I have heard that the Chinese food we get here (sweet & sour, dim sun, black bean, kung po) is not "authentic", i.e. not what they eat in China. Is this true and is it also true of Indian cuisine?

zbeckabee

Often, Chinese food found outside China can range from the authentic, or food that has been adapted for local tastes, to something that is newly created. For example, chop suey does not exist in Chinese restaurants in China. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cuisine Jul 17 07, 1:42 PM

lanfranco

I'd say much depends on where you eat. I've been to some Chinese restaurants in large cities with substantial Chinese populations that seemed very authentic to me. I've visited Beijing as a tourist but nowhere else in China, so I'm not an authority. However, people with a good reason to know have confirmed their authenticity to me, and I have to take their word for it. But it's true that much Chinese and probably Indian food seems to be adjusted to suit Occidental tastes. In Chicago, there are Chinese markets and restaurant supply stores that seem to offer very authentic ingredients. I visited one recently that was selling dried giant scallops for $400 a pound. Jul 17 07, 4:28 PM

queproblema

A little hole-in-the-wall Chinese place in LA seemed to us very "unauthentic," partly because the food was so greasy, yet the people who ran it barely spoke English. We asked a refined Chinese lady about it, and with disgust she said it was very authentic Northern Chinese food. We must remember that China is a very large country with many diverse tastes and customs. What is "authentic" American food? Fried chicken, New England boiled dinner, pizza, barbecued pork, grilled steak? Jul 17 07, 11:12 PM