The Search for General Tso

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.

This amusing film centers around the question "Where did General Tso's chicken come from?" but the movie is more than that. It uses this relatively silly question to frame Chinese mass emigration to the United States starting with the 1849 Gold Rush in California. This is ground that other sorts of live performances, plays, and movies have covered but "The Search for General Tso" has a particular focus on Chinese restaurants as a major force in spreading the Chinese population in the US out from San Francisco during the 20th century using a series of vignettes shot at Chinese restaurants across the country in the most unlikely (Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona; Tucumcarrie, New Mexico; Springfield, Missouri) and likely (San Francisco, New York City) places. Apparently, there were 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the US to choose from.

The movie discusses the origins of what's perhaps the most popular Chinese dish in America, General Tso. This dish is the seed crystal for the movie's existence. General Tso did exist. He was a 19th century general in China's Hunan province. He never ate General Tso's chicken, which is a 20th century dish that didn't make it to China until it became popular elsewhere. Part of this movie's charm is the step-by-step investigation into the origin and evolution of this dish to suit national palettes.

I really enjoyed the light tone of this movie. It and the people interviewed in the movie don't take themselves too seriously. Everyone on screen is having fun and it shows. If the movie has one flaw, and the reason I marked it down from 10 stars, is that it seems to drag at points even with its short run time. But that should not stop you from seeing it. I heard about it on NBC News and quickly found it could be viewed on Amazon Prime for a few bucks. It's not likely to get a national run, so Amazon is a good distribution choice.

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."

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.

Awesome documentary and explores what might seem like a nothing topic in an enlightening and amusing way. Definitely worth the time!