The names of overseas Chinese restaurants are a bit rustic.
Strolling through the streets of Lima, Peru, restaurants with the words "CHIFA" can be seen everywhere. This is a unique sign of Chinese restaurants in Peru, which is a homonym of "eating" in Chinese.
Different from the various and even online store names in China, the names of overseas Chinese restaurants are a bit "rustic". In addition to the literal translation of Chinese /China Restaurant, diners are reminded that this restaurant is from a mysterious country in the Far East, from wok to jiaozi, from panda to bamboo, and from golden to Beijing.
The history of iron pot began in Qin and Han Dynasties, and it is an indispensable tool for food production in China. According to the food documentary "China on the Tip of the Tongue", the wok is deep inside and suitable for cooking. Moreover, the inner wall of the pot is forged, so when the spoon is turned over, the food will naturally turn out of the pot and will not be thrown out. These characteristics promote the achievements of China people's cooking technology.
Panda is not only the national treasure of China, but also the witness of commercial expansion. 1973, Nixon visited China, Sino-US relations eased, and China sent the first pair of giant pandas to the United States. Also in this year, 25-year-old Cheng Zhengchang raised funds to start a restaurant. The waiter suggested that since Americans like pandas, they might as well name the restaurant "Panda Inn". Later, this restaurant developed into panda express, the largest American Chinese food chain in the world. In our statistics, more than three-quarters of panda words come from this place.
Gold is the most popular color in the names of restaurants in China. This preference may have originated hundreds of years ago. According to "From Cantonese Restaurant to panda express", China restaurants opened in the United States in the early years all hung triangular yellow ribbons as flags. In the Qing dynasty, yellow silks and satins were still royal, and they were rarely used as commercial signs of hotels. This taboo was broken overseas. At the beginning of our forefathers' pioneering work, the oriental color symbolizing imperial power, the gongs and drums attracting customers, and the red lanterns hanging high together constituted the cultural symbol of China cuisine going to sea.
Besides sweet, sour, spicy and salty, what new flavors are there?
In traditional cooking in China, China people are used to seasoning with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty. In addition to bitterness, overseas Chinese restaurants basically continue the traditional seasoning habits.
The sweet and sour taste of refreshing is not a particularly mainstream cooking taste in China. However, it has become the basic consensus of most foreigners for Chinese food to blossom inside the wall and smell outside the wall. In the Chinese food industry in the United States, sweet and sour tastes account for almost half of the country.
Some sweet and sour flavors that are popular overseas are not popular in China, such as "Orange Chicken", the best-selling Chinese food in the United States, which most people in China have never eaten. Some people think that the original origin of this dish is the famous Sichuan dish Chenpi Chicken. However, American orange chicken can't taste the bitter taste of orange peel. From the perspective of raw materials, dried tangerine peel has also been replaced by fresh orange peel, and some restaurants don't even use orange peel, so sweet and sour juice can be blended with "orange flavor".
Some sweet and sour dishes originated in China are also very popular. Gulai meat is a famous Cantonese dish, which can be eaten in many overseas restaurants in China. Goose can be added with sugar and vinegar to make it sweet and sour, and tomato sauce, pickles, pineapples and sour fruits can also be added to improve the taste.
The most popular spicy taste in Chinese food has also performed well overseas. However, the popularity of spicy food mainly depends on snacks such as hot and sour soup. This soup has thousands of flavors. Under the hot and sour framework, you can flexibly mix bamboo shoots, mushrooms, shredded pork, egg flowers, fungus, tofu, black vinegar, pepper, dried pepper and other ingredients. The acceptance of spicy taste in Sichuan and Hunan is not too high. Common foods in China, such as red oil wonton and spicy balsamic pot, are not common.
In addition to the traditional five flavors, American Chinese restaurants also have very rich mixed seasonings. Indonesian saddle, black pepper in South India, citronella and basil in Thailand, these flavors have been completely preserved due to the introduction of exotic classic dishes, or mixed with traditional seasonings in China.
Just compound seasoning curry, you can taste at least three kinds in American Chinese restaurants. The first is the red curry in Southeast Asia. Its red color comes from red pepper and red onion. It is very spicy and can be used with beef and mutton. The second is the most common Indian yellow curry. It is sour and spicy, suitable for curry chicken and curry seafood. The third is green curry from Thailand. Green comes from the dyeing of green pepper and basil, and green curry is also mixed with citronella, lime and coconut milk, which is more layered and suitable for matching vegetables.
What are the differences between different restaurants, dishes and locations in China?
In the past century, with the migration of Chinese, Chinese food has gradually taken root overseas. In the process of change and circulation, a large number of new formats and new restaurants have emerged, which are different from domestic ones.
New york is an international city with more than 40,000 Chinese restaurants. Downtown Manhattan and Chinatown in Flushing naturally attract many restaurants. However, according to NYC's public data, Chinese restaurants have long been scattered in the streets of new york, so it can be said that there are Chinese restaurants where there are people.
These restaurants can be roughly divided into three categories: one is the largest and most widely distributed community store; Second, chain stores such as Panda Express; The third type is high-priced shops, which are relatively expensive, but respect the tastes of China people more.
These three types of shops can be clearly distinguished from decoration, dishes, prices and modes of operation.
Community stores may have only a few tables, mostly in the form of mom-and-pop stores or family stores. "Women run errands and men do the kitchen" can be said to be the practice of community stores. The number of chain stores should not be underestimated, and the dining environment in the stores is mostly clean and unified, providing standardized meals in line with local tastes at moderate prices.
In new york, more than 90% Chinese restaurants are community stores and chain stores, and these low-priced restaurants constitute foreigners' basic knowledge of Chinese food. The dishes served in these two Chinese restaurants are similar in color. Popular chain-store dishes such as "Orange Chicken" have also been imitated by community stores. After full "internal" communication, these dishes can be found in every community in every big city in the United States.
In recent years, China people are familiar with Meizhou Dongpo, Dadong Roast Duck and Dalongyi Hot Pot, which have also spread to the United States. In these China restaurants with relatively high prices but more respect for China's taste, you can taste more authentic Peking Duck, clear soup trotters, steamed sea bass and moo Shu pork, and feel homesick. For example, the spicy duck tongue that locals don't eat also has a chance to serve.
In the process of landing, high-priced stores have also made some localized changes. In 20 18, when Beijing roast duck brand "Dadong" was opened, The New York Times food critic PETE WELLS rushed to try it. He found that Dadong changed the carbon grill into a natural gas grill, and the duck he ate came from a farm in Indiana. In terms of eating methods, in addition to the conventional China eating methods such as duck skin dipped in white sugar, duck meat and onion-flavored noodle sauce, there is a more localized eating method-42 US dollars 10 gram of Kaluga black fish roe as a new partner of roast duck.
Different from community stores and chain stores, the location of high-priced stores is more concentrated. The first is the Asian community. In new york, Lower Manhattan, Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn are all popular choices. Second, the developed white community has strong ability to pay. The above-mentioned Dadong is located in midtown Manhattan. On the one hand, it can meet the daily banquet needs of the core business district, on the other hand, it can radiate to the core attractions such as Times Square and Kobe Park to attract tourists to eat.
65438+In the 1940s, the first China restaurant opened in San Francisco. In the past century, people have come and gone, and the definition of overseas Chinese food has been constantly refreshed by historical changes, flavor integration and dish color innovation. However, eating a proper Chinese meal and expressing gratitude for your hospitality will bring as simple happiness as it did a hundred years ago and will continue.