real life versus chinese takeaway

one of my best friend's parents were chinese, and it's true, they do laugh a little. At home there are a lot more slow cooked meals, a lot more fish, and a lot more 'interesting' dishes that wouldn't sell in the takeaway!

The one HUGE difference is that the idea of fried rice all the time is completely wierd to most chinese people.

Like Vicky said, they never ordered fried rice, my boss once told me you should never order it as it's old leftover rice. Like that would stop me.

i have a nice ken lo chinese cookery book, written in the 60s (and thus pre the takeaway explosion): what i mainly remember is that far more is steamed than wok-fried in the recipes described...

Chicken tikka masala is a hybrid dish we all know, but according to Satinder, her mum Desifies Heinz baked beans with garam masala, chilies, chopped fried onions and a pinch of turmeric, then whacks it on a nice piece of toasted Homepride.

Good point. The "weddings and other festivals" aspect also applies to Ethiopian food as served in the U.S., and probably to many other cuisines.

In the meantime, when I worked at the World Bank some of my Indian co-workers served food as they would prepare it for their families. This always was subtly different from restaurant Indian food in ways I couldn't identify...not bad, just different. Of course, there were plenty of variables, just beginning with regional differences and retail versus restaurant sources and cooking methods.

However, the basic idea is the same, get fresh vegetables and meats and stir fry them with ginger, garlic, salt and yes, MSG. The basic technique is to get the pan very hot, add oil (he uses vegetable oil - Wesson in the USA), garlic, then ginger, add the vegetables for a few moments, add water to the pan and cover so that they steam and fry at the same time.

As for more complex dishes, there are so many regional variations that every dish you've ever eaten at any Chinese restaurant is probably "authentic" somewhere in China - although this Orange Chicken fad in the US will surely destory us all.

As for rice, you have to wash it before you put it in the Rice Cooker! OK?

Also, Fried Rice is authentic, but it's usually served the next day with leftovers from dinner. Leftover rice can sit in the cooker overnight, no problem.

Makes me wonder -- the observations of Suzy and J. Lu on wedding food = what we see as the cuisine over here, but the idea of American food everywhere else IS Yer Generic Meal o' burgers/fries/etc., ie not wedding food or any 'special' event of anything at all other than a celebration of meat and potatoes and a sugary drink. Mm.

Finally, if you are using chop sticks, you should also be using and holding a small bowl in order to scoop the food into your mouth. The funniest thing for me is seeing people use them to eat off a plate which doesn't work very well. I use a fork when I'm in company that might be put off by my shoveling technique.

vietnamese pho is pretty much how it rilly is.

i was always taught to think of most of what u.s. indian food is at least (the curries etc. on the platter) as "colonizer/emperor" food and so-called "south indian" with the spiced breads and lentils as the "authentic" stuff.

also compare homecooked vs. resteraunt "american": how often do ppl. eat top sirloin roasts with spiced potatoes at home?

no resteraunts serve hotdogs and meatloaf, but that's what the kids i grew up with liked to eat for dinner. (that's the other dif: far more "hawker food" in homes i think and in my experience things which need LESS preperation effort, tho maybe not time).

It looked more slimey and fractured than anything.

the upshot is that we DO eat this food at home; but only when we have parties, picnics, family reunions, cookouts. so it's really also the happiest persian food you could eat.

i wonder if dim sum is similar?

Actually...

...I have very little to say to that. But there is a new place in Chelsea that sells nothing but european street food. Having eaten that at one point or another, I am interested.

...Also real Chinese is pretty much all vegetarian, because no one can afford to use precious, precious flatlands for cows and shit. Especially in the north.

lol i was searching for a thread on the jia zhang-ke movie still life and this thread was the closest match

the film does feature some great scenes of people eating, drinking, smoking and is partly structured around food and drink (and cigarettes)

I love eating and drinking scenes in South East Asian film, something that is particularly pleasing to me. Will check.

jia zhangke would be east asian, not southeast asian