OT - a Netflix movie recommendation

[Nitwit]

I just finished a very entertaining and informative documentary onThe Search for General Tso. With his chicken being among the most ordered Chinese menu items the movie makers attempted to research the general and how the food came about. After course like many foods we see in Chinese restaurants in America, this dish was never prepared in China. It's a fun and informative movie about how Chinese people survived in America and spread their food across the county. After watching it, I'm going out for a Chinese tomorrow.
IMDb;
Filmmaker Ian Cheney explores the origin of a spicy-sweet chicken dish that is a popular item in many of America's Chinese restaurants.

Initial release: April 20, 2014

 

[LafayetteBear]

After watching it, I'm going out for a Chinese tomorrow.

Good thing, as I've heard that it doesn't stay with you.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Dr. Tso.

Don't you mean General Tso? BTW, I'll look for him while I'm over here...

 

[Nitwit]

Yes General Tso - in Hunan Province

 

[drpops]

Thanks. Always interested in good movie recommendations.

 

[tboyer]

Great stuff. The "Chinese Restaurant" menu was basically developed in San Francisco so it represents the taste of people living in San Fran 100 years ago as well as the ingredients available in California at the time. I.e. sugar was cheap so Chinese-American food is loaded with sugar. The only thing really Chinese was wok frying. It's hard to even characterize real Chinese food because it's really like 100 different regional cuisines. Northern Chinese food has about as much in common with southern Chinese food as English pub food has with French bistro food.

The same thing is true for Italian food. You think of pasta carbonara is a traditional Italian peasant dish, but it was actually developed during WWII because of the availability of cheap American bacon that the GIs got in their rations. And then after WWII, when GIs returned as tourists with their families, they asked for it, so the Italian restaurants that catered to tourists started putting it on their menus. And from there the Italians put their own stamp on it with guanciale and Parmagiano-Reggiano. But it's as much am American dish as it is Italian.

 

[Eurotrash1]

If you liked the TV show 24...I would recommend the movie "Brake" starring Stephen Dorff. I think it is probably the best "B" movie I've ever seen.