Chinese-American Foods: Geography, Culture and...

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“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” (French gastronome, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826) Chineseness The Chinese people of the world comprise what Kotkin (1993) referred to as a one of the five “global tribes”. Like those of Jewish ancestry and Asian Indian decent, the Chinese are geo- graphically dispersed on every continent, have a strong sense of common racial origin in China, and are often connected to one another through business and other social networks. They are an essential and growing segment of the new global economy of the 21 st century, which is characterized by borderless transnationalism and flexible citizenship (Ong, 1999). The Chinese tribe comprises four segments, each of which has significant internal variations. The first, and arguably most dominant, is the mainland People’s Republic of China. Beyond the mainland, the Overseas Chinese diaspora can be divided into three domains (Lew & Wong 2002): (1) ethnic Han Chinese living outside of mainland China, but within the “greater China” region, which Professor, Department of Geography, Planning & Recreation, Northern Arizona University Journal of East Asian Studies, No.14, 2016.3.  (pp.217-228) (Abstract) Food is a major way that Chinese, and other ethnic groups, engage with their cultural heritage. Behavioral perspectives from tourism studies give insight into the range of food neophyllics (love of new foods) and food neophobics (fear of new foods), as well as the role of authenticity in food experiences. Three general types of Chinese food are identified in the US: Chinese American (restaurant) Food, Real Chinese (restaurant) Food, and American Born Chinese (home) Food. Traditional Chinese American restaurant food is suited to non-Chinese, dominant American taste palates, and is mostly safe for food neophobics in the US. Real Chinese restaurant food is more suited to the palates of first generation Chinese immigrants and non-Chinese food neophylics. American Born Chinese home foods consists of the family recipes that were brought from the regions in China where first generation ancestors came from, and may be the most authentic of all Chinese foods in the US. Keywords: Ethnic food, Chinese food, American Born Chinese, Chinese immigrants, Chinese restaurants, Food neophobic, Food neophilic, Authenticity Chinese-American Foods: Geography, Culture and Tourism LEW Alan A. 2015年山口大学東アジア研究科研究員論文 -217-

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“Tellmewhatyoueat,andIwilltellyouwhatyouare.”   (Frenchgastronome,JeanAnthelmeBrillat-Savarin,1755-1826)

Chineseness TheChinesepeopleoftheworldcomprisewhatKotkin(1993)referredtoasaoneofthefive“globaltribes”.LikethoseofJewishancestryandAsianIndiandecent,theChinesearegeo-graphicallydispersedoneverycontinent,haveastrongsenseofcommonracialorigininChina,andareoftenconnected tooneanother throughbusinessandothersocialnetworks.Theyareanessentialandgrowingsegmentofthenewglobaleconomyofthe21stcentury,whichischaracterizedbyborderlesstransnationalismandflexiblecitizenship(Ong,1999).TheChinesetribecomprisesfoursegments,eachofwhichhassignificantinternalvariations.Thefirst,andarguablymostdominant,isthemainlandPeople’sRepublicofChina.Beyondthemainland,theOverseasChinesediasporacanbedivided intothreedomains (Lew&Wong2002): (1)ethnicHanChinese livingoutsideofmainlandChina,butwithin the “greaterChina”region,which

* Professor,DepartmentofGeography,Planning&Recreation,NorthernArizonaUniversity

Journal of East Asian Studies, No.14, 2016.3. (pp.217-228)

(Abstract)Food isamajorwaythatChinese,andotherethnicgroups,engagewiththeirculturalheritage.Behavioralperspectivesfromtourismstudiesgive insight intotherangeof foodneophyllics (loveofnewfoods)and foodneophobics (fearofnewfoods),aswellas theroleofauthenticity in foodexperiences.Threegeneral typesofChinese foodare identified in theUS:ChineseAmerican(restaurant)Food,RealChinese (restaurant)Food, andAmericanBornChinese (home)Food.TraditionalChineseAmericanrestaurant food issuitedtonon-Chinese,dominantAmericantastepalates,and ismostlysafe for foodneophobics in theUS.RealChineserestaurant food ismoresuited to thepalatesof firstgenerationChinese immigrantsandnon-Chinese foodneophylics.AmericanBornChinesehome foodsconsistsof the familyrecipes thatwerebrought fromtheregionsinChinawherefirstgenerationancestorscamefrom,andmaybethemostauthenticofallChinesefoodsintheUS.

Keywords:Ethnic food,Chinese food,AmericanBornChinese,Chinese immigrants,Chineserestaurants,Foodneophobic,Foodneophilic,Authenticity

Chinese-American Foods: Geography, Culture and Tourism

LEW Alan A.*

2015年山口大学東アジア研究科研究員論文

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includes“compatriots”inHongKong,MacaoandTaiwan;(2)ethnicChineselivinginAsianre-gionsbeyondgreaterChina,mostlyinSoutheastAsia,JapanandKorea;and(3)ethnicChineselivingoutsideofEastAsiaandSoutheastAsia,whichisthesmallestofthethreegroups.Themajorityofthis lastgroupareinNorthAmerica,thoughtheyarealso livingandworkinginalmosteverycountryoftheworld.The2011censusestimatesfortheUSindicates4.01millionethnicChineseinthecountry,whichisthelargestoftheAsianethnicgroupsinthecountry(EWC,2015).Thiswasanincreaseof47%overthe2000population,andmadeupabout1.2%ofthetotalUSpopulation. Chinese foodplaysamixedandsometimescomplicatedrole in the lifeand identityofdiasporaOverseasChineseAmericans. It is, forexample,oneof the fundamentalwaysthatOverseasChineseengagewiththeir“Chineseness” in formingandmaintainingtheirpersonalidentity(Tsaietal.2000).InadditiontoChinesefood,OverseasChineseengagewiththeireth-nicitythroughspeakingaChineselanguageordialect,beingaffiliatedwithChinesesocialorga-nizations,participatinginChineserelatedactivities(suchascelebratingfestivals),andbeingex-posedtoChineseculturethroughvariousmedia.However,evenfortheseotheractivitiesandinstitutions,Chinesefoodoftenplaysasignificantidentifyingrole.Thefoodsweeat,thewaywecookthem,whatwecallthem,andhowweeatthemdisplayssubtlenuancesthathavetheabilityto includeandexcludethroughtheirsimilaritiesanddifferencesincomparisontopre-scribednorms(Lu&Fine,1995).Simplytalkingaboutfoodinthe“right”way,candemonstratethespeaker’sheritagefluency(Bucholtz&Hall,2005;Hall-Lew&Starr,2010;Shavzin,2014). Chinesefoodengagement(definedaseatingfoodasawayofperformingone’spersonaliden-tity)tendstochangeovertime,withanespeciallylargedifferenceinthetransitionfromfirsttosecondgenerationChinese.Firstgenerationimmigrants(born,andatleastpartiallyraised,inthegreaterChinaregion),wereimmersedinChinesecultureintheirformativeearlyyears,anduponarrivingintheUStheyhadtheoptionofselectivelydroppingsomeChineseculturaltraitsandselectivelyadoptingsomeAmerican traits (Tsai, etal., 2000).TheirChineseness,therefore,ismeasuredbythedegreetowhichtheykeepordropChinesetraits,someofwhichtheymayreadoptindifferentsocialcircumstancesoratlaterstagesinlife.ThisgenerationofOverseasChinesetendtomaintainaverystrongChinesefoodidentityaftermigratingtotheUS,usuallypreferringitoverallothercuisines. Second,andsubsequent,generationAmericanBornChinese(ABCs),ontheotherhand,aremuchmoreselectiveanddiverseintheirengagementwithChinesefoods.BeingraciallyChi-nese,theygrewupinbothChineseandAmericancultureatthesametime.Formost,Chinesecultureisexperiencedinthefamily,theChinesecommunity(associatingwithotherChinese),andthroughChinese food.Americanculture for them isexperiencedthroughschool,work,non-Chinesefriends,andinmostpublicspaces.TheirChinesenessismeasuredbythedegreetowhichtheyengagewithChineseculture,includingfood.Somewillengagemorethanothers,andtheirengagementmaychangeovertime.

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AnexampleofthetransitionbetweenfirstandsecondgenerationChinesefoodhabits isseeinNanandBrown’s(2010)interviewswith20firstgenerationChinesecouplesfromChinaandTaiwan,butwhohadmovedto thestateofPennsylvania.They foundthat thecouplesmostlyateAmericanbreakfasts,whichweremoreconvenient,butmaintainedChinesemealsfor lunchanddinner.Their children,however,preferred “unhealthy”western foodswhenoutsidetheirhome,andgenerallyrefusedtoeatvegetablesevenwhenathome.Thesegen-erationalfoodpreferencesresultedinconsiderableconflictbetweentheparentsandtheirchil-dren,thoughsomeofthedifferencesmaybemoreuniversalthanspecifictofirstandsecondgenerationChineseAmerican families.Epidemiologicalstudieshavealso foundthatChineseAmericanshavehigherratesofseveralchronicdiseasesthantheirAsiancounterparts,includ-ingdiabetesandheartdisease,whichhavebeenshowntobedietrelated,atleastinpart(Nan&Cason,2004). Whatmaymakethesituationmoresignificant forChineseAmericans is thecontextoftraditionalChinesefoodculture,whichplacesgreatimportanceonfood(Quan&Wang2004).ForethnicChinese,meals,especiallydinner,serveasacenterpointforfamilyandpeergroupsocialinteractions.Insomeways,theeventismoreimportantthantheparticularfoodthatisbeingserved.Wherethetypeof foodbecomes important for theChinese, includingChineseAmericans,isinthepursuitifhighqualityfoods(Lu&Fine,1995;Chang1977;Newman2004).QuanandWang(2004)suggestedthatChinesecultureencouragesthe“broadeningofculinaryknowledge”inpursuitofauthentic“peakexperiences”througheating.Ontheotherhand,em-piricalstudiesofChinesetouriststravelingoverseasindicatethat,whiletheyareinterestedinexoticnon-Chinesefoods,theygenerallyprefertheseinaChinesecontext(Changetal.2010).Inotherwords,eitherpurelyChinesefood,orsomeformofChinese-localfusioncuisine,ispre-ferredoverauthenticallypurelocalfood,whichmaybelessappealingtotheirpalateandthusresulting inadegreeofcultureshock.Thispatternexists formanyothertravelers,aswell,especiallymasstourists.

Diversity of Ethnic Culinary Experiences GoingouttoeatatanethnicrestaurantintheUSiswhatZelinsky(1985:51)referredtoas“gastronomictourism,”becauseitgivesthedineraglimpseofaculturethatisdifferentfromthedominantAmericanculture.Modelsoftouristbehaviorcanalsoprovideinsight intohowpeopleapproachethnic foodexperiences,whichcanbeasdiverseas is thehumanpalate.Amajordichotomyisbetween“foodneophobics”(afraidofnewfoodexperiences)and“foodneo-phylics”(seekingoutnewfoodexperiences)(Cohen&Avieli2004).Asecondmajordichotomyisrelatedto foodauthenticity,withmore locallyauthentic foodstendingtobepreferredbyfoodneophylics.LuandFine (1995), intheirstudyofChineserestaurants inAthens,Georgiaintheearly1990s,sawthisasthedifferencebetweenmassconsumptionorientedrestaurants,

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servingChinese fast-food,andconnoisseurorientedrestaurants,servingmorediscriminatingdiners.Cohen(1979)extendedthesedichotomiesto identifyarangeofwaysthattouristsen-counteredfoodwhentheytravel:

(1) Recreational/Mass Tourists(passivehedonists)-self-indulgent,seekrelaxationanden-joyment;highlyfoodneophobicwithnospecialinterestinlocalfoodauthenticity;

(2) Sightseeing Tourists(gazingon“others”)–neophylicinterestinlocaldishesandfoodhabits;butneophobicinconsuminglocalfoods;mighttrylocalfoodsinasafetourismsetting,suchasinanupscalehotel;

(3) Experimental/Participatory/Adventure Tourists (tryinglocal life)–neophyllicinterestinlocalfoodandmildlyneophylicwillingnesstotrylocalfoodsinlocalestablishments;butstillpreferthefamiliarfoodsofhome;

(4) Existential/Identity Tourists (adopting local life)–stronglyneophyliic interestsandconsumptionhabits;seekoutthemostauthenticlocalfoodwhentravelingtoadesti-nation;onlyeatlocalfoodswhentraveling,therebyparticipatinginaculinaryswitch-ingofworlds.

Inanempirical studyofChinese tourists fromChina,HongKongandTaiwanvisitingAustralia,Changetal.(2010)foundasomewhatsimilartypologyinfoodbehaviors.Theysug-gestedthreecategoriesoffoodattitudes.“Browsers”werethosewhowereambivalenttowardlocalfoods,astheyfeeltheywillneverbeuptoparwiththeirhomefoods.Browserstendedtofocusmoreonotheraspectsoftravelinsteadoffood.“Observers”,thesecondtype,showedaninterestedintheexoticnessofAustralianfoodsandwerewillingtotrythemasuniqueexperi-ences.However,theytendedtopreferfusionversionsofAustralianandChinesefoods,becausetheystillfeltaneedforChinesefoodforsustainedtheirnutrition.Thethirdgroupwere“Par-ticipators”,who indulge inAustralian local foodandsoughtoutpeak local foodexperiences,whichbecameanimportantpartoftheirtourismexperience. In termsofdiasporaethniccuisines,however,authenticitycanbecomplicated (Wang,1999).“Objectauthenticity”referstofoodthatareanaccuratereplicationofdishesmadeinthehomeland,eithercooked inarestaurantor inahome.However, fromtheperspectiveof theconsumer,thatmaybeless importantthan“SubjectiveAuthenticity”,whichistheirpersonalperceptionofitsauthenticity.Subjectivitycanbeinfluencedbymanyexternalsources,includ-ingmovies,lifeexperiences,friends,andcharacteristicsoftherestaurantinwhichthefoodisserved(Chhabra,etal.,2013).Anethnicwaiter,alongwithethnicartandmusic,canmakethefoodsubjectivelymoreauthentic.Athirdtypeofauthenticity,“ExistentialorExperientialAu-thenticity”,referstoapeak,euphoricorperhapsevenspiritualfoodexperience,inresponsetothefood’staste,presentationorcontext.Thiscanoccurindependentofobjectiveandsubjectiveauthenticities,butmaybethemostmeaningfulofthethreetotheconsumer.

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Three Types of Chinese Food in the US Tourism-basedbehavioral typologiesprovide insight intotherangeofOverseasChinesefoodsintheUS,andpossiblyotherethnicfoodsintheUSandelsewhere(Chhabra,etal.,2013).Thisrangeoffoodsexistonacontinuum,withChinesefoodsthathaveevolvedforanexclu-sivelymassAmericanpalateononeextreme,andthose foramostlyChina-born immigrantpalateontheotherextreme.Forthepurposesofthispresentanalysis,thesearereferredtoas“ChineseAmericanFood” (basedonthecommonphrase“ChineseAmericanrestaurant”)and“RealChineseFood,”respectively.ThereisathirdtypeofChinesefoodfoundintheUSthatisnotencompassedinthesetourism-basedtypologies.ThethirdtypeisfoodthatiscookedathomebyethnicChinesefamilies,andmaybestbedescribedas“AmericanBornChineseFood,”eventhoughthisgivessomepreferencetosecondgenerationChineseexperiences.

Chinese American Food FusioncuisinesthatgivelocalflavorstotraditionalChineseingredientsandcookingmeth-odsarecommon throughout theOverseasChineseworldoutsideofGreaterChina.ThesefoodsarecreatedbyChinese immigrantswhoopenChineserestaurants,butneedtoadjustthefoodstheyknowtothepalatesandpreferencesoflocalresidents(whoarealmostentirelynon-Chinese)(Lu&Fine,1995).IntheUS,thefirstChineserestaurant(abuffet)openedinSanFranciscoin1849whenChineseimmigrantswereattractedtotheUStoworkontherailroadsandtominegold(Karnow,1994).Overseveraldecades,theseimmigrantsevolvedastandard“ChineseAmerican food”menubyadjustingtheir food fortheEuro-Americanpalate.Today,thestandardChineseAmericanfoodrestaurantisfoundinalmostanycityortownintheUSwithmorethanathousandpeople,andtheirmenusarelargelyidentical,thoughsomeregionalvariationsexistamongeastcoast,westcoast,andinsomepartsoftheSouth.Someofthemostcharacteristicdishesthataredistinct toChineseAmericanrestaurantsare listed inTable1andFigure1.

==============================================Table 1. Standard Chinese American Restaurant Menu Items in US. - Sweetandsourpork - Orangechicken - ChopSuey - GeneralTso’sChicken - BeefandAmericanbroccoli - MongolianBeef - CraborCreamCheeseFriedWontons - FriedRicepreferredoverwhiterice;BrownRiceasanoption - FortuneCookies(fordessert)==============================================

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ChineseAmericanrestaurant fooddiffers fromtraditionalmainlandChineseofferings inthatithasmoremeat,muchofwhich isheavilybattered (coveredwith flour)andfried,and it isservedwithveryfewvegetable(andnoleafygreenvegetables).AmericanChinesefoodsaremostlystir friedandcoveredwithsweet,stickysauces.Steamingandboilingarequiterare.ThesedishesaregenerallynotintendedforethnicChineseconsumption,andespeciallynotforfirstgenerationnewimmigrants.ThecooksinChineseAmericanrestaurantweretraditionallyfirstgenerationChinesewhowouldcookverydifferentfoodsforthemselves.(Today,increas-ingnumbersofChineseAmericanrestaurantcooksinsomepartsoftheUSareMexicanimmi-grants.)

Real Chinese Food Fromtheverybeginning,someChineseAmericanrestauranthadtwomenus:onefornon-ChineseandtheotherforethnicChinese.ThesecondmenucomprisesdishesthatthecookswouldmakeforthemselvesandwasoftenwritteninChineseonly(resultingintheirbeingre-ferredtoas“secretmenus”bynon-Chinese)(Huang,2012).ThiswasRealChineseFood.Whilemanynon-Chineserestaurant-goerswereawareof thesesecondmenus, theytendedtostayawayfromthembecauseoftheirmoreexotic flavorsand ingredients (at leasttoastandardAmericanpalate). ForfirstgenerationChineseAmericans,thesecondmenufoodoptionsalsohadanostalgiavalue,bringingthembacktotheirChinahomeland.ForsecondgenerationChineseAmericans

Figure 1. Chinese American Restaurant Menu from the 1950s.

Source:GrandCanyonCafé,Flagstaff,Arizona(usedwithpermission)

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(ABCs),knowledgeofthesemenus,andthepotentialtheyofferedforapeakfoodexperience,becamean identity indicatorof theirChineseness.Someof theseRealChineseFoods (asop-posedtoChineseAmericanFoodthatisintendedfornon-Chinesediners)haveespeciallyhigh“Chineseness”statusvalue forsecondgenerationAmericanBornChinese.ToeatandenjoythemisasignthatoneistrulyChinese.SomeofthesearelistedinTable2.

============================================================Table 2. “Chinese American” Menu Items found in some US Chinese Restaurants. - MostDimSum(DianXin)dishes,butespeciallyChickenFeet - MostClaypotdishes - Chinesesausage(lahpcheonginCantonese),Roastpork,BBQDuck - Bittermelonandleafygreenvegetables,suchasGaiLaan(Chinesebroccoli) - Pomelo,Jungzi(Chinesetamale),Mooncake,Tofupudding(douhua),Congee(Jouzi) - Whitericeonly,preferablyveryfluffy============================================================

RealChineseFooddishesarealsosoughtoutbyChinesefoodconnoisseurswhoarelook-ing forpeakeatingexperiences,as theyarecloser to traditionaldishesserved inmainlandChina.OpportunitiestosavorRealChineseFoodshavegrownconsiderablyintheUSasmajormetropolitanareashavewelcomedgrowingnumbersofethnicChineseimmigrantsfromSouth-eastAsia,aftertheendoftheVietnamWarin1975,andfromthePeople’sRepublicofChinaas itgraduallyrelaxedemigrationstarting inthe1980s. Inthe largestcitiesof theUS,RealChineseFoodiswidelyavailable,althoughtheChinese“secretmenu”canalsostillbefound,aswell. CharacteristicsofthesetwodifferentcuisinesareshowinTable3.Largenumbersofnon-ChineseAmericans find theChineseAmericanrestaurantpalate foods to their taste,whichexplainswhysomanyrestaurantsservethesefoodsacrossthecountry.Ontheotherhand,theexistenceofRealChineseFoodprovidesanelementofadventureandpotentialpeakculinaryexperiencesforethnicChinese,aswellasforthemoreadventuresomenon-Chinese.Thecon-tinuumalsoshowsthatthere issomevariation indegreesof“authenticity”,reflectingthedi-verseoriginsofdifferentChinesedishes(bothwithinChinaandinthegreaterEastandSouth-eastAsiaregions),aswellasthedegreetowhichdifferentrestaurantswillofferamoreAsian-marketorientedfoodoption.

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American Born Chinese Food ThethirdtypeofethnicChinese food found intheUS is thehomecookeddishes foundinethnicChinesehomes.AlthoughreferredtoasAmericanBornChineseFood,thisincludesmealsmadeby firstgeneration immigrants to theUS,aswell.Many, ifnotmost,of thesedishesarerelativelyrareinChineserestaurantsbecausetheyreflecttheuniquefoodsthatthefirstgenerationimmigrantChinesebroughtwiththemfromtheirlocalregionsinChina.Chinaisaverylargeandextremelydiversecountryinwhicheachcountycanhaveitsowndistinctfoodspecialties.It is impossibletocapturethisdiversityinthecommercialfoodlandscapeoftheUS,andsothehomecookedChinesefoodsmaybethemostobjectivelyauthenticofthethreetypesoffoodspresentedhere. Immigrantsareoftenmore likely tomaintain traditionalwaysofdoing things, suchascooking,thanarethoseinthehomelandfromwhichtheycame(Ong,1999).Thisisbecausethehaveagreatersenseofnostalgia fromtheirhome,andbymaintainingtraditions, ithelpstothemtomaintaintheiridentityinthefaceofdisplacementanduncertainty.Eatingfoodsthatarebasedinfamilytraditionstrengthenstheirpersonalheritageandattachmenttotheirmoth-erland.Atthesametime,theyalsoneedtoadjusttotheopportunitiesandlimitationsonfoodingredientsavailableintheiradoptedland.Thisrequiresinnovation,resultinginhomecookedAmericanBornChineseFoodsbecomingamixandfusionofChineseAmerican (restaurant)

======================================================================Table 3. American palate and Chinese palate characteristics in Chinese-American cuisine.

AmericanPalateChineseFoodsoftheUS(ChineseAmericanFoods) - MadefortheNon-ChineseAmericantastepalate - Preferredbyfoodneophobiceaters - PreferredbymoreAmericanizedsecondgenerationABCs(“bananas”) - MenusalwaysinEnglish,andmostlywithnoChinese - Wok-basedstirfryinganddeepfrying;mostlyCantonesedishes,butmoremeat - Individualdishes,chopsticksoptional - Considered“Authentic”ChineseAmericanfoodbymostnon-ChineseAmericans - Considered“Inauthentic”bymany,butnotall,ethnicChineseAmericans

ChinesePalateChineseFoodsoftheUS(RealChineseFoods) - MadeforChineseAmericanwhowerebornandraisedinChina - Preferredbyfoodneophyliceaters - Preferredby firstgenerationChineseAmericansandsecondgenerationwho identifymorewith

Chineseness - Preferredbynon-ChinesewithstronginterestsinChineseculture(“eggs”) - MenusmostlyinChinese(“SecretMenus”),thoughsomemayhavetranslations - Moresteamingandboiling;moreregionaldishes;morevegetables - Familystyle(shared)eatingwithchopsticks - Considered“Authentic”bymostethnicChineseAmericans - Consideredpotentially“upalatable”bymanynon-ChineseAmericans======================================================================

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Foods,RealChineseFoods,andtraditionalfamilyrecipes. Unfortunately,witheachsuccessivegeneration,therecipesofthefirstgenerationances-torsaremore likelytobeeithertransformedor lostaltogether.Socialmedia,suchasethniccookingclassesonYouTube,andincreasedinternationaltraveltohomelandregionscanhelplessenthisdilution,butonly if latergenerationshavean interest inpursuingthoseopportu-nities.Ontheotherhand,eachnewgenerationof immigrantsbringsnewfoods fromChina,wherethecuisineisevolvingandinnovatingmuchmoresothanamongOverseasChinese. BecauseofthediverseregionalbackgroundofthemanyethnicChineseintheUStoday,itisnotpossibletochroniclethefoodsthatcompriseAmericanBornChineseFood.Thereis,however,onedishthatisprobablyauniquelyfirstandsecondgenerationABCfoodthatcan-notbefoundinarestaurant,butisservedatleastonceayearinalmosteveryChinesehomeintheUS.This is turkeycongee (juk inCantonese;zhou inMandarin).Congee isaricepor-ridge.AroastedturkeyisthetraditionalAmericanmealforThanksgiving,aharvestfestivalthat isheldannuallyattheendofNovember.Americanscookafullturkey,whichisfartoomuchmeat foronemeal.ThedayafterThanksgiving, ethnicChineseAmericans take thebones fromtheturkeyandmakeoneof themost flavorfulversionsofcongeepossible.ThisdishisnotfoundoutsideoftheUS(andmaybeCanada)becauseturkeymeatisnotcommonanywhereelseintheworld.Somewhatdifferentfromthedishesabove,turkeycongeemightbemoreofanidentifierofbeingaChinese-American,ratherthanjustbeingChinese.

Conclusions FormanyAmericans,goingtoaChinese (orotherethnic)restaurant intheUS isa lotlikeatravelandtourismexperiencetoaforeigncountry.Thereisanelementofexperiencingsomethingthatisbeyondthemundaneandordinarydailyliferoutine.Thereisevenasenseofadventureandanexotic,thoughalsoverysafe,crossingofculturalandracialterritories.ForChineseAmericans,goingtoaChineserestaurant isalso liketravelandtourismtoanotherplace.However, intheircase,theotherplaceispartoftheirpersonalheritage–likevisitingChina.EatingataChineserestaurantbecomesawaytoconnectwiththeirculturalheritage,perhapsexperiencingdifferentversionsofthatheritagethanonemightexperienceathome. ThefundamentaldifferentiationamongtheChinesecuisineoptionsthatareavailabletodayintheUSreflectsthedifferencesbetweenChinesefoodasanexternalandexoticexperience,andChinesefoodasaninternalandidentityexperience.Theseexperienceswillvaryconsider-ablyfromonepersontothenext,nomattertheirethnicbackground.ForthosewhoareluckyenoughtoliveinoneofthemajorpopulationcentersofChineseandotherAsianpeoplesintheUS,therangeofopportunitiestoengagetheirtastesand identities inpeakand identitysup-portingwaysisenormousandgrowingeveryyear.

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