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Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
Since when is Sichuan food the synonym of Chinese food? It is only one of the many major regional food originated from China. It is almost like writing a whole article saying "why American food is not hip" but only really focused on soul food.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
@lawofmurphy oolong is somewhere between green and black. But then, iron goddess is technically an oolong tea, so I do agree with you on the paltry tea selection.
@DennisSC yeah, Xinjiang cuisine is very good, especially the lamb dishes.
Being a Chinese, I think the only food on the list I haven't had were baijiu (too strong for me) and Yunnan goat cheese (I don't eat goat cheese).
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
Since when is Sichuan food the synonym of Chinese food? It is only one of the many major regional food originated from China. It is almost like writing a whole article saying "why American food is not hip" but only really focused on soul food.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
The only thing I'd add to this is that the Chinese themselves are not percieved as hip, at least not in the "aspirational lifestyle" variety. Americans want to pretend, at least for an evening, that they are bistro-going Parisians or Romans at their local trattoria, as these cultures have romantic associations. As China becomes more promenant culturally and economically I think this might change; Americans will see the Chinese lifestyle as aspirational and will become more interested in authentic Chinese cuisine.
I agree with chevans, above, about restaurant decor as a factor in Chinese cuisine's lack of hipness. Many of the good, authentic restaurants in NYC's Chinatown have all the charm of a high school cafeteria. I like eating at these restaurants, but if I want nice ambiance I'll look elsewhere.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
I had to laugh at oneday's comments about American diners dealing with fish heads or suckling pig heads, funny but true, at least we can enjoy watching Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern eating such things, and not have to worry about confronting them when we hit the buffets LOL.
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
Wow, still a lot to try -- but I've had Ant Climbing a Tree, asian pear and so much more! Just got a big bunch of Baby bok choy at the Seattle University district farmers market on Saturday, cooked up very nicely. We still miss the Dan Dan noodles at Mary Chun in Cambridge MA.
Y'know, I've had plenty of congee, but will skip the congealed pig blood next time.
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
@Gordon--I have definitely eaten pigeons and pigeon eggs, too!
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
Adam I'm not sure you want to try hot coca cola with ginger. I think that's medicine for a cold or maybe an upset stomach? Also I don't think it's pigeon as in the FLYING RATS, but squab, which is really good.
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
A very serious oversight: Bird's Nest (check for me). And also: salted preserved duck eggs, salted fish.
Here's my list..
1. Almond milk
2. Ants Climbing a Tree (poetic, not literal, name)
3. Asian pear
4. Baby bok choy
5. Baijiu
6. Beef brisket
7. Beggar's Chicken
8. Bingtang hulu
9. Bitter melon
10. Bubble tea
11. Buddha's Delight
12. Cantonese roast duck
13. Century egg, or thousand-year egg [one of my favorite foods]
14. Cha siu (Cantonese roast pork)
15. Char kway teow
16. Chicken feet
17. Chinese sausage
18. Chow mein
19. Chrysanthemum tea
20. Claypot rice
21.Congee
22. Conpoy (dried scallops)
23. Crab rangoon
24. Dan Dan noodles
25. Dragonfruit
26. Dragon's Beard candy
27. Dried cuttlefish
28. Drunken chicken
29. Dry-fried green beans
30. Egg drop soup
31. Egg rolls
32. Egg tart, Cantonese or Macanese
33. Fresh bamboo shoots
34. Fortune cookies
35. Fried milk
36. Fried rice
37. Gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
38. General Tso's Chicken
39. Gobi Manchurian
40. Goji berries (Chinese wolfberries)
41. Grass jelly
42. Hainan chicken rice
43. Hand-pulled noodles
44. Har gau (steamed shrimp dumplings in translucent wrappers)
45. Haw flakes
46. Hibiscus tea
47. Hong Kong-style Milk Tea
48. Hot and sour soup
49. Hot Coca-Cola with Ginger
50. Hot Pot
51. Iron Goddess tea (Tieguanyin)
52. Jellyfish
53. Kosher Chinese food
54. Kung Pao Chicken
55. Lamb skewers (yangrou chua'r)
56. Lion's Head meatballs
57. Lomo Saltado
58. Longan fruit
59. Lychee
60. Macaroni in soup with Spam [my childhood!]
61. Malatang
62. Mantou especially if fried and dipped in sweetened condensed milk
63. Mapo Tofu
64. Mock meat
65. Mooncake (bonus points for the snow-skin variety)
66. Nor mai gai (chicken and sticky rice in lotus leaf)
67. Pan-fried jiaozi
68. Peking duck
69. Pineapple bun
70. Prawn crackers
71. Pu'er tea
72. Rambutan
73. Red bean in dessert form
74. Red bayberry
75. Red cooked pork
76. Roast pigeon
77. Rose tea
78. Roujiamo
79. Scallion pancake
80. Shaved ice dessert
81. Sesame chicken
82. Sichuan pepper in any dish
83. Sichuan preserved vegetable (zhacai)
84. Silken tofu
85. Soy milk, freshly made [made by hand by my grandma--one of my favorites]
86. Steamed egg custard [another favorite!]
87. Stinky tofu
88. Sugar cane juice
89. Sweet and sour pork, chicken, or shrimp
90. Taro
91. Tea eggs
92. Tea-smoked duck
93. Turnip cake (law bok gau)
94. Twice-cooked pork
95. Water chestnut cake (mati gau)
96. Wonton noodle soup
97. Wood ear
98. Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)
99. Yuanyang (half coffee, half tea, Hong Kong style)
100. Yunnan goat cheese
So much more eating to be done..
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
@kathryn: Oh. I have had pan-fried jiaozi. I just didn't bother to click through to see that they were potstickers. I bolded all the foods I *knew* I'd had, then was waiting to go through and look up all the ones whose names I didn't know off hand. I think I forgot to click through.
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
word natto doesn't count, chinese stinky tofu is good, esp with rice, just when you have nothing to eat...
Another Meme: The 100 Chinese Foods to Try Before You Die
Hmm, I think I got this list almost covered. The only things left are: Hot coca-cola with ginger, red bayberry, roast pigeon and Yunnan goat cheese. My problem is that I rather die than eat a pigeon. Childhood trauma. Don't ask.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
chaevans: Americans may have the most diverse set of restaurants to choose from, but how much of what is offered is actually un-Americanized fare from the original cuisine? You may have restaurants representing 500 different cuisines from around the world in one place. But if they all use ketchup and cheese to make their offerings approachable to the American palate, then how much diversity is there truly? As an example, how many Chinese restaurants have you gone to in America that serve whole, steamed fish? The Chinese revere fresh fish, simply steamed as one of the greatest expressions of culinary finesse. But the average American diner would run out the door if he had to deal with a fish head gaping at him. Ditto a suckling pig head.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
Because wealthy white people, for the most part, love bashing all things China and love praising all things Japanese.
How many people do you think would know that China and the US were both allies in WW2? Allied against - yup, JAPAN.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
"American's adventurous eaters?"
That's an elitist attitude. People said the same thing when sushi started making its presence in the 80s and now look at that. I've lived in many countries in my life and Americans by far have the most diverse set of restaurants to choose from.
The downscale aspect of Chinese restaurants is due to the restaurants not the ingrained beliefs of the eaters. If a transplant from China could get funding and open a high end Chinese restaurant in the Time Warner building and actually made some high quality food it would do unbelievably well. I personally have given up on Chinese food in this city (along with Mexican).
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
I have to agree with Cathy (Comment #2) and this is because of very direct knowledge of the different menus in Chinese restaurants. My father married a wonderful woman from China almost twelve years ago and her family owns several well known Chinese restaurants in various suburbs around Chicago. When I visit them, I always sit at the "family table" (the big round table in most mid-grade Chinese restaurants that seems to always be reserved) and eat what is prepared for the cooks and family. It is outstanding, authentic and definitely NOT on the American menu with the meal typically consisting of whole fish that is roasted or fried in a wok, incredible vegetables, dumplings, and broths along with all the seasoning sauces made from scratch from peppers you would never see on the American menu.
When I tell my dad's wife's family that if they would serve what they serve at the family table and they could not only charge more for it but would make their restaurants stand out in the sea of take out places around Chicago, they tell me that American's would never like it so why bother.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
Forgot to mention earlier: I've seen those original Iron Chef episodes, and I'm not so sure I want the real deal! Lots of animal parts I'm definitely NOT used to seeing on a plate. Or ever.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
I think part of it is due to portion sizes and America's preconceived ideas of what chinese food is. Chinese restaurants typically are family style and people go in expecting, fried rice, bbq pork, Genral Tso's chicken (invented in America!) and stir fries. I think if chinese restaurants branched out into high end tasting menus and use more "chinese" ingredients like dried and fermented products as well as branch into some molecular gastronomy or modern techniques, Chinese cuisine will become elevated to hip. Recently italian cuisine has had a resurgence due to the additions of modern innovations.
Restaurant marketing also plays into it. Thai restaurants have been great at reinventing Thai cuisine into a hip atmosphere (lots of ikea/futuristic style looking restaurants).
But most of all it's education. Right now there aren't any real innovative American Chinese Chef Stars other than Ming Tsai. And and he's not really that innovative! Michelin stars people. There needs to be world calibre chinese restaurants. Also, most people don't know that the chinese food they get in the US is different from the different regional cuisines in China.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
I've been making the exact same argument about Mexican food. It's nearly impossible to find upscale restaurants in or around Chicago. I'm not even looking for high end, just something other than fajitas and enchiladas....
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
If you are going to those restaurants to eat Chinese food, then you are obviously not going to the right places. A lot of the "hip" Chinese restaurant serve awful food because the owners realize once they get popular to the Americans, they must cater the taste of the food to the American palette.
The problem why Chinese food is not hip is not because of the food its because of the marketing and how the business is run. Chinese food has already a very low market price and now that it is established many people do not want to pay more if they already got it at a low price. Low price of food usually means the food isn't refined. Chinese people are everywhere and they build awful Chinese take out to trick stupid people everywhere. Because the food is so prevalent like hot dogs, it is never seen as something very special. Chinese culture stresses prosperity. So when Chinese people want to go to to eat, they like to see giant plates of food, not small cuts of fish on rice. Because of this Chinese food is often looked at not being refined.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
No debate on the meaning of "hip"? Nobody cares? Just trying to respect the question asked here.
To me, "hip" generally means being savvy in some interesting type of way. It's not necessarily good or bad. It's not cheap or expensive. It's not real or fake. It's not sexy or disgusting.
In the context we're discussing, it could be described as being "in the know" about Chinese food in any way, shape or form, i.e. fusion, upscale, kitsch, take-out, regional, whatever. And what is hip is subject to personal opinion . . . because being "in the know" about take-out is good to one person and bad/uninteresting to another person.
This wasn't so simple to grasp for me. But, of course, I'm sure it's a no-brainer for some. I'm waiting for someone to say they were born hip to the hip . . . . (cracking up).
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
a lot of it probably has something to do with the majority of the first chinese immigrating to america being day laborers.
also, with the end of the gold rush, a lot of chinese were out of a job. however, there are always jobs in the restaurant business.
although for a time in the us, chinese people and its culture were a novelty (see kaplan's yellowface: creating the chinese in american popular music and performance), exotic foods need to be downplayed A LOT to fit american palates.
because it's been around for so long, and because what is considered good food might scare people off - shark fin soup, sea cucumber, etc - compared to sushi, it's hard for chinese food to be hip.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
It has been ingrained that Chinese food should be cheap (in price).
That statement is true in the way that the restaurant operators have positioned themselves. I eat in Boston's Chinatown at least three out of five days a week, everywhere from sit down dim sum to Ding Ho takeout ($4 option), and you know what?, 99% of the food outlets in Chinatown are the equivalent of grubby diners everywhere else. Would you pay top dollar to eat at dingy place with confusing menus, shoddy service and a suspect health code adherence policy? No. Do you expect the exotic at a diner? No. It's simple, casual food with no pretensions on price, where the operator is dependent on daily volume, not the overall customer Maslow satisfaction.
Can you take it upscale and trendy? Of course you can. Just look at the Golden Temple out in Brookline. Food so good that it was rumored that ecstasy was an ingredient. They run a clean operation, provide valet service, a real bar, a DJ and comfortable decor, not to mention a staff that doesn't visualize their customers as cattle. And they can charge at a price level on par with a very good steakhouse, and have been doing it for quite a while now. So it's not that Chinese food isn't hip, it's that the vast majority is sold as simple everyday fare.
There are so many things that can be improved in the Chinese food industry that the list goes ad infinitum, but if you consider the proliferation of Asian restaurants (Thai, Indian, Japanese especially), it leaves no doubt that American are basically begging for more and better choices. There is plenty of business to go around and it's up to the operator to decide which market segment to pursue.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
hip? who cares? it's delicious. unfortunately, i haven't really been able to find any good chinese food here in houston, and have to load up when i go back to new york to visit.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
@anybody: What is your definition of hip? As Ed pointed out, it seems like the meaning of that word is up for debate.
Reading these comments suggest that a general consensus of the word "hip" in a cuisine context might result in: (authenticity) + (high quality) + (high value) + (strong aesthetic appeal) = hip.
This is how Wikipedia represents "hip." And this is a Slate meditation on the word by Jesse Sheidlower, who currently edits the OED. What else is out there? Somebody else be the research dork for a minute.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
The short answer is we don't have the good stuff yet. The long answer has something to do with how heavy the stuff we do have can be.
Here's a lovely article on the subject by Nina and Tim Zagat:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/15/opinion/15zagat.html
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
acomment, I agree with your plethora of comments, except for the grouping of swallow's nest with chicken feet as a comparison to offal. You don't see people climbing high on cliffs with precarious bamboo ladders to collect chicken's feet.
mmm... all this talk of braised chicken feet has given me a dim sum craving. Luckily I live in Toronto where authentic Chinese abounds.
Why Isn't Chinese Food Hip?
American's adventurous eaters? That's a joke. Aside from a tiny minority of people who read food blogs on a daily basis, American's are known as laughably UN-advanturous eaters. American tourists are responsible for hamburgers and hot dogs on menus throughout the world. American's by in large generally EXPECT to be able to eat these wherever they go.
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@lawofmurphy oolong is somewhere between green and black. But then, iron goddess is technically an oolong tea, so I do agree with you on the paltry tea selection.
@DennisSC yeah, Xinjiang cuisine is very good, especially the lamb dishes.
Being a Chinese, I think the only food on the list I haven't had were baijiu (too strong for me) and Yunnan goat cheese (I don't eat goat cheese).