Article: Chinese Restaurant Food Draws Criticism

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I've been to one of these private restaurants in Hong Kong -- the food was wonderful (maybe not the best I've had in Honkers though), but less wonderful was being made to listen to the owner's wife sing peking opera.

I think a big difference in American chinese food is they don't serve it family style - I think you eat less if you have to share and use the lazy susan.

[Scott & Lai 12]

I've been to one of these private restaurants in Hong Kong -- the food was wonderful (maybe not the best I've had in Honkers though), but less wonderful was being made to listen to the owner's wife sing peking opera.

I think a big difference in American chinese food is they don't serve it family style - I think you eat less if you have to share and use the lazy susan.

Really?? I've used the lazy susan a lot here, and whenever we go out with friends for Chinese, we always share...

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I definitely see it but I don't think people use it as much -- people want to order their own thing. Maybe it's just the people I eat Chinese with in the US.

[mRx 16]

I think its safe to say that nearly any ethnicity of food in America is going to be unhealthier than in the native country. Lets face it, saturated fat and MSG sells.

[cbd2cai 0]

According to my co-workers when we went to Hong Kong, they have the worst Chinese food, LOL!!! But I think maybe it had something to do with the squid tentacles in everything. Some things I liked, some I didnt . . . that's all individual taste. Sweet and sour pork, which I don't eat in the States, was a bit different . . . mango not pineapple. This was specially made for me in a quite unique restaurant in Hong Kong . . . seems that it was in an old apartment bldg where you had to ask the doorman if you could go up. Tried those 1000-yr old eggs . . not my favorite thing. Well, I wasn't there long enough to lose weight, hehe, and I wish I could have ditched my co-workers because they kept wanting to go to the Western style restaurants.

Most Chinese restaurants in the States have adapted to what americans like and what is available for cooking . . . can't always get the same things they have in China. They certainly do like their noodles, which appears to be catching on more in this area . . . I just wish all those instant ones didn't have MSG . . . there's a long aisle of those at the Hong Kong market down the street from me, hehe!

I did the same thing in Hong Kong. You need a guide to get to the unlicensed restaurant. I'm lovin' it!!!

Always good to have an "in" with some Hong Kong ppl . . . . . I branched off from the co-workers to meet up with a woman from Hong Kong that I met in, of all places, Cairo!! The manager gave me his card and told me to come back anytime . . . wish I had the time now.

[Alex+R 0]

I definitely see it but I don't think people use it as much -- people want to order their own thing. Maybe it's just the people I eat Chinese with in the US.

Whether we share more or not (at least here we always seem to share) I think it's actually worse for you to share because the more variety in dishes you eat the longer it takes your brain to send you the message that it's full. I read something (was it on VJ?) that the more different items on study participants' plates, the more they ate.

[cbd2cai 0]

Worse than that are donner kebabs

"donner kebabs"? Not left overs from the Donner Party, I hope

No, but you might get confused by the name . . . sounds like it could be shish kebab/kebap but it is the Turkish version of dish that is like shawarma (arabic) or gyros (greek) . . . the meat is sliced up.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Always good to have an "in" with some Hong Kong ppl . . . . . I branched off from the co-workers to meet up with a woman from Hong Kong that I met in, of all places, Cairo!! The manager gave me his card and told me to come back anytime . . . wish I had the time now.

I am currently in Hong Kong on business - it's one of my favorite places. I lived here some years back and feel pretty lucky to have the opportunity to go back -- if only to eat good chinese food.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Worse than that are donner kebabs

"donner kebabs"? Not left overs from the Donner Party, I hope

No, but you might get confused by the name . . . sounds like it could be shish kebab/kebap but it is the Turkish version of dish that is like shawarma (arabic) or gyros (greek) . . . the meat is sliced up.

And sliced from a cylindrical loaf on a big spinning stick

[cbd2cai 0]

Always good to have an "in" with some Hong Kong ppl . . . . . I branched off from the co-workers to meet up with a woman from Hong Kong that I met in, of all places, Cairo!! The manager gave me his card and told me to come back anytime . . . wish I had the time now.

I am currently in Hong Kong on business - it's one of my favorite places. I lived here some years back and feel pretty lucky to have the opportunity to go back -- if only to eat good chinese food.

hmmmmm, sounds like I should have been traveling with someone like you so I could have found the better places more often!!!

When they ordered in food for us at lunch, it was usually something quasi-western . . . KFC, Pizza Hut, LOL!!!! But they did take us out for dim sum a couple of times . . . I would have gone everyday.

[KEN's ROSE 0]

When I go to Hong Kong I awlays lose weight. For one I couldn't even find a place that have 'Jumbo' shrimp fried rice. So spoiled on Americanized Chinese food that over in HK I ate oftenly at McD's because if its not porkchops on rice it some kind of noodle soup which soon after becomes bland.

[eric&gen 0]

Chinese food is good but filipino food is even better. There is a nice chinese restaurant in town called lamhung. Those filipinos sure know how to cook.

[featherB 1]

Given that most of the food is deep-fried I'm not surprised. British Indian food is even worse for you than that as its cooked with Ghee oil.

My grandma in India used to make everything in Ghee. Ghee is yummy. But bad for you, now we use extra virgin fukcing olive oil. It's a goddamn travesty.

Ghee is good - but when you see the orange stuff floating at the top of your take-away you know it's not the best for you.

Ghee isn't oil, is it? It's clarified butter! Makes no difference, I s'pose, it's fat (solidified fat that won't melt even on the hottest of days, mmm, who needs arteries anyway?) nonetheless! It's true though, if you cook your own indian stuff and just use a bit of oil instead of half a pound of ghee, it'll usually be fantastically healthy stuff... just never quite the same as if it had that shiny floaty slick on the top! Trying to think... was it Anthony Bourdain who said that the big difference taste-wise between food you get in a restaurant and food you make at home is about half a pound of butter?! He wasn't talking about indian food, but still.... that guy was right.

[Amby 490]

When I lived in Los Angeles our nanny was from Hong Kong and she laughed at us every time we ordered Chinese food and said "that is not Chinese food". One night she cooked for us a lovely meal that was way better than any Americanized Chinese food.

I'm a chef so I try to experiment with different flavors from all over the world. I've been told I make a lovely but super simple and figure friendly asian style chicken taco. Here's the recipe if anyone would like to try it:

1lb chicken breast cut into small pieces

1 garlic clove minced

1tsp ginger minced

1tsp crushed pepper flakes

1/4 cup honey

1Tbsp soy sauce

2 green onions sliced thin

Cook the chicken breast (with no oil) in a nonstick skillet with the garlic and ginger.

Once it is almost all the way cooked stir in all of the other ingredients.

Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook for 5-8 mins.

Remove lid and reduce any remaining liquid.

Serve in a hard taco shell (I've found soft tortillas are not good with this)

We usually only put lettuce and tomato on them.

Hope you enjoy if you try it

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I love Chinese food in India. It's still Chinese but exxxxxxtra hot!

also the only country where it's actually edible (using vegetables, and regularly-consumed parts such as drumsticks/breasts of chicken, not others such as chicken-foot)

Given that most of the food is deep-fried I'm not surprised. British Indian food is even worse for you than that as its cooked with Ghee oil.

I'm gonna rip you for that one.

Ghee isn't oil, it's clarified butter!