Chinese Food

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

There's one on 17 Ave SW...can't remember the name,but it has awesome korean bbq. Then there's that one at the back of the Calgary Tower...yeah, it's a good place to eat...but...uh...the hostess is a bit "weird." She once yelled at us for not sitting down quick enough.

The "Korean way" (or at least what I've experienced) was to sit down, order as fast as possible, scarf down all your food without talking, pay and leave. I've never met a Korean that wasn't in a rush to get somewhere, and eating is no different. The only time you sit down is at the karaoke machine or when you're getting loaded in a private room.

If you eat at a local Korean restaurant, don't be afraid to yell at the waitress to get her attention. They won't come over unless you do.....they figure that unless you're asking for something you don't need anything. Same goes with refills: yell, ask for more, and it comes faster than you could throw it at someone.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

That one is called "korean village" and it's located right behind the calgary tower. It comes complete with weird hostess.

We could be thinking of different ones. There's one across from Ceili's, and another about a block east tucked in a little strip mall thingy. The one in the strip mall is the one I was thinking of.....

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

We could be thinking of different ones. There's one across from Ceili's, and another about a block east tucked in a little strip mall thingy. The one in the strip mall is the one I was thinking of.....

ah, ok. The one across from ceili's is called sorabol I think. I think it's close for renovations.

http://www.discovercalgary.com/Calga...tsBars/Korean/

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

There used to be a place that came close to Malaysian food. Sizzling Wok. Auntie Kim was a family friend. Loved the food.

Yeah, I used to live beside the Sizzling Wok and went there all the time. Their satay was out of this world. But since it's gone, and Tropika's just about the only thing around for Malay, and it's a hell of a lot lighter than some of the greasy crap you get at Chinese restaurants...

What we know as "Vietnamese" cuisine was heavily influenced by the French during their colonization.

Korean cuisine uses MSG. Seeing as how I'm Korean and I cook lots of Korean dishes (without including MSG), trust me.

There's Korean restaurants called shu-sha-bi houses all over Korea and LA, Vancouver, Toronto that serve tofu soup along with a bevy of side dishes and rice. Quite good, and Calgary seriously needs some.

Strawberry glazed shrimp (had this on the coast). Wierd combo, but was pretty tasty.
- And my all time fav....scrambled eggs with diced tomato mixed in. I've been trying to make this one on weekends, but can't seem to get the recipe right.

Let's think about some of these dishes. What we know as domestic Strawberries are from Europe. Tomatoes are strictly a New World vegetable. Now then, you had these dishes in China. How "traditional" do you think these dishes are, what with their European and New World influences? Is it the dish itself or the concepts behind the dishes that make them "Chinese"?

And if you've ever had any kind of Asian dish that used hot peppers, remember that hot peppers weren't introduced into Asia until Marco Polo showed up. Kim-chee, for instance, wasn't hot until the hot pepper eventually made its way to Korea. That dish in its present from is only a few hundred years old, whereas the previous iteration of Kim-chee without hot peppers was eaten for thousands of years.

There is a region in China where the residents grow CORN. Yes, corn. That is their staple. Point being, Chinese, and Asian cuisine in general is vast and varied, and even most Chinese people I come across (esp. those born here) don't have a freaking clue just how varied their cuisine is.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

Wrong. Dead wrong.

"Real" chinese food is very healthy. Being chinese, most of the food I ate at home when I was young was steamed or braised. Very high vegetable content in meals, and steamed fish is usually eaten in Chinese families at least once a week.

You must be Cantonese. Because people in Northern China don't eat fish (no ocean, no rivers), and didn't have enough fuel to steam or braise food.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Originally Posted by Shazam

You must be Cantonese. Because people in Northern China don't eat fish (no ocean, no rivers), and didn't have enough fuel to steam or braise food.

Heh... well my father is from Northern China, and my mom is Cantonese... so the variety of food I get once a year when I go back for Christmas is quite high!

[Shazam]

Oh, and let's understand something... Cuisines all over the world have been influencing each other for HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of years. Why do you think Cilantro shows up in Mexican and Vietnamese food, regions on other sides of the world?

Look, the food you know now as "traditional" wasn't traditional 500 years ago, or if it was, it was stricly food for royalty (like that crazy Chinese wedding dinner. Or do people actually think that dirt poor peasants in ancient China could actually afford that?!?). Heck, it probably wasn't traditional 200 years ago.

I have Chinese friends that come back from trips to China, and the first thing they notice about the food is just how similar it is to here (and hell, I have FOB friends that notice the same thing). Sure, there's differences with ingredients, but the methods used to prepare the food are the same.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

Heh... well my father is from Northern China, and my mom is Cantonese... so the variety of food I get once a year when I go back for Christmas is quite high!

Well, what you mentioned for food is almost all Cantonese style.

[CarlW]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Oh, and let's understand something... Cuisines all over the world have been influencing each other for HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of years. Why do you think Cilantro shows up in Mexican and Vietnamese food, regions on other sides of the world?

Look, the food you know now as "traditional" wasn't traditional 500 years ago, or if it was, it was stricly food for royalty (like that crazy Chinese wedding dinner. Or do people actually think that dirt poor peasants in ancient China could actually afford that?!?). Heck, it probably wasn't traditional 200 years ago.

I have Chinese friends that come back from trips to China, and the first thing they notice about the food is just how similar it is to here (and hell, I have FOB friends that notice the same thing). Sure, there's differences with ingredients, but the methods used to prepare the food are the same.

How old does food need to be before you consider it traditional? Do you need to go back to recipes of hunter gatherers? Even if food was strictly for royalty isn't it still considered a traditional dish? With the introduction of new ingredients (like a tomato) obviously people will try replacing old ingredients with the new one or making new recipes. Testing and creating thats what people do.

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by TheyCallMeBruce

The eyes are the best part.

I remember doing that when I was really really really young, but as I got older, I stopped as I realize it is just really really disgusting. But I love love to eat the little piece of meat by the eyes, thats really good.

Like Bruce said, that Ginger Beef, Sweet Sour Pork crap is not REAL Chinese food, but modified to fit the majority of caucasian taste buds.

To get Real Chinese food, I would take Bruce's suggestion and go with an actual Chinese person or even better, go to a Chinese Friend's house (provided that they have someone in that house that knows how to cook Chinese)

Being Chinese myself, I usually don't go to Chinese Restaurants, but cook at home. Even when we go to Chinese restaurants, I tend to go to the one in Edgemont (behind the Esso) I think that places is good, no buffet or anything and quite healthy.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by STeeLy

I remember doing that when I was really really really young, but as I got older, I stopped as I realize it is just really really disgusting.

Every Chinese kid knows that the head and the eyes are there for you to play with!!!