{"id":130,"date":"2021-03-25T07:10:30","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T12:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/?p=130"},"modified":"2021-03-25T07:10:30","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T12:10:30","slug":"searching-for-general-tso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/2021\/03\/25\/searching-for-general-tso\/","title":{"rendered":"Searching for General Tso"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_234\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-234\" style=\"width: 204px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-234\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/The_Search_for_General_Tso_poster-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/The_Search_for_General_Tso_poster-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/The_Search_for_General_Tso_poster.jpg 259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Wikipedia, 2014)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The Search\u00a0<\/em><em style=\"font-size: 1.8rem\">for General Tso\u00a0<\/em><span style=\"font-size: 1.8rem\">is a documentary film that dives into how Chinese cuisine has adapted to American culture in order for the culture to survive in a hostile environment.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The film touches on how Americans do not seek authenticity but instead want a window into the culture while staying within their comfort zone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Aim and Key Messages<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The main goal of this documentary is to demonstrate the cultural change of the Chinese Identity in the US. It dives into the historical and cultural context of Americanized, Chinese cuisine and what that says about the cultural standards of the US and the perseverance of the Chinese people who immigrated to the US.\u00a0 The overall message of\u00a0<em>The Search for General Tso\u00a0<\/em>is the search for Chinese identity in the US and the steps that brought us here<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The purpose of the film is to demonstrate that authenticity is being less and less valued in the US.\u00a0<em>The Search for General Tso\u00a0<\/em>touches on how Chinese culture slowly became embedded in American culture.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Ideologies<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The Search for General Tso&#8217;s Chicken <\/em>touches on the importance of identity and the history that defines a culture. Emphasis how adaptation has allowed the Chinese culture to survive and become an integral part of the American lifestyle.\u00a0 When Chinese immigrants first arrived in California, they were faced with extreme prejudices and laws that made life for them unbearable.\u00a0 The film describes their struggles and their migration east into other states. According to the film, their style of cuisine is what opened the door for the American people to start to accept them.<\/li>\n<li>This film takes us through many interviews with Chinese Americans who have adapted to a new way of life. One of these interviews is between the movie producers and the Leong family. The father, David Leong, is the owner of Leong&#8217;s Asian Diner, a restaurant located in Springfield Missouri. David tells a story of the hardships he faced after buying his restaurant. The citizens of Springfield rioted and vandalized the restaurant and things escalated to a bombing of the restaurant. David claims that the only way he was accepted into this community was after they tasted his cooking. David also claims that he made Cashew chicken. His son, Wing Wah Leong makes this statement:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>&#8220;Springfield cashew chicken is not traditional Chinese food, it&#8217;s something that&#8217;s Americanized and one thing that most of the immigrants from China have learned to adapt.&#8221; (33:32).<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The Search for General Tso\u00a0<\/em>demonstrates the adaptability of the Chinese people and their perseverance that allowed them to live and thrive in the United States.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Key Storylines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>The Search for General Tso\u00a0<\/em>travelers go from New York, to China, then back to the US. Through this journey, we meet many different people who bring relevant information to the formation of Americanized Chinese food and more specifically, General Tso&#8217;s Chicken. The film starts with a Chinese woman preparing a plate of General Tso&#8217;s Chicken, in order to make it more appealing for a photoshoot. She takes oil and water to make the dish seem warm and delicious. We then go to a New Yorker,\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harry Spiller,<\/span> who has been collecting all things Chinese restaurant memorabilia. His collection includes chopsticks, magnets, and most importantly, menus. The interview of\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Harry Spiller<\/span> is key in understanding the extent to which Chinese culture has embedded itself into the US.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMenus are like mystery books, you know, they answer a lot of questions and they\u2019re a lot of fun to read but, they end up asking more questions.\u201d (5:47)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">The film continues to show many different people with varying inputs on the creating of General Tso&#8217;s Chicken, as well as Chinese cuisine abroad.\u00a0 We meet a family that moved to a small town in Louisiana when they were very young, who has created a Chinese restaurant called, Trey Yuen Cuisine of China. However, this restaurant has adapted to the taste of its consumers. While interviewing the head chef and part-owner, Frank Wong, we learn that they have adapted their menu to what the locals want to eat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><em>&#8220;Wherever you go, you know, you not cook for yourself, you gotta cook for what the local people like.&#8221; (34:49).<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Some of their dishes include, &#8220;Louisiana, Chinese gumbo, and Szechuan alligator. The film demonstrates how Chines restaurants have adapted to the taste of the local society.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Towards the end of the film, we meet Mr. Wang, an owner of several successful restaurants in New York, who explains the origins of the General&#8217;s Chicken. Mr. Wang claims that he was the first to invent the dish in New York, but he confuses that the idea came from a Taiwanese chef, named, Mr. C.K. Peng. Through these interviews, we learn that the American receipt is highly varied from the original. As Mr. Peng is being interviewed, he l<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ooks at pictures of the \u2018modified\u2019 General Tso\u2019s Chicken, he states that\u00a0<em> \u201cIt&#8217;s the name, but it&#8217;s not the dish&#8230;These pictures don\u2019t make me feel good&#8230; There\u2019s a lot of Americans\u2019 who can\u2019t respect or understand authentic Chinese dishes&#8230;This is crazy nonsense.&#8221; (59:48).<\/em> Mr. Peng&#8217;s quote is crucial in understanding how Chinese cuisine has been altered from its original form.\u00a0These storylines help demonstrate Chinese cuisine through the American lens.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Linkage\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In class, we have talked about how food can be materialistic as well as symbolic. We can see through this documentary that Chinese food allowed Chinese Immigrants to live and thrive in the U.S. Chinese food represents how Chinese immigrants were able to adapt to the American culture, which at the time, was very prejudiced and hateful towards the Chinese.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The film can also relate to foodways, and how the Chinese-Americans changed their them in order to keep up with American tastes. It also dived into the first Chinese immigrants who arrived in the US are were forced to alter their customs and traditions, which plays a huge role in Chinese culture in America. The majority of dished found in Chinese restaurants, in the United States, are hybrids, or simply just American creations of traditional Chinese foods. In the film, the products walk the streets of Shanghai, showing locals a picture of General Tso&#8217;s Chicken and none of them recognized the dish. One woman even thinks that the chicken in the photo is actually frog.<em> &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t look like chicken. It looks like frog.&#8221; ( 8:51) <\/em>she says<em>.<\/em> This quote demonstrates how much American-Chinese cuisine has changed from the original, authentic cuisine, to a point where it is no longer recognizable to local Chinese people. All of which plays into foodways and what Americans consider Chinese food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_272\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-272\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-272\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/General_Tsos_Chicken-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/General_Tsos_Chicken-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/General_Tsos_Chicken-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/General_Tsos_Chicken-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/General_Tsos_Chicken.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Wikimedia, 2014)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Opinion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Shae:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This documentary, in my opinion, has nothing wrong with it, no weaknesses. It has a timeline with labels that it goes through when the setting is changed or a different time period has come, and it is very well thought out and organized. When there are breaks in the film, it shows the places and years of which they \u2018visited\u2019 and gives all kinds of information about China, Chinese culture, and food from many different countries, restaurant owners, factory workers (as those who make the fortune cookies and the \u2018thank you\u2019 to-go paper containers), and more. The film introduces people, such as Guinness World Record holder Harley Spiller &amp; executive director of the Chinese Historical Society Sue Lee, and their restaurants, such as Sing High Chop Suey House and owner Harlan Lee, and even gets an interview with the man who created General Tso\u2019s Chicken C.K. Peng, his son Chuck Peng, and a 5th generation Grandson of General Tso himself Liang Xiao Jin. The film goes back and forth through not just these few people, but many others, and has you (the viewer) go on these crazy and wonderful journeys with the producers and excursionists.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The documentary also includes footage and commentary on Former President Nixon\u2019s visit to China in 1972. Nixon drank a type of liquor, Maotia, what we would call 120 proof, with the Chinese people, ate with them, and had all of America watch live. They interviewed one woman and her husband in particular, Cecilia and Philip Chiang, on what life was like for them when they came to America in the 1950\u2019s and how Nixon\u2019s visit changed their business. When asked what the Chinese food was like once they arrived, Cecilia responded with,<em> \u201cit just taste so &#8212; pretty bad.\u201d<\/em> After that, and once the story of Nixon visiting China was told, Cecilia said right after that people would come into The Mandarin (her restaurant) and asked <em>\u201ccan you duplicate Nixon\u2019s diner?\u201d<\/em> Then suddenly all these Chinese restaurants had people lined up outside their doors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This documentary has so many incredible storylines and experiences. It felt as if you were there when everything was going on. It seemed a bit boring at first, but as it went on and as I got to experience the emotions I did in this film, I became intrigued and overall, this is a fantastic film.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_273\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-273\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/800px-Nixon_and_Zhou_toast-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/800px-Nixon_and_Zhou_toast-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/800px-Nixon_and_Zhou_toast-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/800px-Nixon_and_Zhou_toast-454x300.jpg 454w, https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/178\/2021\/03\/800px-Nixon_and_Zhou_toast.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-273\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Wikimedia, 1972)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Jacob:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I found the film to be very informative and interesting. The director blended comedic elements as well as relevant information in order to keep the audience entertained, while also informing them on a topic that I\u2019m sure most people don\u2019t think about. It was very in-depth and brought up interesting concepts and ideas surrounding Chinese heritage and identity. The documentary also demonstrated how things are altered through the years in order to stay relevant. The film also made me somewhat uncomfortable, it is never pleasant to realize that you feed into a culture that suppresses the authenticity of another. The film was able to dive into the broader social issues that surround Chinese food in the US.\u00a0 However, I did find at some points that I was lacking interest in certain aspects of the film. There is a scene that talked about the invention of Cashew Chicken, and I found myself asking whether this was relevant to the top of General Tso\u2019s chicken. Similarly, I thought that the storylines ran together and didn\u2019t focus on the dish for which the film is named. However, overall I thought the film is important and relevant in today\u2019s society.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wikipedia (2014). [The Search for General Tso]<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Retrieved April 20, 2014 from\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Search_for_General_Tso\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Search_for_General_Tso<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wikimedia (2014). [General Tso&#8217;s Chicken]<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Retrieved May 31, 2014 from<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:General_Tso%27s_Chicken.JPG#\/media\/File:General_Tso's_Chicken.JPG\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:General_Tso%27s_Chicken.JPG#\/media\/File:General_Tso&#8217;s_Chicken.JPG<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wikimedia (1972). [US President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai Toast]<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Retrieved (from the film) February 25, 1972\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 from\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Nixon_and_Zhou_toast.jpg#\/media\/File:Nixon_and_Zhou_toast.jpg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Nixon_and_Zhou_toast.jpg#\/media\/File:Nixon<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Nixon_and_Zhou_toast.jpg#\/media\/File:Nixon_and_Zhou_toast.jpg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">_and_Zhou_toast.jpg<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jennifer 8., Lee. &amp; Amanda, Murray. (Producers), &amp; Ian, Cheney. (Director). (2014). <em>The Search for General Tso<\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0[Motion\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Picture]. United States: Wicked Delicate Films .<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The Search\u00a0for General Tso\u00a0is a documentary film that dives into how Chinese cuisine has adapted to American culture in order for the culture to survive in a hostile environment.\u00a0The film touches on how Americans do not seek authenticity but instead want a window into the culture while staying within their comfort zone. &nbsp; &nbsp;&#8230; <\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/2021\/03\/25\/searching-for-general-tso\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2088,"featured_media":166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[50,39,2,45,44,49,48,36],"class_list":["post-130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chef-peng-chef-wang","tag-culture","tag-documentary-review","tag-food","tag-foodways","tag-general-tsos-home-hometown-family","tag-nixon-in-china","tag-racism"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2088"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":276,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130\/revisions\/276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/2021springnutr200\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}