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Old 10-15-2017, 01:54 PM
 
10,599 posts, read 17,830,101 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattks View Post

One of my biggest peeves is when customers come in and ask if we cook a dish like such and such restaurant. I typically reply, no, we have our own style of cooking. Which is true, but if one wants the same dish that other restaurant has, why not just go there, why expect some other restaurant to be the same. Anyway, thats just a little rant, but I do think that is changing and more and more Americans expect different restaurants to be different.
Wow. That's some approach.

If someone asked me that [weird question]...(and they have tried compaisons, in my pet store) my answer is: "I'm not sure how THEY prepare it, but MINE is going to be much better. Let me know what you think! And just let us know if you have any personalized requests "

This is a weakness in chefs and restaurant owners. EGO.

You guys get so OFFENDED if the paying CUSTOMER wants THEIR food a certain way.

I suggest you watch Bar Rescue. Or Restaurant Impossible. Several failed restaurant owners held that same opinion that the paying customer wasn't "adventurous" enough, or "flexible" enough or various other critiques. Even some who had a problem that NOBODY liked "their" food and they said the customers were just being stubborn.

I'm not even sure I believe your straw man. I've NEVER in my life heard or asked that question. And being Greek I know A LOT of restaurant owners. Now if they ask if you have the same DISH as they saw in another store, fine.
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Old 10-15-2017, 02:12 PM
 
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,923,088 times
Reputation: 28902
I'm confused. Doesn't what you'd do:

Quote:
Originally Posted by runswithscissors View Post
If someone asked me that [weird question]...(and they have tried compaisons, in my pet store) my answer is: "I'm not sure how THEY prepare it, but MINE is going to be much better. Let me know what you think! And just let us know if you have any personalized requests "
contradict what you said here:

Quote:
This is a weakness in chefs and restaurant owners. EGO.

You guys get so OFFENDED if the paying CUSTOMER wants THEIR food a certain way.
Regardless, if the customer wants it the way the other restaurant makes it, they should just go to that other restaurant. There are dishes that I like at X better than I like at Y. I don't ask Y to make it like X does -- I just order something else when I go to Y.
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Old 10-15-2017, 02:29 PM
 
10,599 posts, read 17,830,101 times
Reputation: 17352
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bettafish View Post
Actually General Tso's chicken is not bad. I can accept it too, though I will not order it on purpose.

One problem of Americanized Chinese dishes is that they are often too sweet. Chinese people in general do not use so much sugar to cook.
I guess you're unaware that this is a controversial topic? Google Americanized ethnic foods

"Fading out" http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...337.12044/full

So, nah, it's not a problem because generic Americans are a slightly larger population in America than Chinese immigrants.

Also, considering the famous HISTORY of General Tso's chicken, that's a big relief you don't disdain it that much.

OH wait. Too sweet? Hmmm....This is one of my specialties. And I'm not even Chinese LOL.

Char siu Wiki

Read the BIO:

CHINESE BBQ PORK (CHA SIU)

OTOH, China doesn't seem to mind our bougie palate.

But while we're on the subject, please tell your compatriots that THEIR version of Chinese Food is a really crappy version compared to a couple decades ago. So get BETTER SUPPLIERS.

The egg roll, especially, is pathetic.

I assume you understand they all use the same suppliers, hence the same food is showing up. And if they CARED about presenting "authentic" they'd be doing it.

But they don't.

In fact, I'm taking a wild guess that they have stores based on the opportunities of underground [and above ground] lending networks. And EB5 visas. NOT because they have a burning passion to cook. Just like other ethnicities when they come here.

UNLIKE the guy proudly cooking Chinese in the Holiday Inn back in the day. And he wasn't even an owner.

Last edited by runswithscissors; 10-15-2017 at 02:46 PM..
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Old 10-15-2017, 02:37 PM
 
1,409 posts, read 1,069,816 times
Reputation: 2943
American Chinese has a long history and will not ever go away but I will also always welcome more diverse options.
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Old 10-15-2017, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Inman Park (Atlanta, GA)
21,870 posts, read 15,048,757 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bettafish View Post

Additionally, many (but not all) small Chinese restaurants are run by early (illegal) immigrants from certain rural areas of southeast China. I have to wonder what kind of oil and ingredients they use. On the other hand, the new authentic Chinese restaurants tend to be run by relatively new immigrants who are wealthier and from major Chinese cities, and their quality is more trustworthy.
LOL! Sorry I found the comment extremely racist.
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Old 10-15-2017, 02:55 PM
 
Location: Here and now.
11,906 posts, read 5,549,739 times
Reputation: 12963
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bettafish View Post
When I came to the US in early 2000s, there were a lot of "Chinese restaurants" especially buffet restaurants. They typically sold "General Tso's chicken", "beef with broccoli", "sweet and sour pork"...things you hardly see in China. Authentic Chinese restaurants were rare and usually they could be found in China towns only. (Even in China town most were Americanized Chinese restaurants.)

However, nowadays many buffet restaurants have been closed. Others start to sell more authentic Chinese dishes too. This is particularly true in big cities. The one near my home used to be called "XXX Dumplings", but now changed to "Sichuan Gourmet" and sells spicy Szechuan cuisine. Mandarin speakers and even Indians love this place. Some Americans still order egg rolls and sesame chicken, but I also see some of them eat super spicy food there.

I really do not consider Americanized Chinese and authentic Chinese to be the same thing. Most of the time I want the real stuff, but occasionally, I like the American. I look at it the same way as sometimes wanting a steak, and sometimes craving a hamburger.

I do not care for either version served at a buffet. Very few Chinese dishes fare well on a steam table.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattks View Post
I own a Chinese-American style restaurant (not a buffet) and I don't think it's fading out. It is said that there are 8 (major) regional Chinese cuisines and Chinese-American cuisine is the 9th regional Chinese cuisine. I think there is a lot of truth to that. We do have some traditional foods like baozi and some other dishes from northern China.

I do think traditional Chinese food is becoming more popular and common, but it won't necessarily replace Chinese-American food, they will both exist. Dishes like General Tsos Chicken and Sweet and Sour Dishes are here to stay. They are very mainstream American foods.

What I see happening is instead of 20 Chinese restaurants in one city all basically having the same foods, they will start to bring in traditional Chinese cuisines. In China if one goes to 20 restaurants, I'd be surprised if 2 of them carried many of the same menu items. In the US its ridiculous that so many restaurants have the exact same menu items.

One of my biggest peeves is when customers come in and ask if we cook a dish like such and such restaurant. I typically reply, no, we have our own style of cooking. Which is true, but if one wants the same dish that other restaurant has, why not just go there, why expect some other restaurant to be the same. Anyway, thats just a little rant, but I do think that is changing and more and more Americans expect different restaurants to be different.

I can understand your chagrin, to a point. I have often asked how a specific dish is prepared, because I know there can be lots of variations, and something that was a favorite cooked one way may not taste so good to me cooked another. I try not to compare one restaurant to another, but I will ask what ingredients are used, and if a spicy dish is sweet-spicy, or really spicy. I've noticed that I have to be particularly careful at restaurants that have two versions - Americanized and authentic - of a dish with the same name. The first time I went to a place that has become a favorite, I practically had to beg the waitress to bring me "real" twice-cooked pork, because she was sure I would like the American version better.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bettafish View Post
Actually General Tso's chicken is not bad. I can accept it too, though I will not order it on purpose.

One problem of Americanized Chinese dishes is that they are often too sweet. Chinese people in general do not use so much sugar to cook.
Yes, yes, yes! My favorite Chinese place does this to many of its Americanized dishes. I try to order only from the traditional Chinese menu there, and warn any friends with whom I may be dining to do likewise, unless I know they prefer the sweet.
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Old 10-15-2017, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Elsewhere
88,229 posts, read 84,159,421 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by l1995 View Post
Absolutely not, Chinese-American places are everywhere in New York.

That being said, due to Chinese immigrants and foodies there is plenty of demand for real Chinese food as well.
I went to a place in Astoria where my dining companion and I and one other person were the only non-Asians in the place. My friend likes authentic Chinese and has tried many different things. He ordered chicken feet, which he'd had before. (I had vegetarian food.) It was good, especially the dumplings.
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Old 10-15-2017, 03:16 PM
 
2,146 posts, read 1,261,682 times
Reputation: 3241
I had tried the dish (General Tso's chicken) before. I didn't think much of it until I realized that he existed in history, and that 2 chinese billionaires hang his verses on the wall of their offices as their maxim.

http://yuqinge.com/d/file/qnkx/2016-...8b6fc37fc1.jpg

https://i1.kknews.cc/SIG=ugq2q9/1o7s...n84n101nss.jpg
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Old 10-15-2017, 05:02 PM
 
4,668 posts, read 3,875,414 times
Reputation: 3437
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catgirl64 View Post
I can understand your chagrin, to a point. I have often asked how a specific dish is prepared, because I know there can be lots of variations, and something that was a favorite cooked one way may not taste so good to me cooked another. I try not to compare one restaurant to another, but I will ask what ingredients are used, and if a spicy dish is sweet-spicy, or really spicy. I've noticed that I have to be particularly careful at restaurants that have two versions - Americanized and authentic - of a dish with the same name. The first time I went to a place that has become a favorite, I practically had to beg the waitress to bring me "real" twice-cooked pork, because she was sure I would like the American version better.
Asking how a specific dish is prepared is not the same as asking if we cook the same way as a different restaurant. I have no problem with people asking questions or asking how something is prepared. People ask lots of questions and most of them are fine, just that one question I can't stand. Anyway, it wasn't that important, just a mini rant I had...
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Old 10-15-2017, 05:14 PM
 
4,668 posts, read 3,875,414 times
Reputation: 3437
Quote:
Originally Posted by runswithscissors View Post
Wow. That's some approach.

If someone asked me that [weird question]...(and they have tried compaisons, in my pet store) my answer is: "I'm not sure how THEY prepare it, but MINE is going to be much better. Let me know what you think! And just let us know if you have any personalized requests "

This is a weakness in chefs and restaurant owners. EGO.

You guys get so OFFENDED if the paying CUSTOMER wants THEIR food a certain way.

I suggest you watch Bar Rescue. Or Restaurant Impossible. Several failed restaurant owners held that same opinion that the paying customer wasn't "adventurous" enough, or "flexible" enough or various other critiques. Even some who had a problem that NOBODY liked "their" food and they said the customers were just being stubborn.

I'm not even sure I believe your straw man. I've NEVER in my life heard or asked that question. And being Greek I know A LOT of restaurant owners. Now if they ask if you have the same DISH as they saw in another store, fine.
Who got offended? Those tv shows are fun to watch (and I do watch them occasionally), but they are not very realistic. I didn't say how I responded to customers, I summarized because it's not important for the thread topic.

Did you got that off your chest... I hope you feel better... lol
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