What influence did Chinese food and Chinese restaurants have on the United States? Why is it the national dish of China in the eyes of Americans? How do China restaurants compare with McDonald's and KFC in the United States today? Why does every Sino-American diplomacy give the American people a new understanding of Chinese food? With these questions, let's start with the original China cuisine in the eyes of Americans.
In today's world, Chinese food is recognized as the world's number one, but in the eyes of westerners hundreds of years ago, this is not the case at all. Let's start with China's national dishes in the eyes of Americans. When it comes to national dishes, many foodies have their own opinions, but I don't know what the national dishes in China are at present. But in the eyes of Americans in the Qing Dynasty, what was China's national dish? Fried chop suey? . Yes, you heard me right. It's just an ordinary farm dish, with some chicken offal and water, plus some messy things. There is no fixed practice. Why is this inexpensive and unpalatable dish considered by Americans as the national dish of China? Of course, this is inseparable from history.
With the rise of San Francisco, people from all over the world came to the United States, including laborers from China and immigrants from the Qing Dynasty. These low-level workers, after coming to the United States, struggled to survive through their own efforts. They work the hardest, get the lowest salary, and suffer from all kinds of discrimination, struggling to survive in the United States. In order to survive and live, they had to unite and live together, which formed the gathering place of Chinese workers. If anyone is alive, we will eat.
In this way, the first Chinese restaurant in America opened. Chinese restaurant is actually a small restaurant that can be moved at any time in a shack. Although these operators are from China, they are not professional chefs. They are also aimed at the working people, and their biggest advantage is that they are cheap and have the taste of their hometown. So, put some soy sauce and the cheapest livestock scraps bought from the vegetable market. Once fried, it is a plate of fried chop suey. Although we don't like this thing today, it is better than eating bread all day for China workers who lived in a foreign country 200 years ago. And there is a little meat in it, which is cheap and can taste the taste of hometown.
In this way, fried chop suey quickly became the hottest dish in the Chinese community in the United States. Because of China people's good service attitude, hard work and enthusiasm, coupled with preferential prices, this dish quickly attracted the bottom people in the United States, including many whites. So fried chop suey, just like we went to McDonald's and KFC to eat hamburgers and fried chicken pieces, became the representative of China cuisine. But the arrival of Li Hongzhang has become a great opportunity for fried chop suey to make a name for himself.
With the signing of the Wang Xia Treaty between China and the United States, two interesting countries really sat together for the first time. One is the oldest country, and the other is the newest country. Representatives of the two countries sit together, except signing a contract and eating. At this time, cultural differences are vividly reflected at the dinner table. Out of courtesy and enthusiasm, the Qing delegate not only asked the Americans their ages, but also gave them food. These things, in the eyes of Westerners, always feel uncomfortable. You can ask me my age, but it's too much for you to help me with your chopsticks. What did you eat? This is a Manchu-Chinese banquet. Some people say that Americans will never forget such a high-class feast. This is the real luxury and atmosphere.
But on the contrary, Americans see a big table full of greasy food, but they don't know what those dishes are. Looking at the bodies of some animals they didn't know, they suddenly thought of the first time they set foot on the Guangzhou vegetable market in our territory. There are fat jumping mice, live snakes that are now killed and skinned, struggling Xiaohua Mall, barking and killing dog meat, and China officials are equally uncomfortable. When bloody steaks and smelly cheese are served, look at the rich body hair of those Americans. I really think they are so rude and wild. Anyway, we both feel that the food tastes terrible. However, Li Hongzhang's visit to the United States pushed the fried chop suey to a historical climax.
What's the point? I won't talk about it. The direct impact is its disintegration, which is a milestone in history. At this time, a dish has caused a sensation in the United States thousands of miles away. This is Beijing roast duck. Because when the negotiations between the two countries reached the most tense, a whole duck banquet of Beijing roast duck directly eased this embarrassing atmosphere. When American TV showed the couple eating duck's head with chopsticks in their mouths, Americans went crazy. It turns out that in addition to fried chop suey, China also has such delicious things as Beijing Roast Duck.
However, the subsequent dinner opened the eyes of Americans. As the camera zooms in, the golden dinner cover opens, and the famous dishes in China are vividly visible. It is not only dazzling, but also delicious. This is specially arranged, bringing together the best chefs and ingredients in the country, and a special table is a top feast. With the broadcast of the camera, China fever has been bombarded in the United States. Books from Zhongshan suits to antique cities and from Chinatown to China are all sold out. Chinese food has also refreshed our understanding of the United States again since then, but this is only temporary. Although Chinese restaurants in the United States have already surpassed KFC and McDonald's combined, their annual income also accounts for 10% of the entire catering industry in the United States.
Moreover, Chinese food is recognized as the best in the world, but there are very few high-end restaurants with Chinese style. First, Chinese food has been a fast food mode for the general public from the beginning to the present, and second, cultural differences. People would rather spend hours eating a western-style meal with various manners to show their identity and status than picking up chopsticks and eating a sumptuous Chinese meal.