China's claim to Flame

authen-ci-tacious: the act of being authentic, extremely charming, and tasty.

The deep fried egg rolls and soy dense fried rice served in American-Chinese restaurants do authentic Chinese food no justice. During our stay in China, our travel guides escorted us to many restaurants boasting the “lazy Susan” dinner setting, with countless dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken, pepper pork, sugar snap peas, flavored sticky rice, and of course a cup of soup to start you off and end your meal. The “lazy Susan,” which is a circular rotating tray that sits atop a table, aids in the smooth distribution of the colorful dishes around tables that seat 8-10 people.

Authentic Chinese cuisine is fresh, it bursts with many different flavors, and each dish possess textures that blend perfectly to produce a taste-bud inducing thrill that makes you forget that food is about nutrition and not pure satisfaction.

o Crunchy vegetables,
o chewy clusters of meat,
o crisp nuts, creamy curds, and
o smooth sauces

are combined to create sensational dishes that trump your local take outs’ beef and broccoli combination platter any day. This is why it comes with great surprise that most Chinese dinner concoctions are healthy. For starters, the sweet and sour, general tso, and sesame sauces that Americans love over chicken pieces, are often tossed with fried mushrooms instead, in some authentic Chinese restaurants. Creams, butters, and cheeses are rarely used in preparing meals and other methods of cooking such as:

o braising,
o double boiling,
o poaching,
o sautéing,
o scalding,
o shallow frying,
o smoking, and
o blanching

produce many varieties of titillating dishes. The Chinese are not only good at preserving their health with delectable dishes, they are also conscious of their environment. The Chinese use chopsticks made out of bamboo instead of plastic utensils or forks or knives, which were anciently considered weapons. Though there has been some speculation as to how the production of chopsticks harms forestry in China, they are ubiquitous as ever with the people because bamboo products can be sanitized and reused!

fast food.
The purchasing power of the average Chinese consumer, market share for multinational food chains, and operating profits are all idioms that are constantly swished around in the conversation about the emergence of fast food restaurants in China. American chains such as McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut (owned by Yum Brands), Subway, Dairy Queen, and even Taco Bell have taken up residence in the large land mass, accounting for over $303 billion in 2009. The numbers are only expected to rise in the future.

While it is impressive that China is capitalizing and making tons of revenue off of their pre-mature fast food market, the importance of it all relies on how well these restaurants are run and of course the quality of the greasy goodness. The “golden arches” in China have vegetables such as corn and green beans on the menu and finger favorites such as crispy wings. Their McCafe are actual cafes poised in cozy corners of the establishment and amenities such as free WiFi are soon to follow; this alone allows them to reign supreme.

Other sources:
D’Altorio, T. (2011, Feburary 14). Fast-Food Culture Grows in China [web]. Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/article/252667-fast-food-culture-grows-in-china