Born in Toronto during the 80s and growing up as a Canadian with parents who are originally from Hong Kong, I've been fortunate enough to have a family that is very open to experimenting and exploring food. Of course as a kid, the first thing that came to my mind was McDonald's (yes, yuck). Alas, if you had even mentioned rice up until about 5 years ago, I'd likely grimace -- but plain rice would be the essential base component for all of my meals with family at home.
Being frequently referred to as a typical Canadian-born Chinese, my sister and I would crave anything sweet and sour (pork, chicken, whatever...), devour fortune cookies, and cheered when the family would stop for burgers and fries.
Fast forward to 1999 and the millenium -- key university years. After living off dry cereal, Kraft Dinner and pretty much any type of food that was not Chinese, my disposition towards rice began to change. What surprised me the most while I attended university was that all my friends would all rave about Chinese food and when asked what they enjoyed most -- the answer would be simple: chicken balls and rice. To say the least, it bewildered me. I grew up with plenty of reminders from my parents that sweet and sour anything, let alone chicken balls, were not authentic Chinese food. The dish was created in North America, yet it was considered an ethnic "Chinese" dish, fascinating eh?
So you can imagine how happy I was to stumble across Jennifer 8. Lee's exploration into the origins of so-called Chinese food from not only North America but also from around different parts of the world. I'd encourage everyone to watch her talk as she really illustrates how food can cross boundaries, societies, and cultures -- and in the meanwhile, we can enjoy dishes that really are North American dishes popularized and served through Chinese restaurants.
This post repurposed by guest blogger Ehren Cheung from his original post on one little cog. We're delighted he shared Jennifer's video and his thoughts about it.
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