan food in Richardson, Texas, at a restaurant catering to a large population of relocated Chinese people, where I had to manually translate the obscure parts of the menu to determine they had a whole submenu of pork bung (yes, rectum) dishes. There's a tiny place in Fairfax, VA which specializes in Mongolian, not the giant stone grill nonsense, but amazing lamb and mutton dishes. The area where I live has Hong Kong-style seafood and barbecue that are out-of-this-world good.
While I appreciate David Chan's journey, it's difficult for me to comprehend how you'd analyze the history of migrations and food without pausing to savor and understand the breadth of materials, flavors, and techniques that make up each cuisine.
This was a great (and pretty thorough) article exploring the history of Chinese and Taiwanese immigration as well as their influence on American cuisine. Mr. Chan seems to be an quirky/interesting...
This was a great (and pretty thorough) article exploring the history of Chinese and Taiwanese immigration as well as their influence on American cuisine. Mr. Chan seems to be an quirky/interesting character as well.
Chan is, in almost every way, an unlikely Chinese culinary celebrity. He cannot use chopsticks and does not drink tea (too much caffeine). He cannot speak Chinese. He adheres strictly to a lifelong low-sugar, low-cholesterol diet. He does not like spicy food. He does not, in fact, care much for food at all.
It was in this gastronomic crucible that Chan developed a taste for what would remain one of his favourite dishes well into adulthood: soy sauce on rice.
:P
p.s. For those interested in the subject I would definitely also recommend The Search for General Tso which explores the same subjects but using the premise of tracking down the origins of a single dish, and through the lens of several multi-generation Chinese-American restaurateurs. Soul of a Banquet is also pretty good and tells the story of Cecilia Chiang, considered the matriarch of authentic Chinese cuisine in the US.
It's funny, but I grew up with the "traditional" American Jewish approach to Cantonese Chinese food - it's the perfect family meal since there's no dairy used and you can avoid the pork dishes. From childhood onward, various Chinese cuisines have been favorites, and if I'm not constrained by dining companions, I'll go looking for the best, most authentic hole-in-the-wall restaurants in every city I visit.
I've eaten Hunan food in Richardson, Texas, at a restaurant catering to a large population of relocated Chinese people, where I had to manually translate the obscure parts of the menu to determine they had a whole submenu of pork bung (yes, rectum) dishes. There's a tiny place in Fairfax, VA which specializes in Mongolian, not the giant stone grill nonsense, but amazing lamb and mutton dishes. The area where I live has Hong Kong-style seafood and barbecue that are out-of-this-world good.
While I appreciate David Chan's journey, it's difficult for me to comprehend how you'd analyze the history of migrations and food without pausing to savor and understand the breadth of materials, flavors, and techniques that make up each cuisine.
This was a great (and pretty thorough) article exploring the history of Chinese and Taiwanese immigration as well as their influence on American cuisine. Mr. Chan seems to be an quirky/interesting character as well.
:P
p.s. For those interested in the subject I would definitely also recommend The Search for General Tso which explores the same subjects but using the premise of tracking down the origins of a single dish, and through the lens of several multi-generation Chinese-American restaurateurs. Soul of a Banquet is also pretty good and tells the story of Cecilia Chiang, considered the matriarch of authentic Chinese cuisine in the US.