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By Christina Mueller Welter
Photos courtesy
Matthew Carden
A dynamic panel of Chinese food and culture professionals came together
at the Chinese Culture Center on January 23 to discuss the current state
of Chinese cuisine in the U.S. for our first Stirring the Pot of 2008.
In a discussion that ranged from current food passions to the lack of
visas offered to international chefs since 9-11, panelists Albert Cheng,
Nicole Mones, Alex Ong and Martin Yan, alongside moderator Olivia Wu,
dug deep into the long history of Chinese food in the US discussing ways
in which that history, along with current cultural patterns in the U.S.
and China, influence what we eat at Chinese restaurants in today.
Agreeing that it is impossible to make a blanket statement about why it
is so hard to find authentic Chinese cuisine here, the panelists offered
key insights.
1. Over sixty years of excluding Chinese immigrants (1882-1943) meant
most food in this period evolved from earlier immigrants who hailed
predominantly from southern China. Immigrants prior to 1882 created a
unique, local cuisine – Moo Goo Gai Pan, Chop Suey, and the like - with
whatever ingredients and spices were available to them. This hybridized
cuisine is now considered comfort food to many Americans,
Chinese-Americans included.
2. There is no continuous supply of labor. In China, there is no CIA or CCA. Training to be a Chef is akin to a high school vocational program,
though panelist Martin Yan is working to change this by setting up a
school in Hong Kong to train professional chefs. (For more information,
visit http://yancancook.com/.) In America, many Chinese families who run
restaurants do not encourage their children to stay in the business –
consequently the skill set is not transferred to the next generation.
Many chefs in these family restaurants do not speak English – another
barrier to knowledge transfer.
Other thoughts included a lack of branding and hospitality by
restaurants, an emphasis on low prices over quality or ambiance at
restaurants, the wide cultural disconnect between American taste
expectations and the real flavors of the cuisine, an American aversion
to fish served whole, poor menu comprehension by English-speakers of
what authentic dishes might be available, the rise of Thai and
Vietnamese food and its bright, bold flavors, the reliance of many
restaurants on one or two basic sauces served with numerous dishes, and
finally a lack of regional restaurants focused on one dish or one
region.
So, what is the future of Chinese cuisine? Panelists agreed that Kung
Pao Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork will stay with us and have a firmly
established place in our melting pot food culture. We are, however, in
the midst of an American taste revolution – consider the rise of
regional Italian, French and American food over the last 15 years. It
will take time, but Americans can expect to see here what is currently
happening in China and Canada – the rise of the gourmet, regional
Chinese restaurant, restaurants with a decent wine list and a bar, and a
front of the house staff trained to communicate the cuisine and its
unique flavors to an open-minded audience.
A reception immediately preceded the discussion and featured modern
Chinese food paired with Spanish wines. Attendees agreed the future of
Chinese food is at hand.
Read SFPFS Boardmember Amy Sherman’s blog entry on the event.
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List of Recent Events
August 2008
Coffee Cupping
June 2008
Honey Tasting SIG
June 2008
Food Writing Book Club SIG
June 2008
Digs Bistro
June 2008
Sauvignon Blanc Showdown
May 2008
A Visit to Careme 350
May 2008
Cooking Teachers SIG
May 2008
San Mateo Members Meet
May 2008
South Bay Members Connect
April 2008
Wine SIG takes a Beaujolais Cruise
April 2008
Demystifying the Food/Wine Dilemma
March 2008
Pasta tasting
March 2008
Cooking Teachers' SIG
March 2008
Traveling Table to Ubuntu
March 2008
Gelato Making
February 2008
Best of Show Cabernet Sauvignons
January 2008
AGM 2008
January 2008
Cooking SIG at Ramekins
January 2008
Stirring the Pot: Future of Chinese Cuisine
December 2007
Marmalade tasting
November 2007
Wine SIG samples sparklers
November 2007
United States of Arugula review
November 2007
Decoding Molecular Gastronomy
October 2007
Career Change Roundtable
October 2007
B Star Bar
September 2007
Barbary BBQ on Maiden Lane
September 2007
Vanilla Tasting
August 2007
Wine SIG tastes Rieslings
June 2007
Wine SIG Rosé Tasting
June 2007
Wines from Livermore
June 2007
Tasting Sig Explores Fetas
June 2007
Dinner at B Restaurant
May 2007
An Evening with Jaques Pepin
April 2007
Knockout Santa Cruz Wines
March 2007
Feasting at Chef Chus
Annual General Meeting
February 2007
Lessons from a Master Taster: Darrell Corti
February 2007
East Bay Urban Wine Tour
January 2007
Traveling Table: Radio Africa and Kitchen
December 2006
Holiday Cookie Exchange
November 2006
Southern Foodways Alliance
Stirring the Pot with Chuck Williams
October 2006
Wine Sig Looks for Varietal Character
August 2006
SFPFS Barbeque on the USS Hornet
August 2006
Stirring the Pot: Building your Culinary
Pedigree
June 2006
Antony Bourdain at the Commonwealth Club
May 2006
Expo West 2006
May 2006
Table Travelers visit Old Mandarin
January 2006
The Annual General Meeting
January 2006
Impressions of Fancy Food, the 31st
annual trade show
September 19, 2005
Stirring the Pot: The History,
Dynamics, and Ethics of Luxury Dining
June 22, 2005
Stirring the Pot with Nell Newman,
Els Cooperrider and Guinness McFadden
May 25, 2005
Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust
Fundraising Dinner
May 18. 2005
Philippe Stark and Michel Rolland
at the SF W Hotel
April 28, 2005
Roundtable: The Food and Culture of
Burma
February 15, 2005
Stirring the Pot with Harold McGee
October 22, 2004
Food Fight! A Lively Discussion of Today's Most Challenging Food Choices
July 12, 2004
Blenheim Apricot Food Tour
May 17, 2004
Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Hubert Keller, Michael Mina and
Bradley Ogden
March 15, 2004
Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Gerald Asher
February 10, 2004
SFPFS Traveling Table goes to New Delhi Restaurant
January 26, 2004
AGM / NMR Review
November 10, 2003
Reel Food - Castro Theatre
September 25, 2003
Food Tour - Heritage Fruit Orchard at Filoli Gardens
September 17, 2003
Rick Knoll on Organic Farming
June 16, 2003
A Conversation with Thomas Keller: The Soul of Haute Cuisine in America
May 19, 2003
The SFPFS Traveling Table - Roxanne's in Larkspur
April 28, 2003
Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Marian Burros and Marion
Cunningham
March, 2003
Stirring the Pot: A Conversation with Marion Nestle
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