The Search for General Tso

As someone who loves authentic mainland Chinese cuisine and is consistently perplexed by the Chinese dishes here in USA I was delighted to see this film on the big screen at the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and was not in the least disappointed. The film delves into the history of how and why Americanized Chinese dishes and restaurants spread from San Francisco to the East Coast and also briefly delves into China's banquet culture and the history of the General himself. The only thing missing from this film for me was some kind of explanation of the extreme use of MSG in dishes such as General Tso's Chicken but hopefully the directors will take that subject and make a sequel! The style, pace and commentary were all great.

General Tso's Chicken is my favorite Chinese dish, and sadly, they don't have it here in the UK.

I watched this documentary out of curiosity to see where the dish came from. It turned out to be about a lot more than just the dish --- it's a history lesson about the origins of the Chinese community in America, wrapped in crispy fried goodness.

I knew there had been discrimination and racism against the Chinese in America in the early 1900s, but I didn't realize the extent of it.

It was interesting to learn how the Exclusion Act played a role in pushing Chinese immigrants into the restaurant business (and other traditionally Chinese-owned businesses). It was also interesting to see all the different variations of General Tso's Chicken, and I was surprised to find out that the original version didn't actually include broccoli.

The documentary really highlights the hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese-Americans. It shows how food became a bridge between Chinese and American cultures, ultimately leading to Chinese food becoming part of the very fabric of American culture.

I had the pleasure of reading Jennifer 8. Lee's "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" (http://fortunecookiechronicles.com/) several years ago and have patiently waited for some form of this delightful book to appear in film. "The Search for General Tso" presents a delicate balance of documentary intrigue, awkward food-geek humor, and mystery.

When I showed the trailer to the Chinese-American owner of my favorite local Chinese restaurant, she looked puzzled and said "Is this supposed to be funny? My customers love General Tso's chicken." That's pretty much the message of the film -- despite the American fascination and love of Chinese cuisine, there is still a great gulf of misunderstanding. Americans still wonder what is "real" Chinese food, and Chinese cooks stick to the tried and true recipes that have been popular for years and seems to please the American palate.

Perhaps a sequel can help close the gap? "The Search for Authentic Chinese Food in America."

Better read the Wikipedia page. It has all the information in a shorter form. As the whole documentary is about 5 minutes long. The rest is fluff. With relevant testimonies that are probably supposed to enhance the archaeological abilities of a lazy, yet greedy production team. The testimonies are as relevant as "I remember I've just got off the Grayhound and was attracted by the neon sign and surely I was eating chop su..." What? Yea, even the food reference is about something else! And what has the prejudice has anything to do with the food? Was it originally made with urine?

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

Who was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.

One of the first things viewers will notice are the pronunciation issues. Just as there are many spellings, there are also many pronunciations of Tso. The most common seems to be "so" or "sew", but "tau" and others come up, with no clear winner.

Although the core of this doc is tracking down who Tso was and what he has to do with chicken, there is a secondary message: one of Chinese assimilation to America, and how there have been hiccups over the years, particularly during the Korean War.