Question for Volty

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

What is the difference between real Chinese food, and the stuff we are told is Chinese food here in the states?

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

What is the difference between real Chinese food, and the stuff we are told is Chinese food here in the states?

I can answer a bit, from research. There are eight "distinctly regional foods" and several other varieties.

 

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/regional-cuisines.htm

 

For example, Sichuan food, where volty lives, is typically very spicy. Guangdong province has a lot of seafood dishes, and dim sum.

 

Where I'll be, noodle dishes and carp prepared in a variety of ways is the specialty.

 

http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/regional-cuisines.htm

 

Your typical American Chinese place has bland homogenized versions of several of the varieties.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

Bland? Wow i always thought it was tasty

[mobb_deep 917]

I work with a Chinese guy (from Ecuador oddly enough). He took me to some Chinese place he said was the closest to traditional Chinese he's found in the area. It wasn't all that different IMO. It just had more seafood choices than the traditional Americanized places I'm used to. Shark fin soup. White fish with various sauces. Etc.

[tanatastic 2,061]

Fake or real, chinese food is bad. Vietnamese and thai are so many times better in every way, shape and form. for years as a kid id always love getting chinese food, since its more of an activity and idea than a meal. wed order, get all pumped and those first few bites were heavenly. Then by the end of the meal your telling yourself, "I think im done with chinese food...for good.". Then an hour later your hungry again anyway so time to go get some real dinner.

 

Then when I discovered vietnamese and thai my world changed. Delicious, clean tasting awesome food.

[Magnificent Bastard 190]

Fake or real, chinese food is bad. Vietnamese and thai are so many times better in every way, shape and form. for years as a kid id always love getting chinese food, since its more of an activity and idea than a meal. wed order, get all pumped and those first few bites were heavenly. Then by the end of the meal your telling yourself, "I think im done with chinese food...for good.". Then an hour later your hungry again anyway so time to go get some real dinner.

 

Then when I discovered vietnamese and thai my world changed. Delicious, clean tasting awesome food.

Do you have any Tai dishes you would recommend? I want to go, but my wife won't enjoy it. I want to get it right if I go. I like meat and seafood, and spice.

[Sho Nuff 719]

Do you have any Tai dishes you would recommend? I want to go, but my wife won't enjoy it. I want to get it right if I go. I like meat and seafood, and spice.

Thai Basil...I usually go chicken at the local joint here. (Pad Kra Prao)

Its pretty typical Thai stir fry. The Thai Basil on its own adds a little spice...but in any Thai place they will heat it up a bit more if you want.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

Theres a place in chicago off of Taylor i believe called Thai Bowl. That place had some pretty good food. There is a Chinese restaurant called Joey Yis in Chinatown (Chicago) that was the absolute shlt. You have to order from the pictures though since there is no Engrish description of the food.

[Magnificent Bastard 190]

Thai Basil...I usually go chicken at the local joint here. (Pad Kra Prao)

Its pretty typical Thai stir fry. The Thai Basil on its own adds a little spice...but in any Thai place they will heat it up a bit more if you want.

Well thank you, sir. Good day.

[MDC 5,890]

Do you have any Tai dishes you would recommend? I want to go, but my wife won't enjoy it. I want to get it right if I go. I like meat and seafood, and spice.

Might as well start at the top and get pad thai.

 

Pad prik king is a green bean plus protein and tangy / spicy sauce dish I really like.

 

Most thai places have a variety if curries - pick your protein and heat level plus curry flavor. Yellow curry has a coconut base that nicely offsets burn your face off hot levels.

 

I usually do fried tofu but is recommend chicken over steak - it just goes better with cream based curries.

 

Place I love does a noodle dish called khoi soi that will burn your face off. Jungle curry (broth based with pumpkin and other veggies) is awesome too.

 

Favorite app is fried tofu satay (peanut sauce). Chicken satay is just as good.

 

It's hard to go wrong with Thai. It's like Chinese food that doesn't suck with better spices.

[mobb_deep 917]

It's all about Pad See Ew (thick noodles, Chinese broccoli, egg), Thai Basil, Khao Soi (noodle soup w/ curry), and Tom Yum w/ tofu or shrimp (very spicy soup w/ tomatoes and mushrooms).

[southcarolina 166]

The cats in the US are more domesticated, therefore more tender.

[Voltaire 4,556]

What is the difference between real Chinese food, and the stuff we are told is Chinese food here in the states?

Chinese food in China is awful whereas in the U.S. it's great. You have to be careful of the mystery meats because they'll use animals you don't want to eat and weird parts of animals you would be willing to eat. This is especially bad in Guandong Province where TBBOM is going (look up three squeak mouse). In Sichuan, less so. I don't think pig's ear and chicken foot and dog and fat or skin or bone are served in U.S. Chinese restaurants

 

They don't carve food nor fillet fish. Everything is hacked up in a grid - left to right then up to down in sizes small enough to be picked up with chopsticks. Bones and meat or whatever is in the grid get chopped up together and tossed in. In the U.S, the cook will remove the skin and bones and leave you to cut up your meat. In China, they cut the meat into small pieces and leave the skin and bones and gristle there for you to deal with.

 

No dairy at all and the only grain they cook with is rice. They'll buy milk, yoghurt, bread, and ice cream (not cheese or sour cream) but never cook with it except whipped cream used as frosting on cakes.

 

Lots of food is fried in oil.

 

The first month I was here, I forced myself to eat it thinking I'd eventually get use to it. The second month, I gave up. It was just too disgusting. I skipped meals and barely ate anything but imported cereal, boiled vegetables, fruit and PBJ sandwiches. Later I found Uighur restaurant and ate there everyday for months. To this day, I still eat there frequently.

 

There are other cheap restaurants serving food I like. What I still hate is "nice" restaurants. I never, ever, ever, absolutely under any circumstance go to one of my own volition. I dread being invited to dinner because that means that I have to go to one. People who invite you to dinner will never take you to the cheap, decent restaurants. They want to take you to a place that's 10x more expensive and serve you disgusting crap.

 

In China, you don't get individual plates. Everything is buffet style, shared, help yourself. Tables are round, your plate is in front of you. Just beyond that is a large round tray that rotates where all the food for everybody is placed. Most of the dishes on the tray are uneatable. There's usually one or two things that are tolerable. I just eat that.

 

If I'm ever in the mood to drop some coin on an expensive meal, I'll choose a western restaurant 10,000 times out of 10,000. I would be willing to go to an expensive Uighur restaurant, but there's no such thing. It'd be like finding a fine dining soul food restaurant. They don't exist. Also, I wouldn't know why I'd ever want to pay for one since I can find cheap Uighur food everywhere. The best food here is either cheap or foreign.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Chinese food in China is awful whereas in the U.S. it's great. You have to be careful of the mystery meats because they'll use animals you don't want to eat and weird parts of animals you would be willing to eat. This is especially bad in Guandong Province where TBBOM is going (look up three squeak mouse). In Sichuan, less so. I don't think pig's ear and chicken foot and dog and fat or skin or bone are served in U.S. Chinese restaurants

They don't carve food nor fillet fish. Everything is hacked up in a grid - left to right then up to down in sizes small enough to be picked up with chopsticks. Bones and meat or whatever is in the grid get chopped up together and tossed in. In the U.S, the cook will remove the skin and bones and leave you to cut up your meat. In China, they cut the meat into small pieces and leave the skin and bones and gristle there for you to deal with.

No dairy at all and the only grain they cook with is rice. They'll buy milk, yoghurt, bread, and ice cream (not cheese or sour cream) but never cook with it except whipped cream used as frosting on cakes.

Lots of food is fried in oil.

The first month I was here, I forced myself to eat it thinking I'd eventually get use to it. The second month, I gave up. It was just too disgusting. I skipped meals and barely ate anything but imported cereal, boiled vegetables, fruit and PBJ sandwiches. Later I found Uighur restaurant and ate there everyday for months. To this day, I still eat there frequently.

There are other cheap restaurants serving food I like. What I still hate is "nice" restaurants. I never, ever, ever, absolutely under any circumstance go to one of my own volition. I dread being invited to dinner because that means that I have to go to one. People who invite you to dinner will never take you to the cheap, decent restaurants. They want to take you to a place that's 10x more expensive and serve you disgusting crap.

In China, you don't get individual plates. Everything is buffet style, shared, help yourself. Tables are round, your plate is in front of you. Just beyond that is a large round tray that rotates where all the food for everybody is placed. Most of the dishes on the tray are uneatable. There's usually one or two things that are tolerable. I just eat that.

If I'm ever in the mood to drop some coin on an expensive meal, I'll choose a western restaurant 10,000 times out of 10,000. I would be willing to go to an expensive Uighur restaurant, but there's no such thing. It'd be like finding a fine dining soul food restaurant. They don't exist. Also, I wouldn't know why I'd ever want to pay for one since I can find cheap Uighur food everywhere. The best food here is either cheap or foreign.

Actually, that job fell through. I'm going to henan province now (zhengzhou).

[mobb_deep 917]

Actually, that job fell through. I'm going to henan province now (zhengzhou).

Yah dude! That's where all the Shaolon Kung-Fu monks are.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Yah dude! That's where all the Shaolon Kung-Fu monks are.

Yep. The monastery is about an hour outside of town. They have a daily show, where they break cinder blocks and whatnot.

 

Longmen caves looks cool too. 10,000 Bhudda statues.

 

I would also love to tour the iPhone factory, but I'm sure that isn't allowed.

[IGotWorms 3,310]

I would also love to tour the iPhone factory, but I'm sure that isn't allowed.

Careful now, you might get locked in

[Bier Meister 1,513]

 

Your typical American Chinese place has bland homogenized versions of several of the varieties.

 

 

i think that this is going to vary based on where you live...

 

Asian food may be my favorite cuisine (all regions: all chinese, japanese, thai, korean, vietnamese, burmese, etc). I love the flavors. When we moved to colorado, i was very disappointed in what the state had to offer in this area. i found some restaurants i like quite a bit but it took effort (a good amount were near federal and alameda). certain cities do it very well (SF, NYC, Seattle, LA, Vancouver). i can understand where people can get lukewarm on sweet and sour, cashew, mongolian....

[Bier Meister 1,513]

Might as well start at the top and get pad thai.

 

Pad prik king is a green bean plus protein and tangy / spicy sauce dish I really like.

 

Most thai places have a variety if curries - pick your protein and heat level plus curry flavor. Yellow curry has a coconut base that nicely offsets burn your face off hot levels.

 

I usually do fried tofu but is recommend chicken over steak - it just goes better with cream based curries.

 

Place I love does a noodle dish called khoi soi that will burn your face off. Jungle curry (broth based with pumpkin and other veggies) is awesome too.

 

Favorite app is fried tofu satay (peanut sauce). Chicken satay is just as good.

 

It's hard to go wrong with Thai. It's like Chinese food that doesn't suck with better spices.

 

this is a pretty good run down.

 

basil chicken, pad thai, and curries are the staples of most thai restaurants.

 

some other dishes i enjoy:

laab- minced meat with misc accompaniments

 

most have a variation of a steak salad with green papaya salad

 

tom yum and tom kha are very good soups

 

moo gra tiam- marinated grilled or broiled pork

 

gai yang- bbq chicken

 

mee krob- harder to find, fried rice noodles with a sweet and sour sauce, bbq pork, and shrimp

[Voltaire 4,556]

Actually, that job fell through. I'm going to henan province now (zhengzhou).

I can't keep up.

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

 

 

i think that this is going to vary based on where you live...

 

Asian food may be my favorite cuisine (all regions: all chinese, japanese, thai, korean, vietnamese, burmese, etc). I love the flavors. When we moved to colorado, i was very disappointed in what the state had to offer in this area. i found some restaurants i like quite a bit but it took effort (a good amount were near federal and alameda). certain cities do it very well (SF, NYC, Seattle, LA, Vancouver). i can understand where people can get lukewarm on sweet and sour, cashew, mongolian....

The chinese food i had in SF was excellent. I really enjoyed that city as a whole. GReat seafood and Chinese food. What else could someone want?

[naomi 343]

The American born Chinese guy I kind of went out with loves squab and he eats at places where everyone at the table shares a fully intact fish and they just go at it and it's a treat to have the eyes. There doesn't seem to be an organ in general that turns him off. I was really grossed which surprised me and it made me wonder if I would be equally as grossed out if I was physically attracted to him or not...if that makes sense. Would Christian Bale get a pass for eating pigeon brain, whereas with him inwardly I'm just entirely put off.

[Bier Meister 1,513]

The chinese food i had in SF was excellent. I really enjoyed that city as a whole. GReat seafood and Chinese food. What else could someone want?

 

 

........... and there are excellent asian seafood restaurants!

 

ppq dungeness island

kim thanh

hong kong lounge

golden river

dragon river

golden gate

jade garden

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

I can't keep up.

I know. I had accepted a position in Qingdao, but it got cancelled, so I found this one. Pretty sweet deal i think.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

 

 

i think that this is going to vary based on where you live...

 

Asian food may be my favorite cuisine (all regions: all chinese, japanese, thai, korean, vietnamese, burmese, etc). I love the flavors. When we moved to colorado, i was very disappointed in what the state had to offer in this area. i found some restaurants i like quite a bit but it took effort (a good amount were near federal and alameda). certain cities do it very well (SF, NYC, Seattle, LA, Vancouver). i can understand where people can get lukewarm on sweet and sour, cashew, mongolian....

Probably. In Tennessee, all the Chinese places get their food from the same distributor, and there is pretty much zero difference between kung pao chicken, general tsao's chicken, sesame chicken, and cashew chicken. It's just all rubbery chicken in bland red sauce.

[Magnificent Bastard 190]

Applebee's has some pot stickers. Wiffle may like them

[Old School 360]

I know. I had accepted a position in Qingdao, but it got cancelled, so I found this one. Pretty sweet deal i think.

I spent some time in Qingdao. Where are you going now?

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

I spent some time in Qingdao. Where are you going now?

Zhengzhou. It has the advantage of being significantly cheaper than qingdao cost of living wise. Not as nice and cosmopolitan though. It also has the advantage of being very easy to travel from, so I can do weekend trips cheaply and easily. Xi'an, and Beijing are 2 and 3.5 hour train rides. Shanghai is five.

 

The climate is perfect though, which is nice, and from what I can tell, with free housing and low cost of living, I'll be able to travel and have a good time.

[Old School 360]

Cool.

I would recommend a tourist trip to Beijing over Shanghai.

I found at the square, either no one really knew of the history, or they didnt want to talk about it. The Forbidden City was pretty awesome. I hired a driver to take me to the Great Wall. The damn altitude kicked my ass when I tried to climb all those damn stairs. Very impressive. Glad I went.

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

Cool.

I would recommend a tourist trip to Beijing over Shanghai.

I found at the square, either no one really knew of the history, or they didnt want to talk about it. The Forbidden City was pretty awesome. I hired a driver to take me to the Great Wall. The damn altitude kicked my ass when I tried to climb all those damn stairs. Very impressive. Glad I went.

Yeah, I'm far more interested in Beijing and Xi'an than Shanghai. I like the history stuff. I'm sure I will do all three more than once though.

 

Further afield, I'll likely do the Hong Kong area over a longer break. At some point, I'll do a longer trip to the southwest, see Shangri-la, Dali, and visit volty.

 

In January, for winter break (a month) I think I'm gonna go to India. As luck would have it, my parents are going to be there anyway, so I can visit them without flying back to the states, and see some cool sh!t.

 

My brother and his wife are going to take the kids to her village in viet nam in the summer. I may go see them, and do Thailand along the way.

 

Infinite options. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

If I stay long term, I think I going to do the Trans Siberian express across Russia, visit some friends in Germany. Maybe next summer.

[Mungwater 588]

If/when you get to Germany, need to checkout Ryanair.com. They have cheap flights everywhere, I used the hell out of it when I lived there. Fly to Scotland for ten bucks type deals. Just don't fly into Frankfurt international and expect a flight out of Frankfurt Hahn. It's well over an hour away.