美國人對美式中餐的誤解

American'smisconceptionsaboutChinese-AmericandishesIntroofJennifer8.Lee’sTEDtalkReporterJennifer.LeetalksaboutherhuntfortheoriginsoffamiliarChinese-Americandishes—exploringthehiddenspotswherethesetwocultureshave(sotastily)combinedtoformanewcuisine.FortunecookieFortunecookieFortunecookieA

fortunecookie

isacrisp

cookie

usuallymadefrom

flour,

sugar,

vanilla,and

sesameseedoil

withapieceofpaper,a"fortune",onwhichiswordsofwisdom,an

aphorism,oravague

prophecy.ThehistoryoffortunecookieTheshortansweris,actually,they'refromJapan.

AndinKyoto,outside,

therearestillsmallfamily-runbakeries

thatmakefortunecookies,

astheydidover100yearsago,

30yearsbeforefortunecookieswereintroducedintheUnitedStates.

.GeneralTso'sChickenGeneralTso'sChickenGeneralTso'schicken

isasweet,slightlyspicy,

deep-fried

chickendishthatispopularlyservedinAmericanChineserestaurants.ThedishisnamedafterGeneralTsoTsung-tang,or

ZuoZongtang,a

Qingdynasty

generalandstatesman,althoughthereisnorecordedconnectiontohim.TherealhistoryofGeneralTso'sChickenHeisafamousQingdynastymilitaryhero.

HeplayedanimportantroleintheTaipingrebellion,

whichwasawarstartedbyaguywhothoughthewasthesonofGod

andthebabybrotherofJesusChrist.

TherealinventorofGeneralTso‘sChicken--彭長貴彭長貴oneclaimisthattherecipewasinventedbyTaiwan-basedHunancuisinechefPengwhohadbeenanapprenticeofCaoJingchen's,afamousearly20th-centuryChinesechef.Pengwasthe

Nationalist

governmentbanquets'chefandfledwith

ChiangKai-shek'sforcestoTaiwanduringthe

ChineseCivilWar.There,hecontinuedhiscareerasofficialchefuntil1973,whenhemovedtoNewYorktoopenarestaurant.ThatwaswherePengstartedinventingnewdishesandmodifyingtraditionalones;onenewdish,GeneralTso'schicken,wasoriginallypreparedwithoutsugar,andsubsequentlyalteredtosuitthetastesof"non-Hunanesepeople".ChopsueyChopsueyChopsuey

（literally:"assortedpieces")isadishin

AmericanChinesecuisineandotherformsofoverseas

Chinesecuisine,consistingofmeat(oftenchicken,fish,beef,prawns,orpork)andeggs,cookedquicklywithvegetablessuchas

beansprouts,

cabbage,and

celery

andboundinastarch-thickenedsauce.

Filipinocuisine,

CanadianChinesecuisine,GermanChinesecuisine,

IndianChinesecuisine,and

Polynesiancuisine.In

IndonesianChinesecuisineitisknownas

capcai

(雜菜,"mixedvegetables")andmainlyconsistsofvegetables.Chopsuey

Chopsueyhasbecomeaprominentpartof

AmericanChinesecuisine

Filipinocuisine,

CanadianChinesecuisine,GermanChinesecuisine,

IndianChinesecuisine,and

Polynesiancuisine.In

IndonesianChinesecuisineitisknownas

capcai

(雜菜,"mixedvegetables")andmainlyconsistsofvegetables.ThehistoryofchopsueyChopsueyiswidelybelievedtohavebeeninventedinAmericaby

ChineseAmericans,buttheanthropologistE.N.Andersonconcludesthatthedishisbasedon

tsapseui

(雜碎,“miscellaneousleftovers”),commonin

Taishan

(Toisan),acountyin

GuangdongProvince

(Canton)ThebiggestculinaryjokeBecausechopsuey,ifyoutranslateintoChinese,

means（雜碎）,which,ifyoutranslateback,

means"oddsandends."

So,thesepeoplearegoingaroundChinaaskingforchopsuey,

whichissortoflikeaJapane