Chinese Restaurant Food Draws Criticism

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Associated Press

Chinese Restaurant Food Draws Criticism
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 21, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The typical Chinese restaurant menu is a sea of nutritional no-nos, a consumer group has found. A plate of General Tso's chicken, for example, is loaded with about 40 percent more sodium and more than half the calories an average adult needs for an entire day.

The battered, fried chicken dish with vegetables has 1,300 calories, 3,200 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of saturated fat.

That's before the rice (200 calories a cup). And after the egg rolls (200 calories and 400 milligrams of sodium).

''I don't want to put all the blame on Chinese food,'' said Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which did a report released Tuesday.

''Across the board, American restaurants need to cut back on calories and salt, and in the meantime, people should think of each meal as not one, but two, and bring home half for tomorrow,'' Liebman said....

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Diet-Chinese-Food.html

[knitter4democracy]

1. "people should think of each meal as not one, but two, and bring home half for tomorrow"

I thought everyone did that at Chinese restaurants. They always give me so much that I take home lots of leftovers.

[mainer]

9. Exactly. A dish in a Chinese restaurant is meant to be shared.

They should consider each order a two-serving portion. (Or even a three-serving portion.) No one eats an entire order of General Tso's chicken! Chinese people will use the meat dish to flavor their main course of rice.

[gravity]

13. I can't eat a whole dish if I tried

I get a free meal later that day though

[knitter4democracy]

39. Definitely my philosophy.

I just don't understand why they tested it that way.

[gravity]

42. Then they would have nothing to complain

[supernova]

28. True at all restaurants

across food genres. I almost always take home left overs. When I go out, I automatically assume my plate is going to be enough for two servings if not three. I don't know why restaurants have to give you these gigantic portions.

(Unless of course, you're going out for Tapas :9 )

[NashVegas]

36. I Love Watching People At a Chinese Buffet

Load of their plates with heaping servings of everything.

Fun entertainment.

[knitter4democracy]

40. I tried once. It made me ill.

I couldn't watch after awhile. Then again, I live in Michigan, the third-fattest state in the Union.

[NashVegas]

41. More or Less The Same

In Tennessee.

[Lars39]

47. I still can't get my head wrapped around what I saw the other day...

someone filled a *soup bowl* to the brim with sweet and sour sauce. :shakes head:

[kelvinyany]

62. Obesity rarely occurs in China before the fast food came along

1+ billiion Chinese has been eating greasy, salty & cholesterol laden food for centuries, so what's their secret? Eat like the Chinese. We eat with chopsticks and we don't really have portion control. An average meal is a bowl of rice and bit pieces of whatever you pick from the plate. And we also eat lots of vegetable.

Who eats the entire plate of General Tso's chicken? Only in America.

[angstlessk]

2. There aint nothing in the universe better to the pallate than General Tso's

Chicken, period. Sorry, aint gonna change MY taste buds!

[Doremus]

8. So sorry to disappoint. Peanut chicken flies rings around General Tso. :)

[tridim]

15. All Chinese food rocks.. Except when the main ingredient has tentacles.

I've found General Tso's varies a lot from place to place. Some places make it dreamy, some screw it up badly by overcooking it or not seasoning the batter properly or (horrors) using breast meat instead of the far superior thigh meat.

[TommyO]

31. Great Wall (what an original name)

down by my Mom's house in Bayville, NJ has incredible General Tso's Chicken, Beef, and Shrimp. We ordered one of each this past weekend and shared like crazy.

[MGD]

38. The chicken nuggets made by frying the chicken in a soy sauce/egg/corn starch batter

are excellent all by themselves. Stir frying the nuggets seems to be pretty important and the inclusion of sherry in the sauce kicks it up a notch or two as well IMO. The addition of the dried peppers at the end is absolutely critical though. General Tso's Chicken needs to be spicy.

[Tempest]

22. Orange chicken beats them both

Mmmm... I know what I'm having for lunch.

[angstlessk]

23. I do not like crunchies in my soft food....I like peanuts...but while

eating peanuts..not chicken..I do not like peanuts in my ice cream either!

[MadHound]

56. Hate to tell you this, but peanut chicken isn't Chinese

It was invented in Springfield Missouri about sixty years or so ago:shrug:

[tridim]

61. Who invented it?

100 bucks says it was a Chinese immigrant. That makes it officially authentic Chinese food.

[MurrayDelph]

34. There are few things more enjoyable

than good Kung Pao Chicken.

Unfortunately, the same food Nazis who put out this report attacked that choice ten years ago.

[MGD]

35. I agree. I make General Tso's chicken frequently. Here's the recipe if you want to try.

General Tso’s Chicken
Sauce:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 cup refined sugar
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cup hot chicken broth
1 tablespoon MSG -- (optional)

Chicken:
3 pounds chicken*
1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 egg
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sliced green onions
16 small hot dried peppers
(add jalapeno peppers to taste for the brave)
* dark meat,deboned

Directions:
I divided recipe portions (above) to make it easier to pre-prepare.
To make Sauce: mix cornstarch and water together. Add garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and wine. Then add broth and MSG and stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until needed.
To Make the Chicken: In separate bowl, mix chicken, soy sauce and pepper. Stir in egg. Add cornstarch until chicken is coated evenly. Add oil to help separate chicken pieces. Divide chicken in small quantities and deep-fry @ 350 until crispy and light brown. (Do not overcook; watch temp, stir fry or meat will toughen). Drain on paper towels. Place a small amount of oil in wok and heat until just hot. Add onions and peppers and stir-fry briefly (peppers will give off acrid smoke. Be careful). Stir sauce; add to wok Add chicken and cook just until sauce thickens.
Add water or water/cornstarch if needed.
This recipe for General Tso's Chicken serves/makes 8

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/462/General_Tsos_Chicken14462.shtml

[Jazzgirl]

43. Goti it and saved!!!

I luv this dish!! I guess the issue is how much and how often. I believe we can eat anything but you have to eat in moderation. You don't eat until you get pushed out full or go on a marathon. Eat until you're comfortable and stop! I've got this recipe in my keepers!!

JG

[MGD]

44. It's really good. I swear.

Use a wok to make it if you can as it's much easier that way and also be sure to cook the combined sauce and chicken over med. high heat until it takes on its characteristic appearance. It looks nothing like what it's supposed to until the very last minute and then, voila, Gen. Tso's Chicken. Deboning the chicken is the biggest pain in the butt about this dish I have found. The good news is, Chicken leg quarters are cheap. Also, don't use "cooking" sherry, get a bottle that's fit for drinking as is. I use Fairbanks Cream Sherry which runs around $5 for 750 ml. I wouldn't drink it unless I was desperate to get drunk but it is fit for consumption as is. enjoy.

[drm604]

52. No Broccolli?

I don't believe I've ever seen it without broccoli.

[MGD]

69. I see it w/ Broccoli infrequently actually. Most recipees don't include it but they probably should

I'll sometimes throw in some fresh snow peas just to kind of keep it healthy as It has very little in the way of healthy redeeming qualities otherwise.

[drm604]

75. Maybe it's a regional thing.

Here in the Philly area I've never seen it without. I assumed it was part of the definition of General Tso's Chicken.

[architect359]

58. Recipe looks good

Thanks! I'm going to "attempt" to create this. Oh - thanks for the Sherry tip too. :thumbsup:

[MGD]

70. It is. It came from one of the better Chinese restaurants in Columbus Ohio IIRC.

Here's another good one that's just as good but a whole lot easier:
Teriyaki Chicken
This easy recipe for chicken teriyaki contains sherry, ginger and brown sugar. Chicken breasts make this teriyaki recipe fast and easy, while sherry, garlic and ginger add a kick.
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 C. soy sauce
• 1/4 C. brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 T. ginger
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 2 T. sherry
• 2 lbs. deboned chicken breast
Note: A few dried red peppers and a jalapeno pepper or two pressed through a garlic press and included in the marinade mixture make this chicken much better than the original recipe. A teaspoon or two of ground white pepper is also a tasty inclusion.

PREPARATION: Mix all your ingredients in a large bowl, add the chicken and chill for 4 hours. Skewer the chicken pieces on wooden skewers that have soaked in water for about a half hour or so. Take a shallow baking pan and place the chicken and liquid in it. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for about an hour and chicken is done.
http://huntsville.about.com/od/main/r/chickenteriyaki.htm

[tridim]

3. Calories are good, sodium isn't bad unless you have hypertension

If you're worried about fat, don't order a batter fried dish. If you want to get nutrients from your rice, find a place that has brown rice. Easy.

This article is crap IMO.

[On the Road]

37. That Was My Thought, Too

Not everyone has high blood pressure and needs to reduce salt. The Chinese eat a lot of salt.

Same with calories. Chinese laborers as a rule work extremely hard and eat a lot -- but they need to. Too many calories is more an American problem. It does not indicate unhealthy food.

Also, Chinese always share dishes, leave food on the table and take home leftovers. Assuming the entire meal will be eaten by one person is an American assumption.

The reason I don't order General Tso's is because it's deep fried and most likely has transfat. But that's true of almost all restaurant fried foods.

[Ninja Jordan]

4. Why are asian people so thin?

It's an interesting question, given the unhealthy nature of these foods.

[tridim]

6. Because the article is BS.

And also because they drink lots of green tea.

[twiceshy]

24. Why is what I eat...

Anyone's f'in business but my own. This is a slippery slope started with the "war" on tabacco.

[mainer]

11. portion control. It's the secret to thinness.

The French know this too.

[diamidue]

14. Th article is about Chinese "restaurant" food in the USA.

I doubt it bears little resemblance to the food people in China actually eat on a day to day basis.

[Ninja Jordan]

16. Probably right...

I doubt the average Chinese family is eating General Tsao's beloved chicken every night.

[Bridget Burke]

19. Traditionally, high calorie dishes are "garnishes" for rice....

Or noodles, in some parts of China.

During the anti-carb "scare"--I remember a Vietnamese doctor who'd eat at the same cafeteria. He would have one serving of the "main" course & two servings of rice. There was no fat on him, at all.

[EFerrari]

73. Does that mean I can eat noodles again?

lol

God, these food threads make me HUNGRY.

[tridim]

18. Yea, they use whatever fat they can find..

Including lard.

It's very simple, most Americans eat about 2 times more food than they need. The Chinese (and most of the rest of the world) don't have that option.

[ckramer]

33. It probably due to the gene

Most Asians are thin.

[Big Pappa]

48. Because

they don't stuff their asses like we do. It's called moderation.

[fishwax]

51. because american chinese food (like general tso's chicken) is much different from what asians eat

most of chinese restaurant food in the states has been modified for western tastes. General Tso's Chicken is a Western/Chinese dish, not a Chinese Dish.

[tridim]

60. American Chinese food was originally developed by Chinese immigrants in CA..

using local ingredients for consumption by other Chinese immigrants. Americans started eating it because it was tasty and cheap. It's still close enough to the original that it's a stretch saying it's a different cuisine, it's just modified to fit regional tastes using local ingredients. IMO that still fits the spirit of Asian cuisine.

[fishwax]

64. and New York as well

and not always developed for consumption by other immigrants, but developed to appeal to locals as well. I've never actually been to China, but as I understand it, many of the dishes we have here are either unknown in mainland China (like General Tso's Chicken), are prepared quite differently there (like Orange Chicken), or are recognized there as "Western Chinese" (like American Chop Suey).

I don't say that to denigrate American Chinese food--I love it. (Had an outstanding order of Orange Chicken last night, in fact.) But if Asians ate the sort of Chinese Food one gets at the restaurant down the street on a daily basis, they would not be, as the poster I was responding to said, "so thin," because it's a different style of food--if for no other reason than that dishes here generally include much more meat than they would in traditional chinese cooking.

[saigon68]

5. Getting Larger

http://www.radiancemagazine.com/marketplace/pladiesb.htm

[Botany]

7. So Deep Fried Duck is bad for you?

:rofl:

[tridim]

12. Is that MuShu pork? Mmmmmm...

That's my fave, with lots of hoisin sauce of course!

[Skarbrowe]

10. Out the door to pick up some Chinese food for dinner.

I've been craving it for days. Health? Who needs it. Half-kidding.

[Bridget Burke]

17. This is the same group that said Tex Mex can be fattening.

Duh...

Any sane adult should check food ingredients & exercise portion control. Taking leftovers home? Most of us already knew about that.

Who eats General Tso's chicken every day?

[hedgehog]

20. Mrs. Tso?

[tridim]

21. Ba-dum Bump..

:rofl:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

25. If we remember back a'ways...

And I do, CSPI was the bunch of geniuses that told us, way back when, that butter was JUST TERRIBLE(!) for you and if you must eat something like that, eat Margarine.

Now, we all know how THAT turned out, don't we?

Frankly, they should do an audit for the number of vegans on staff. Just like the Atkins Diet, which underwent so many attacks, only to have it found that yes, it is the most effective diet out there. The people mounting the attacks, behind a wall of "scientific objectivity" were vegans.

Nothing wrong with vegans, or the diet. It is a personal choice I support. On the other hand, there was a clear and unspoken agenda that went beyond healthy eating and scientific objectivity.

They should also be checked for what corporations fund them and why.

[sakabatou]

26. Another reason why I eat veggetarian when I go out

[Phoonzang]

27. Gee....Chinese food (American) is bad?

Really? I would have never thought that... :eyes: Is it just me or have there been a lot of studies in the last couple of months telling people what they already know? Maybe they can come out with a study that says the sky is blue.

Of course it's bad for you. It tastes good. Everything that tastes really, really good is bad for you. Of course there are healthy things that taste good but they're never quite as fulfilling as a horribly unhealthy meal.

Whatever. I'm still going to eat General Tso Chicken when I'm in the mood. Moderation is the key.

[Learn2Swim]

29. This topic is making me...

HUNGRY!!!!1

mmmmmmhhh... twice cooked pork... some dumplings... and a spring roll.


*Drool* :9

[tridim]

49. And some pot stickers!

If I had some wonton skins I'd make some right now. Hmmm, the store is only a mile away.

[theaudacity]

30. When cannibals eat Chinese people... are they hungry half an hour later?

[David__77]

46. Insert drum riff...

Badda-bing!

[OutNow]

32. That's American Chinese Food, not China's Food

I've spent a bit of time in Asia. The typical dish you are served in an American Chinese restaurant has more meat, and especially more fried stuff than any meal I've had in any restaurant in China. 3 or 4 times more. Meals in tourist restaurants in Hong Kong can resemble that found in America, but is about 1/2 as much. I have never had the opportunity to eat dinner in a typical home in China, but my guess is that it would be smaller and healthier than restaurant food.

Yup I'm overweight too and I love Peking Duck the way it is served in Hong Kong.

[David__77]

45. Oh for fuck sake...

If people weren't so piggy then they would portion their food better and maybe SHARE an entree, as is the goddamn custon with Chinese food!

[SoCalDem]

50. Did people forget HOW to eat Chinese food?

Four people go.. Each orders a different entree..they order extra white rice.. everyopne shares, and the rest goes home for a few more meals..

Sheez..louise..
it ain't rocket science (hold the diaper)

[Hekate]

54. And that's the truth. nt

[Hekate]

53. This is so different from the Chinese food I grew up with in Hawaii

I used to like Chinese food. When I was a student my favorite was soft gau gee min at McCully Chop Suey, but really you could get pretty good stuff at almost any hole in the wall there.

Some of it was oily and noodles were abundant, but I just don't remember much crispy fried stuff beyond the won ton, and corn starch was probably in it but nothing like the quantities that are in the average soup here. The so-called orange chicken on the current menus is breaded, heavily sweetened with some kind of syrup (probably corn syrup), and fried. Add MSG to that and no wonder it's bad for you.

What has happened to "Chinese" food in the US is the same thing that has happened to restaurant food in general -- quantity, grease, salt, starch, and sugar/corn syrup.

Hekate

[tridim]

59. I disagree somewhat..

There is certainly some bad Chinese food in America, but it's not ~all~ bad.

Whenever I move I spend a few weeks finding the good and bad places. It usually comes out to about 5% excellent, 15% good 80% bad.

And BTW, MSG isn't bad for you unless you eat about 50 pounds of it. I believe the "MSG syndrome" is a placebo effect based on hysteria and fear of MSG as defined by the media over the past 30 years. It's the same deal with salt. MSG really does make food taste much better but it's also rare to find Chinese restaurants that use it, which is a shame.

Edit: Re the MSG syndrome. My Mom has always complained about MSG headaches after eating Chinese food. I decided to check the menu and it clearly stated "We Don't Use MSG". No doubt it's a placebo effect, at least in her case.

[Hekate]

63. Some of it's the town I live in now, some of it's nostalgia no doubt

I love where I've settled on the Central Coast, but...for 25 years every time some co-worker would rave about the great food at wherever it would turn out that the clear soup would be gelatinous with corn starch, among other sins.

Recently we my hubs and I found a small family run place that's pretty good if you avoid things like orange chicken.

If I were to drive a hundred miles to Los Angeles, there would be absolutely superior Chinese food, but I don't. Like I said, some of my attitude is no doubt nostalgia for the olden days ;-)

Hekate

[mainer]

67. yeah, McCully Chop Suey!

Great noodles there. As for the deep fried stuff, it seems as if only haole (white) Americans order it. I've never seen a Chinese person order egg rolls. They'd much rather go for the crab legs in black bean sauce.

[Hekate]

68. Hi! How nice someone else here knows that place!

I used to live just down the street....

:hi!

Hekate

[shatter]

55. something missing

i think there's a cultural dimension that is not being talked about. if u visit a chinese restaurant that's frequented by non-chinese people, the food served there is pretty different from a restaurant that's visited by only chinese people.

[MadHound]

57. As if the entire fast food industry, along with most chain sit downs aren't

Please, Chinese is no worse than anything you get from Golden Corral, Applebee's, MickieD's etc. etc. ad nauseum. Abnormally large proportions have a lot to do with this. Yes, most Chinese dishes are meant to feed two. And frankly, so are those Thick burgers with three burgers, cheese, and bacon.

And frankly, what passes for Chinese in this country really isn't. It's been modified for generations now to fit American pallettes.

[rucky]

66. I think they're picking an easier target

the family-owned restaurants.

[Ken Burch]

65. There are ways to minimize this...

1)Order dishes that don't involve batter-frying. Stick to the stir-fries and the dishes that are steamed, rather than Sweet 'n Sour Pork, Almond Chicken, etc.
2)Get chicken and seafood dishes rather than beef and pork
3)Get a vegetable dish along with the meat dish(or go veggie, but I haven't quite made it there yet myself so I can't really call for other to do it)which lets you fill up on greens rather than meats.
4)Don't order THE #$%@ fried rice!


And really, you are better off finding the newer Chinese places that serve more traditional Chinese dishes rather than "1950's U.S. Chinese Food"-type places.
I know that stuff is comfort food for a lot of folks(me included)but it's also the stuff that is most likely to freakin' kill you.

(Also, there are worse "Chinese food" scenes in other countries. When I was in Ireland and the UK this spring, I went into a couple of Chinese restaurants and was offered my choice of rice or CHIPS(fries)with my meal! I guess they wanted to make sure that nobody's arteries were unhardened when the left the place.)

[TexasLawyer]

71. This whole thread

is making me seriously hungry for Chinese food-- General Tso's in particular.

As they say in marketing-- any publicity is good publicity!

[slampoet]

72. Spanish, Cajun, Diner, Pizza, Portugese, Canadian, German, Polish, BBQ,

Brazilian BBQ, Mongolian style, Japanese Steakhouse, and Deli are all bad for you but somehow we see repeated studies of Chinese food and that one about movie popcorn.


Why is that?

[Megahurtz]

74. Oh No Not The Food Police Again.

:eyes:

People have the responsibility to take responsibility to Police their own eating habits.
That's all there is to it.

And on Edit, Salt is not the problem. Salt is good for you.
Added SUGAR or SUGARS are the problem.