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I remember when you got Chinese food with water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, elephant-ear mushrooms, and snow-peas, among other things, in many Chinese dishes.
Nowadays, at least in the NYC-Nassau County area, all I see is a bunch of carrots, peas, American mushrooms and baby corn. Everything looks like a chicken pot pie - without the pie!
What happened?
I remember when you got Chinese food with water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, elephant-ear mushrooms, and snow-peas, among other things, in many Chinese dishes.
Nowadays, at least in the NYC-Nassau County area, all I see is a bunch of carrots, peas, American mushrooms and baby corn. Everything looks like a chicken pot pie - without the pie!
What happened?
I think it's the changing taste of the average American. I, for one, do not eat water chestnuts, bamboo shoots or baby corn. I know many people who are the same. If I'm at a place where I know uses them, I ask that they be left out. If I find some I just pick them out.
I honestly cannot answer this with certainly, but I can give my many theories about this:
1. As far as prices go, it may or may not (depending on your supplier) be cheaper to use peas, white mushrooms, ect, then water chestnuts and dried mushrooms (or specialty mushrooms). This is highly debatable as in my experience in Philly, Chinatown has some of the cheapest ingredients around and I worked at a place that ordered bamboo shoots and baby corn canned and it never broke our food cost. However, when we started ordering from Sysco instead of ordering from our supplier in Chinatown (less orders every day), Sysco did not carry those products in large #10 cans and we would get cases of 15oz cans which was a pain in the @ss to open every day.
2. I also think it could possibly have something to do with the whole "canned food is bad" trend that is going on right now. Which is very obnoxious because, yes CANNED READY TO EAT FOODS aren't awesome for you, but canned tomatoes or peppers or baby corn are the same thing your mother (or at least my mother) used to do with the leftovers from the veggie garden every year, except hers were in ball jars. Maybe fewer nutrients than fresh, but still not bad for you by any means and awesome when it's the dead of winter and you have garden fresh whatever. (SORRY FOR THE RANT)
3. Honestly though, possibly the best theory on why this is happening is because (unlike before where I said people care too much) people don't really care. In a world where many are fighting for "authenticity", eating chinese take out is a rebellion of that. People are going to order Chinese take-out no matter what and the people just want cheap, salty food in white boxes. Noodles (or rice), veggies, MSG salty brown sauce. Done.
I think it's the changing taste of the average American. I, for one, do not eat water chestnuts, bamboo shoots or baby corn. I know many people who are the same. If I'm at a place where I know uses them, I ask that they be left out. If I find some I just pick them out.
I don't think the trend in America is for people to like less things, I think it's for people to like more things so I'm confused by this statement. Why don't you eat them?
I remember when you got Chinese food with water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, elephant-ear mushrooms, and snow-peas, among other things, in many Chinese dishes.
Nowadays, at least in the NYC-Nassau County area, all I see is a bunch of carrots, peas, American mushrooms and baby corn. Everything looks like a chicken pot pie - without the pie!
What happened?
I haven't noticed myself because I've not been in the same area long enough to see the change, I just assumed the restaurants I go to now have always been this way.
It is EXTREMELY depressing if it takes over the whole nation... I lived in China 5 years and craved American Chinese food -- especially water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and baby corn the whole time. I can't remember 100% for the other stuff, but for sure I never managed to find a dish in China that had water chestnuts. That stuff was the essence and flair of authentic American Chinese food.
Last edited by parasitius; 02-06-2013 at 12:35 PM..
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