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Western Chinese Take-Out?

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  1. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by bookblogger:
    They used to give you a Chinese burn if you asked for one.
    U mean a firehole? I thought all curry does that, no?
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  2. #32

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    You had to ask for it using Chinese whispers.


  3. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by BenderBends:
    Well... You certainly see more Beijing, Sichuan, Taiwan, and Shanghai Chinese resteraunts worldwide compared to HK style resteraunts.
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    Yes. Real Cantonese food is considered the hardest to master, while the others are more accessible. It's also less likely to entice Western palates, because delicate flavors are wasted on them (sorta like music aficionados who hear things in music that others do not). In Cantonese cooking, you are supposed to be able to taste the flavor of each of the main ingredients, rather than having a sauce overwhelm and make everything in the dish taste the same. So if you cook a fish, the delicacy of the fish is supposed to carry the dish, unlike eating fish and having tartar sauce be the loudest note.

  4. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Herngju:
    Yes. Real Cantonese food is considered the hardest to master, while the others are more accessible. It's also less likely to entice Western palates, because delicate flavors are wasted on them (sorta like music aficionados who hear things in music that others do not). In Cantonese cooking, you are supposed to be able to taste the flavor of each of the main ingredients, rather than having a sauce overwhelm and make everything in the dish taste the same. So if you cook a fish, the delicacy of the fish is supposed to carry the dish, unlike eating fish and having tartar sauce be the loudest note.
    are you serious?
    ive never once had HK food like this in the past 5 years ive been here. Can you name a HK restaurant who has "mastered" this skill?

    ive heard of a myth that HK food is so difficult to master, and so locals stop trying to cook since it was too difficult, which is why food here is so bad. Are you just buying into this myth?
    Last edited by BenderBends; 12-08-2010 at 06:48 PM.

  5. #35

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    "It's also less likely to entice Western palates, because delicate flavors are wasted on them"

    Oh I love that. We get many stupid comments on here every day but that is a jem.


  6. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by BenderBends:
    are you serious?
    ive never once had HK food like this in the past 5 years ive been here. Can you name a HK restaurant who has "mastered" this skill?

    ive heard of a myth that HK food is so difficult to master, and so locals stop trying to cook since it was too difficult, which is why food here is so bad. Are you just buying into this myth?
    Like I said, I prefer the cruder stuff myself, so I'm not sure how I'd buy into it. I live in the U.S., so I wouldn't be a good person to get recommendations from. Whenever I'm in HK, my relatives take me to what they consider the best (they seem to be in flux, depending on how long they can keep their chefs). Most of it is wasted on me. I enjoy reading about food and cooking, but prefer to eat, and I just eat what tastes good to me. I pointed out what Cantonese food is aiming for, because I don't think it's what you're looking for, from the sound of it.

  7. #37

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    Yes, the "delicate flavours" of that oyster sauce and other dark brown gloop they drown stuff in

    MyCsPiTTa likes this.

  8. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by bookblogger:
    Yes, the "delicate flavours" of that oyster sauce and other dark brown gloop they drown stuff in
    Ditto that. I actually find other Chinese cuisines with a more minimalist cooking style lets the natural flavours marry together much better.
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  9. #39

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    In Cantonese cooking, you are supposed to be able to taste the flavor of each of the main ingredients
    So - a bit like a plate of pie and chips, a full english breakfast or a tin of spam and a loaf of Mothers Pride then?

    Brilliant.

  10. #40

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    No worries. There's lots of choice among Chinese food, for various preferences. I like the spicier stuff myself. This is a general breakdown of the different types of Chinese food:

    Chinese Cuisine - China Travel Guide