風靡美國的偽中國菜

07-06

These staples from your neighborhood Chinese restaurant are more American than anything. 美國街頭中餐館的這些主打菜其實是地道的美國貨。

Growing up in New York City as the daughter of immigrants from China, it didn』t occur toNew York Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee that the Chinese food she loved might not be 「authentic」. She discovered the cultural gap when she traveled to China after graduating from Harvard University with a degree in applied mathematics and economics.

李競出生於一個華裔移民家庭，從小在紐約長大，曾在《紐約時報》當過記者，她以前從未想過自己一往情深的中餐可能並不「地道」。在獲得哈佛大學應用數學與經濟學學位之後，她前往中國，發現了兩國中餐文化的差異。

「The food we were eating there in some ways resembled what my mom cooked, but in no way resembled what we ate in American Chinese restaurants,」 says the author of 2008』sThe Fortune Cookie[1] Chronicles, an engaging history of Chinese food in America.

「我們（在中國）吃到的食物和媽媽的手藝大同小異，但是和在美國中餐館吃到的迥然不同。」李競說道。2008年，她出版了《幸運簽語餅紀事》一書，追溯中餐在美國有趣的發展史。

[1] fortune cookies 幸運簽語餅，國外中餐館提供的一種空心薄脆，內藏小紙條，掰開後可以讀到紙條上印的簽語。

Her biggest surprise during research for the book was discovering that fortune cookies were actually of Japanese origin.

在著書調研的過程中，最讓她驚奇的莫過於發現幸運簽語餅其實起源於日本。 Lee left journalism after her book was published and now is cofounder of Rooster, a mobile app that serializes books into chunks[2] designed to be read on smartphones and fit busy readers』 lives. She also coproduced a documentary that screened at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival[3], The Search for General Tso, which focuses on the most popular Chinese takeout dish in America.該書出版後她便辭去記者一職，目前是手機應用程序Rooster的聯合創始人。該款程序將書籍切分連載，供智能手機用戶閱讀，適用於生活忙碌的讀者。她還與人合作出品了一部紀錄片，2014年在紐約翠貝卡電影節上映，名為《尋味「左宗棠雞」》，介紹了這道在美國最受歡迎的中餐外賣。[2] chunk 塊。[3] 紐約翠貝卡電影節，由美國電影製片人簡·羅森泰以及著名演員羅伯特·德尼羅在「9·11」事件後發起並創辦。因由翠貝卡電影學院成功舉辦而得名。

Neither the book nor the documentary has dampened Lee』s appetite for American Chinese food, though.不過，著作也好，紀錄片也罷，都沒有沖淡李競對美式中餐的熱愛。「It』s full of fat and sugar. What』s not to like?」 she asks, laughing. 「It』s like a taste of home. These are all very American and comforting.」「高脂多糖，沒理由不喜歡吧？」李競笑著問，「吃起來有種家的味道。帶有濃郁的美國味，特別舒心。」 Here are five familiar 「Chinese」 menu items in America—and the truth about their origins.下面我們挑選美國常見的五道「中式」菜肴，說說這些菜品的真實由來。 Fortune Cookies幸運簽語餅

「In America, they』re a symbol of China, but in China people are really confused by them,」 recalls Lee, who handed out fortune cookies during a trip to the country. 「They take a bite, and they』re surprised that there』s a piece of paper inside.」 Lee learned that cookies with paper inside them can be traced back to Kyoto, Japan, and were first made in the United States by Japanese bakers. During World War II, when people of Japanese ancestry were imprisoned in internment camps[4], the Chinese took over manufacturing them. They then became a fixture in Chinese restaurants here as a postmeal[5] treat.李競回憶說：「在美國，幸運簽語餅是中國的象徵，但在中國，人們真被它搞糊塗了。」有一次去中國，李競把幸運簽語餅分給當地人，「他們咬上一口，驚訝地發現裡面居然有張小紙條。」李競了解到將紙條放入餅乾這一做法起源於日本京都，這種餅起初是由日本烘焙師傅在美國製作的。二戰期間，很多在美的日裔人士都被關進了拘留營，於是中國人接替了製作幸運簽語餅的工作。後來幸運簽語餅逐漸成為美國中餐館必備的一道飯後甜點。[4] internment camp 拘留營。[5] postmeal 餐後。 General Tso』s Chicken左宗棠雞

This dish of fried chicken pieces coated with a sweet and savory sauce is among the most familiar of Chinese menu items. There really was a General Tso, a Qing Dynasty leader in the 1800s, but 「it』s not a dish that the general ever ate,」 Lee says. 「It was introduced about 1974 and popularized in the 1980s.」 Like many dishes served up for American tastes, sugar was added to sweeten the dish.炸雞塊裹上鮮甜醬汁，這是中餐菜單上美國人最熟悉的菜式之一。中國歷史上確有左宗棠其人，是19 世紀清代的將領，但李競認為：「左宗棠並沒有吃過這道菜。左宗棠雞大約於1974 年引進美國，20世紀80年代風靡全美。」與許多迎合美國人口味的菜品相似，這道菜加重了甜味。Beef and Broccoli西蘭花炒牛柳

Another popular dish, beef with broccoli, is a wok-fried combination of those two ingredients. It became popular in the 1920s. While China is one of the largest growers of broccoli today, 「it is not a Chinese vegetable,」 Lee says. The dish was an adaptation that used ingredients available in America, in this case brought by other immigrants. 「Broccoli was an Italian vegetable,」 she adds.另一道頗受歡迎的菜式，西蘭花炒牛柳，是將西蘭花與牛柳放入鍋中爆炒而成。這道菜20 世紀20年代開始在美國流行。雖然中國是當今世界最大的西蘭花生產國之一，但是李競指出，「西蘭花並不是中國本土蔬菜」。這道菜是用美國能獲取的食材改造而成的，這種食材由其他國家的移民帶入美國。李競補充說：「西蘭花原產自義大利。」Egg Rolls蛋卷

All Asian cultures seem to serve a form of egg rolls—small tubes of meat or vegetables rolled in a wrapper. Chinese spring rolls are light and small and come in translucent wrappers. The concept of bigger egg rolls deep-fried in a thicker skin was invented in America.似乎所有的亞洲文化都有形似蛋卷的食物——外皮包裹著肉餡或菜餡，捲成小管狀。中式春卷輕盈小巧，外皮晶瑩剔透。而美式蛋卷個頭較大，外皮肥厚，高溫油炸而成，是在美國發明的。

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