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Q: Biggest difference between Chinese restaurant in the U.S. and restaurant here?
If you had to choose the biggest difference between your average, run of the mill Chinese restaurant back home and the one you find here, what would it be?
The food difference. Most of the "chinese food" I had back home bears no resemblance to the food here which I like. The taste here is much better.
dandmcd:
I would also agree for the most part all the taste is better in China, because they cater to local crowds looking for fresh foods. Most Chinese in America is flash fried for takeout, or on an endless buffet so most things come from a wholesale factory frozen.
I do admit there are times I miss the processed American meat without the bones and better quality cuts, though. I think it tastes much better when I don't have to chew through cartilage and bones and spit it back out. I'll order most anything if the meat is mostly boneless, like dumplings and other random dishes. I've actually eaten more greens in my meals since being in China, because it is more satisfying to eat than bones with meat on the edges.
People dont spit their food on the table back home???
GuilinRaf:
Not wehre I come from unless the person is like one year old...
Bones in everything here. And fish served whole, head and all. And don't even get me started on the shrimp and prawns.
Chinese food in the US caters to the taste of people there, much like KFC does here.
Back home there are health regulations and standards of cleanliness. Although Chinese restaurants abroad also have problems in those areas, it's not near as bad as the total disregard for everything clean here. In my opinion, even the most modern and "beautiful" restaurants here would have a challenge to pass a health inspection in the western world.
OK , I haven't found anything in Chinese food that I'm crazy to eat, mostly bones with no meat,that bowl of chicken assholes ,thought I was eating bacon was pig ear,, wheres the good stuff ?? shrimp- I'm supposed to bite the head off and eat the rest, who am I Ossie Osbourbne?? some stuff not too bad,, bakery has some good and bad,,, I like North American Chinese food better, sweet and sour, honey garlic, fried rice,, barbecued ribs with MEAT.ginger fried crap.
I'm tempted to try the street barbecue, been here over a month and haven't the runs yet. I miss home barbecue.
As per health inspections,, I have a friend that inspects the kitchen fire equipment at home, he tells me stories of rats running around on trays and filth and refuses to go in some places,,, unless they grease his palm.
Jnusb416:
I'll agree that some Chinese food back home is better, except for the fried rice. Maybe it's better where you live, but where I live, it sucked, and I don't think I can eat fried rice when I go home anymore.
sofarrell1:
....sweet and sour, honey garlic, fried rice,, barbecued ribs with MEAT.ginger fried crap...
Most of this stuff you can get here
apart from the obvious food differences, you can smoke in restaurants here... even if it says no smoking and you are sitting underneath the no smoking sign... still smoke
Many Chinese restaurants back home depend on takeout, while here most people sit down to eat. In both places, I wouldn't exactly call the environment inviting. The walls are bare white, no decorations, not many seats, except the restaurants here in China are generally dirtier. Even a "nice" restaurant I went to had stains on the tablecloth...and it was under glass.
There are generally 2 types of Chinese restaurants in the US. There is the 'Americanized' version that serves stuff like orange chicken and fortune cookies. And then there are the restaurants that will make you swear you are still in China.
Right now I am on a working vacation in the US (my first in over 5 years) and I have to say that either I have a really bad memory or the portions that American restaurants serve have gotten MUCH bigger over the last few years.
I look at the portion sizes here and I can fully understand why Americans have gotten so huge.
Well, in France the main difference is there are Vietnamese spring rolls, (good) Cantonese rice, huge shrimp chips and... sushis... yeah...
In America, there is no chicken or duck feet on the menu! No bones in the chicken, pork, or fish. Sadly enough, there is also no tofu!
For a full range of differences, read all of the comments, and you start to get a composite picture of what is offered in each country!
we have a lot of Asians where i live, but from what i know from friends who teach over sees, Chinese food is cheaper and good who you but has like no meat.
I worked in the food industry years ago (not MacD). There are so many things in China that would never fly at home. I see things that just make me cringe. There is never much beef when I go to big supermarket. I found a big old market down town. The venders are handling money and meat. I bought chicken and the vender picked up a filthy cash box and put it on the table with the chicken cuts. I paid and got change. There is no way for the vendor to wash hands, plastic gloves would be an improvement. But as soon as that cash box was put on the table, an inspector would make her trash the meat and clean the table. I hate to imagine what happens that I don't see.
