I was excited. I love trying new things. Especially 'real' things. I went to a giant Asian supermarket in Charlotte NC, which was attached to what appeared to be a thriving mall of Korean, Chineese, Vietnamese and Thai cafes and diners. I'd never tried Chineese food before so I gave it a shot. This had to be the worst stock I've ever attempted to eat. Everything smelled bad. Undercooked stale Ramen, and soggy bland dumplings. I've heard authentic Chineese food was bland, but this caught me off guard. Oh well. Try anything once. It just tasted dirty.
Has anyone else here tried a Chineese dish? Are their soups an acquired taste?
Try it again when you're with friends who can recommend (or take you to) a good Chinese place. Authentic Chinese food is great and very far from bland. You've had one bad experience.
I remember going to a huge Chinese Dim Sum place in L.A. that was recommended by a friend and it was disgusting. Everything tasted stale, all the meats were dried and tasted like they'd been cooked then left in the fridge for 5 days then reheated, etc. The place was full of Chinese people mostly, which for my friend was a proof that the food there was authentic. But really it tasted very bad.
But I've had excellent Chinese food in other places! That's why I wanted to share. Don't give up on Chinese food, it's vast colorful food world. And who could live without eating Peking Duck at least once? Its sweet/savory crispy skin, the fresh sharp scallion julienne, the little crepes, the thick hoisin sauce....
You can’t jusge all Chinese food by one bad experience.
I remember when I used to think sushi was gross. I had never tried it of course, to me the idea was gross. And the I tried it, and I didn’t exaxtly like it but I didn’t hate it either. I tried it again and again until i cultivated a real love for it and now i can’t go more than a few days without it. So try again, find some good reviews in your area and experiment more. It’s really not that hard to like Chinese food of all cuisines.
This is kinda how it is for all foods. Not all foods in any given style/cuisine are going to be created equal. Not everyone cooks the same or has the same tastes so to judge an entire ethnic cuisine based on one try of one dish in one particular area is not a very good measure for the overall cuisine. I hope you continue to broaden your culinary horizons and try other new things.
It's a different approach to cuisine than Western food. Mouth texture plays a more important role. Where you describe a soggy dumpling, they might experience it as slippery and tender. Slippery is something positive in some Chinese dishes. That's one of the qualities of sharks fin soup, though it's out of favor for negative impacts to shark populations. Even birds nest soup is gelatinous in a way odd to Western experiences.
Readup on the qualities of Chinese food so you have more understanding of what a dish should be like.
Fuschia Dunlop books are good for learning some of this.
I went to a giant Asian supermarket in Charlotte NC, which was attached to what appeared to be a thriving mall of Korean, Chineese, Vietnamese and Thai cafes and diners.
If I had a friend from another country visiting the USA for the first time, a mall would not be my first choice to find food outlets to expose them to the wonders of American cuisine.
Resort areas like Cape Cod are notorious for tasteless Chinese and other Asian fare. What you get I guess trying to satisfy a greatly diverse demographic. I know the Raliegh/Durham area has some good oriental fare.
Chinese is not well represented in North Carolina. I have found exactly one place that has "passable" Chinese food called Apple China in Greensboro. The Chinese have 5000 years of prectice and are some of the worlds best cooks! Try New York or San Francisco. Find a Chinese person to take you who knows what to order!!!!
Martin Yan, even though he can be a bit of a pompous jerk, has good books on the topic... most of which show the diversity of “Chinese” cookery. His “Chinatown Cooking” is a good example.
BTW: when eating at most ethic restaurants it’s important to know two things:
- where the owner/chef/cooks are really from (specifically) AND
- who they are trying to appease.
Both of these factors drive “authenticity”... whatever that really is.
In many ethnic restaurants there is the menu, often another menu that “outsiders” don’t see or can’t read, and often differences in the food being served depending on who is ordering/eating.
Local Thai place has 2 menus, I get the second because I like my food spicy hot instead of midwest bland... they appease the bulk but will make it hot for those of us who request it.
I had lunch at a Wienershnitzel once. German food is terrible. That is basically the logic the original poster is using.
Chinese food encompasses such an incredibly vast array of flavors, ingredients and techniques, one could take a lifetime to master just one of the major styles. A Cantonese salt fish and chicken stir fried rice is quite different than a deep fried tofu in black bean and garlic sauce. I wish I had better skills when it comes to Chinese.
I agree...try it again, but somewhere else. Beware, the local carry out places across the entire country tend to offer overly sweet Westernized fare. Find an authentic spot, or at least a take out that doesn't do the normal thing.
"Localized" Chinese food can be wonderful depending on where in the world you are. My wife is from Trinidad in the Caribbean, and Chinese carry out there is on a whole other level. It's some of the best take out food, in general, that you can have anywhere.
There isa local Chinese place that is pretty authentic, the sauces aren't the sickly sweet Americanized versions, dishes that should have a lot of heat have a lot of heat... I love eating there but it is expensive!
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