A Chinese Gourmet

YuanYuan Fang

 A Chinese Gourmet

Food is an essential part of people’s daily life. Each country has its own distinctive culture and a local special ingredient that creates unique food people like to eat. I lived in China for fifteen years before I moved to Chicago. Chinese food has an essential part in my life. China is an ancient civilization with 5,000 years of history, so Chinese food is one of the country’s splendid cultures. In addition, there are many different cuisines all over the country. I think Chinese food has the most outstanding taste and variety of ingredients. It has difficult for me to find authentic Chinese food in Chicago because Chinese restaurants in Chicago want to change traditional Chinese food to match American tastes. When I moved to Chicago, I felt like a lost soul in a foreign country of Chinese food.

When I moved here, my homesickness was increased by the authentic Chinese food with a distinctive taste. Chinese food has a strong aroma and different seasonings used according to local flavors, and I haven’t found the traditional place in Chicago. Chinese food tastes too sweet in Chicago, I think it has much of Chinese food restaurant, but I have not found the taste that I wanted. I realized they do not know our authentic food because Chinese food has many seasonings, making the ingredient taste different or more than one flavor. Wentworth Seafood House is my favorite place to find Chinese food with a distinctive taste in Chicago, but they still have many differences from authentic Chinese food in China. The problem is Chinese restaurants are trying to blend in with American tastes in Chicago, and when they add too much sugar it causes food to lose its flavor. Even though there is a Wentworth Seafood House, which is full of Chinese people, there is no place to have perfect authentic Chinese food.

The other uniqueness of authentic Chinese food is the ingredients, which makes me miss my home country. Chinese people have been proud of eating all kinds of food because they think they should not waste any part of the ingredients. In the United States, most Chinese restaurants will serve food without bones because many Americans prefer to eat food without bones most of the time. For example, Sichuan Boiled Fish is one of my favorite foods on the menu. Sichuan Boiled Fish in Chicago is not the same as I ate in China because they prefer to use fish fillet rather than whole fish with bone. I also ate Chinese food many times in Chicago, but I could not find animal viscera in them. People will also add animal viscera to traditional Chineses food in China; it will be disgusting to Americans. All Chinese restaurants change their ingredients to appeal to Americans because they may not accept authentic Chinese food.

While the chefs do not cook authentic Chinese food in Chicago, there is one more significant eating bad habit. People drink hot tea while eating food in China. A moment later, people usually like to eat fruit that finishes their lunch or dinner. In the United States, Americans always want to drink everything with ice, which makes Chinese people feel strange. When I first went out to eat in Chinatown, the waiter would give the customer a glass of water. At this time, I realized the Chinese restaurant changed the usual eating habits in Chicago. Chinese people are gradually changing the Chinese food culture pattern, it is hard to find an authentic Chinese restaurant in Chicago, so I miss authentic Chinese food.

Hence, I feel lost in translation in Chicago because I haven’t found authentic taste, ingredients, or customs. When my family immigrated to the United States, I stopped eating authentic Chinese food in the restaurant anymore. I have tried to find my home country food in the United States, but I always felt disappointed in those foods. That is why I have to explain what traditional Chinese food is. Someday, I hope to find traditional Chinese food to share an authentic Chinese food culture with my American friends in Chicago.