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I am a sucker for dim sum, but have to limit my intake due to very high fat and sodium content. Dim sum chefs have a knack for adding lard, pork fats or oil are in almost anything. Even the steamed rice noodle roll (cheong fun) might have lard added in! Dim sum, literally "a bit of heart", might have gotten its name from slowly blocking one's arteries and making its diners' hearts beat faster (i.e., become hypertensive from all the fats and sodium). Really, anyone who says Cantonese fare (whether "authentic" from Guangzhou or Hong Kong, or Americanized from San Francisco or other Chinatowns) is not greasy has not eaten enough of it.
I am a sucker for dim sum, but have to limit my intake due to very high fat and sodium content. Dim sum chefs have a knack for adding lard, pork fats or oil are in almost anything. Even the steamed rice noodle roll (cheong fun) might have lard added in! Dim sum, literally "a bit of heart", might have gotten its name from slowly blocking one's arteries and making its diners' hearts beat faster (i.e., become hypertensive from all the fats and sodium). Really, anyone who says Cantonese fare (whether "authentic" from Guangzhou or Hong Kong, or Americanized from San Francisco or other Chinatowns) is not greasy has not eaten enough of it.
The steamed dishes are less greasier though, like har gow and siu mai etc.
LOL. If you don't know how to order Chinese food, do not do it.
See what local chinese order. Westerners just have no clue
Quote:
Originally Posted by 415_s2k
Nah, my phone's camera lens is damaged...
I like flat noodles, too. These were just awful, though, due to the excessive levels of grease... unfortunately, the photos don't capture the bitter, chalky taste of crap-quality oil and lack of other flavors. Some people are fine with that... I'm mainly just pointing out the absurdity of the statement that Cantonese food, widely known to be greasy, is not greasy, simply because it's not "Western."
and I don't think it is greasier than KFC, the crown jewel of western cuisine
Quote:
Originally Posted by 415_s2k
Werd. I wish you guys would stop.
Is there a proliferation of disgusting, evil, subpar "Western" Chinese restaurants in China's third largest city that I wasn't aware of, or something?
Okay. I'm going to make this extremely clear, so that you retain it:
Now then...
A few nights ago, my wife and I went to one of the most popular, upscale Cantonese restaurants in Guangzhou, around the corner from our home - this is the restaurant I mentioned in the post above. The driveway is always filled with Bentleys, Ferraris, Maseratis, and Alphard, Sprinter, or imported GMC/Chevy luxury vans. Considering that this place is filled, night after night, with Cantonese people of means, who could easily go to whatever Cantonese restaurant in the seat of Cantonese culture that they felt so inclined to visit, I think it's safe to say that this place would fit the "authentic" label.
This was our view of the interior. The place is palatial; this wing is maybe 1/6th of the interior.
My wife ordered these potato and pork fritters. They were so greasy that if you gently poked one with your chopstick, grease would ooze out before being reabsorbed. Because they were so saturated with grease, they fell apart when you applied any force in picking them up.
This is the chicken my wife ordered. Presentation and portion size was subpar, especially considering it was about 50RMB. Very greasy; the batter wasn't crispy because of the saturation with grease.
Stewed lotus root. Though this was not "greasy," they used the same low-quality oil that gave it a bitter, chalky taste.
These are the fried flat noodles I ordered. Now, by definition, these should be at least a little greasy. However...
Ugh. Look at all that grease. To make matters worse, they were fried unevenly, so that in the center of that congealed mound, there were noodles that were dry and untouched by the sauce. They just tasted like grease, which is unsurprising, considering how much grease that paper has wicked off.
It's amazing the wood under it didn't turn clear. Reminded me of that episode of the Simpsons where Homer's trying to get fat and questions whether his burger is greasy enough...
The meal was absolutely repulsive, but I took pictures because we were having this conversation here on C-D.
The steamed dishes are less greasier though, like har gow and siu mai etc.
Those may not seem greasy on the outside, but most have lumps of fats inside. Fat content is still very high and one's stomach will still be awash with oil afterwards :-(
and I don't think it is greasier than KFC, the crown jewel of western cuisine
This is obviously just stupid trolling, but no, this expensive, high-class, "authentic" Cantonese in Guangzhou is noticeably greasier than KFC, the bottom-tier of Western cuisine. Nice try!! Lol.
I am a sucker for dim sum, but have to limit my intake due to very high fat and sodium content. Dim sum chefs have a knack for adding lard, pork fats or oil are in almost anything. Even the steamed rice noodle roll (cheong fun) might have lard added in! Dim sum, literally "a bit of heart", might have gotten its name from slowly blocking one's arteries and making its diners' hearts beat faster (i.e., become hypertensive from all the fats and sodium). Really, anyone who says Cantonese fare (whether "authentic" from Guangzhou or Hong Kong, or Americanized from San Francisco or other Chinatowns) is not greasy has not eaten enough of it.
let's not demonize fat. There is nothing wrong with eating a moderate amount of fat. It is delicious and we need it too. I follow a traditional Chinese diet (stir fry most food including vegetable) all my life, and I am eating so many pains au chocholat and croissants full of saturated fat as my daily breakfast every morning and still have a BMI of about 21. On the other hand, most people who eat salads for lunch are overweight as far as I know. In fact, if there is anything that I absolutely refuse to eat, that's salad. I don't know why it is even called "food". It is disgusting to see all the raw lettuce, and sometimes broccoli! And people who constantly eat them as if they can't touch any oil or lard are still fat.
And fat and sodium leads to hyertension? There is no evidence for that at all. By Chinese standard, Guangdong food is not greasy. You should see Sichuan food, or even Shanghai-ish food. That's greasy, yet I don't see heart related disease skyrocket.
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