However, due to popularization of convenient neighborhood Chinese take-outs, most are led to believe that what it is, is just plain chow mein , or to give the regular American more credibility, General Tso's Chicken, Yat Gaw Mein, Moo Goo Gai Pan to name a few. However, that is far from the truth. Chinese food in New York, for the most part resemble authentic cuisine from the mainland. In fact in most parts of the world where a large ethnic Chinese group is present, the same is to be said. Taste rarely deviates, as food products are imported from China, with the exception of some fresh produce, seafood and meats.
Cuisine is definitely a big part of the people's culture.
It is only justice to inform a city with 10 million in population, whom growingly are getting more acquainted with choices of authentic ethnic eats. While I am very tempted to get into detail of China's agriculture and food habits in a historical and ethnographic perspective, this project has it's focus on the choices of authentic Chinese eats in New York. For those interested, here are the two works I found to be very informative. The Food of China . Yale University Press, c1988.