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Gung hey fat choi! In the Chinese calendar, 2007 marks the Year of the Pig, a creature that is said to embody a pure heart and hedo- nism. And as food is one of the great pleas- ures of life, Chinese New Year is as good as any of an occasion to indulge in the great varieties of Chinese cuisine, regardless of one’s cultural background. And, with the number of Chinese restaurants nearby, it shouldn’t be too hard to find something authentic, right?

Not so fast. In an ever-shrinking world and cultural boundaries continuously blurring, authenticity is difficult to come by in a multi- cultural society. Sure, the name of the restau- rant might sound vaguely Chinese, the menus might be written in Chinese, and the serving staff might all be Chinese. But, when you consider the origins of some of these dishes, you'll definitely reconsider.

Chop Suey

Literally translated from the Chinese words, Jjaabp (odds and ends) and suei (bits), Chop Suey is a dish of mixed vegetables and meat, served over rice or noodles. However, it doesn’t get much more specific than that, as the meat can be just about anything (chicken, beef, pork, shrimp) and the vegetables can be of anything, regardless of whether or not it can be readily obtained in China, although usually including mushrooms, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. While the theories for the origin of this dish vary, if you actually find this dish in a restaurant in China, it will be referred to as “American Chop Suey.”

The most popular theories indicate that the dish was created and served in America, but after that, it diverges. One such theory suggests that the Chinese ambassador to America, Li-Hung Chang, whose personal chef was tasked with preparing a meal, using whatever ingredients were at his disposal.

However, this theory is questionable, as the

story suggests that it occurred in 1896, whereas the earliest cited use of the term “Chop Suey” was in 1888, according to the Oxford dictionary.

A more-accepted theory suggests that Chinese immigrants, lured to America with the promise of a better life and becoming miners and railway builders, created the dish using whatever ingredients were available, often ingredients obtained cheaply. After having enough money to open up restaurants, they ended up serving this dish to Americans.

General Tso’s Chicken

In North American Chinese restaurants, this is a specialized dish, consisting of spicy deep- fried boneless chicken, hot peppers, and broc- coli, although chicken may be substituted for shrimp or even tofu (presumably, they stop calling it General Tso’s Chicken when you order that). But, several odd facts surround this dish, such as the fact that this dish is not actually that difficult or especially expensive to produce, but is often considered a “special- ty.” And, it’s yet another Chinese-American innovation,

But, first some history. General Tso’s Chicken is named for Zuo Zongtang (1812- 1885), the legendary military general who served under the Qing Dynasty, overseeing an army of volunteers during the Taiping Rebellion (sometimes referred to as “Rebellion of Great Peace”), one of the bloodiest conflicts in Chinese history, which claimed millions of lives between 1851-64. Under General Zuo’s command, his armies were able to capture cities and drive rebels from his home province of Hunan. After the end of civil war, General Zuo was appointed to positions of politics, before returning to military duty, even while in his 70’s. Due to vastly different dialects in the Chinese lan- guage, the pronunciation of “Zuo”

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(Mandarin dialect) becomes “Tso” (in Cantonese, pronounced with a barely silent er).

Partly as a result of the bloody conflict, many Chinese fled to other parts of the world, although this dish is not necessarily created by immigrants of that time, but is much more contemporary, with the earliest reported servings occurring in 1970’s New York.

Two Chinese-American chefs claim to be the originators of this dish, with Chef Peng’s version of the dish first appearing in Peng’s Restaurant in NYC in 1974, and T-T. Wang, formerly of Shun Lee Palaces, who first cre- ated the dish in 1972 from Hunan culinary influences.

As to why the chefs chose to name the dish after a war general is still unclear.

Fortune Cookies

Provided as desert after your meal, this con- fection is cracked open to reveal a small slip of paper with words of wisdom, and occa- sionally lottery numbers on the back. The cookie itself is brittle, hard, and doesn’t really taste like anything. And, yet again, this item wasn't developed in China either.

As with General Tso’s chicken, there are at least two claimants to the first fortune cookie. Interestingly enough, it may not even be Chinese in origin, but actually Japanese. This theory suggests that a Japanese- American named Makoto Hagiwara created them in 1914, inserting slips of paper with messages of good fortune as a thank you for the guests of the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

The other claimant is from LA, David Jung, a Hong Kong immigrant and founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company, who claims to have invented the cookie several years later in 1918, using slips of paper con- taining inspirational quotes from the bible.

As to what inspired these cookies, it’s unclear. The concept of baking foreign objects into pastry is not entirely new or exclusive to the Chinese, as others have been known to bake coins into cake. One can draw parallels to the addition of paper mes- sages to biscuits eaten around the annual Autumn Moon Festival, which were substitut- ed for traditional Chinese moon cakes, which would have been unavailable to Chinese rail- workers in the 1800s.

Regardless, these aren’t something you'll likely find if you’re ever in a restaurant in China.

Cat and Dog

While you won’t find this on the menu in any North American Chinese restaurant (especial- ly with laws governing the treatment of ani- mals), it’s still worth mentioning.

When it comes to eating cat and dog, many of a Chinese child on the playground has heard the taunts of their ignorant gwei-/o peers (that’s the all-purpose Cantonese term for Caucasian people) and the stereotype was even lampooned on the “Average Asian” skits from Mad TV, in which American-born Asian Heidiki (played by Korean-American comedian Bobby Lee) responds to the stereo- type by jokingly stating that he eats dog “only on the holidays,” causing his date to flee in terror.

Even for those on meat-based diets, the notion of eating an animal that is typically kept as a domesticated pet is appalling in and of itself. But, while domesticated pets are quite common in North America, they are a rarity in China, due to high fees of animal licensing. Dog owners have been known to generate some level of disdain, given the dog’s status as material excess, earning their

- owners the name er nai (literally translating to

“second breast,” but figuratively meaning

- “mistress” or “second wife). Despite recent

economic prosperity, they are still relatively rare, although that is changing, along with a taste for Fido, mostly due to global influence on China’s buying habits.

While it is easy to suggest that eating of animals typically considered pets might be the actions of a poor starving people, certain regions of China do consider cat to be a deli- cacy, more specifically in Canton and Guangdong. However, given the cost and expense related to raising cats for food pur- poses, this is hardly something undertaken by the desperate. Also, considering the tendency for stray cats to be carrying parasites, it mini- mizes the appeal. ,

Surely, many may find the notion of eat- ing pets appalling. However, when contrasted against animal treatment in Western cultures, it’s not that far removed from hens in battery cages, animal testing of makeup products, and fattening geese for foie gras.

Conclusion

So, what is actual Chinese cuisine? With a population of 1.3 billion in China alone, and not even counting outlying areas with pre- dominantly Chinese populations (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, etc.), the definition becomes a little harder to pin down. As it stands, Hong Kong-style cuisine restaurants show a wide range of western influences, even going all the way to serve traditionally western standards such as burgers and fries, while taking spaghetti and turning it into a chow mein-like dish.

As to what to recommend locally, Chinese restaurants in major urban centres such as Richmond or Vancouver’s Chinatown will often provide an authentic experience, although those may wish to remember to keep an open mind and be willing to try something that’s not so recognizable. With the sizeable Chinese community in western Canada, Chinese restaurants ate not hard to find.

In terms of what I personally recom- mend, if your tastes tend to run along the spicier side, one cannot go wrong with Chongging Restaurant (2808 Commercial Drive, Vancouver), which serves Szechuan cuisine, many of which have dishes rated wi a pepper next to it (three peppers being the spiciest). The many restaurants in Chinatow: have many choices, although I tend to gravi- tate towards Goldstone (115 Keefer), although this is more of westernized Hong Kong cuisine (although I do like the black pepper steak spaghetti). Failing that, if you’re feeling adventurous, go to Richmond and pick just about any restaurant and enjoy. And hopefully, you know how to use your chop- sticks.