Adventurous Diner

[Infidel]

Before I married a Chinese woman, I thought that the menu was the same for everyone. Then I learned about Dim Sum and the hidden back rooms. I learned to tell if Chinese food was authentic by looking at the customers. If the customers were all Chinese, then it's real Chinese food.

I've always prided myself on giving everything a try once, especially after this habit has brought me to appreciate many foods I would have never encountered otherwise. Unfortunatly, almost every authentic Chinese food I tried was awful. There were a few dishes I liked at dim sum, and I love moon cakes and some other stuff, but otherwise authentic Chinese food is pretty foul. Usually made with all the parts we throw away as a matter of course. I'm pretty sure the only reason the Chinese like it is because they grew up with their parents force feeding it to them.

While living at her parent's house, I got to eat wintermelon soup pretty often as part of dinner. It was pieces of winter melon boiled in a pot, with a bone. Umai....nai.

This video, in typical hyperbolic fashon addresses the wonders of the differences between the Chinese section and the everybody-else section of the Chinese menu.

[Nibble]

You probably hate it either because you know what it is, and you have been trained to think "Eww! You can't eat that!" or because you're simply too used to Western food. Given that you mentioned dim sum as some sort of secret not-for-foreigners Chinese food, I'm not sure if you've even had the "real" stuff -- your wife is probably reluctant to let you try it, given your low opinion of what you've had so far :p

[lomagu]

Chinese food isn't all the "throw away" parts. I've been to mainland China and Hong Kong and the food was excellent. I ate waay too much that week. There's a lot of different types of Chinese food. Just keep trying new things until you find something you like

[Infidel]

You probably hate it either because you know what it is, and you have been trained to think "Eww! You can't eat that!"

I already said I try everything. I say it tastes bad because it tastes bad. Not from, eww reflex.

Given that you mentioned dim sum as some sort of secret not-for-foreigners Chinese food,

I mention Dim Sum because most Chinese restaurants I've found that serve it, do not advertise they are even open during Dim Sum hours. In fact, They will have the closed Sign up even though Chinese people are going in and out. I'm sure there are some Chinese restaurants that publically serve Dim Sum, but they are exceptions. Usually, you have to almost bust heads to get a Waitress to admit they serve it.

I'm not sure if you've even had the "real" stuff -- your wife is probably reluctant to let you try it, given your low opinion of what you've had so far

China is a really big country and the food extremely diverse. But they weren't relunctant to let me try anything. I lived with her parents for about a year and got all the authentic cantonese food I can stand. Believe me, they didnt't hold back and what I had was typical. I ate what they made for themselves, they almost never made anything specifically for me.

Bone+water+wintermelon = extremely bland soup with an aftertaste that reminded me of how a doggie bone smells. In fact, nearly everything had a dog-food aftertaste, even when it was otherwise delicious.

I liked going to Dim Sum though. I tried every dish on the list at least once. Except the ones with eyes. My only unbreakable food rule: I won't touch food that looks back at me. I have a hard time eating meat with the bones still attached, but if I see a head, I don't eat it.

I also attended a Chinese wedding and had bird nest soup. Nasty stuff, I was expecting it to taste good considering how renouned and expensive it was. I had a hard time eating that day since most of the food was served whole. It was fish, looking back at me, Duck, looking back at me, Lobster, looking back at me.....

[Reno]

Is it bad that I like eating the fake Chinese food? I enjoy eating things like Babi Pangang and.......eh... Babi Pangang

[Nibble]

I lived with her parents for about a year and got all the authentic cantonese food I can stand.

Well, there's your problem: you're eating Cantonese food!

Actually, the only Cantonese food I've had is dim sum, so I can't comment; but the only thing I ever ate in mainland China and Taiwan that I didn't really care for was stinky tofu, and I tried just about everything that looked edible. There are certainly plenty of delicious, non-scary foods that Chinese people eat a lot. I don't think anyone can resist fresh-steamed pork baozi, for example.

Mmmm... baozi...