Chinese food news stories on Newser

Panda Express May Open in ... China

Matt Cantor — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 09:51:05 CDT

Panda Express is weighing an expansion to China—but it could be tough sell for the Chinese food chain, given that American-style Chinese food here is “very alien” in China, writer Jennifer 8. Lee tells NPR . Indeed, American-Chinese food is a cuisine all its own, she notes. Take General Tso’s...

Michelin-Starred Spot Sued for Serving Up Homophobia

Emily Rauhala — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 03:54:00 CDT

Dim Sum isn't the only thing on the menu at Yauatcha, a Michelin-starred restaurant in London. Managers and customers also serve up homophobic remarks and sexual harassment, a gay ex-waiter is charging. Vincent Ma, 31, is beginning legal proceedings against the Soho hot spot. He says he was constantly subjected...

Best Fortune Cookie Fortunes

Harry Kimball — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:35:01 CST

Fortune cookie fortunes can be insightful, obscure, and oftentimes both. Slashfood has compiled a list of the 10 best its editors have come across: "You are magnetic in your bearing." So, naturally, "The night life is for you." But remember to "Face facts with dignity." As "Good sense is the...

How General Tso's Came to America

Rob Quinn — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:05:00 CST

The Qing dynasty military leader General Tso never tasted the chicken dish that bears his name, Francis Lam finds in a journey into Chinese food history. Classically trained Hunan chef Peng Chang-kuei created the dish and named it after his province's hero after fleeing to Taiwan with the Nationalists in...

Live Fish Dinner on YouTube Sparks Uproar

Rob Quinn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:34:00 CST

Footage of Chinese diners tucking into a still-breathing fish has outraged animal rights groups. The video, which has attracted thousands of viewers on YouTube, shows the fish being picked apart with chopsticks as diners laugh and the fish gapes. It had been kept alive during cooking with a wet towel...

China Orders Chicken Killed By Snakes Off Menus

Harry Kimball — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:35:01 CDT

China is cracking down on restaurants that serve chicken killed by forced snake bite, Reuters reports. A recent Internet video of a chef urging a snake to repeatedly bite a bird inspired the move. “Snake-bite chicken” is popular in Guangdong and Chongqing provinces. “Not only is it cruel and blood-thirsty,...

Asian Appetites Threaten Florida Turtles

Rob Quinn — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:16:51 CST

Asia's insatiable appetite for turtles could be driving some US species to the brink of extinction, the Los Angeles Times reports. The region's newly affluent consumers are happy to shell out top dollar for the delicacy and with most native species already eaten, Florida's turtle exports are booming. Conservationists warn...

Olympians Fearful of Chinese Food Chemicals

Katherine Thompson — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:57:16 CDT

In addition to concerns about air quality in Beijing this August, many Olympic athletes are worried about contaminants and chemicals in the food, ABC News reports. With many of China's agricultural products boosted by growth stimulants, or steroids, or amped by antibiotics, athletes are particularly concerned that they might unwittingly...

Chinese Menus Retranslated for Olympics

Sam Biddle — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:05:12 CDT

The Chinese government is issuing a list of revised names for some of the country's more obliquely translated dishes in preparation for the wave of tourists the Beijing Olympics will draw this August, the New York Times reports. A disconcerting plate of “husband-and-wife lung slices” will be rechristened as a...