Every culture in Asia has its own unique preferences and traditions, and the flavors I and many others grew up with are now spreading across the States. To see the same flavors that have been with me throughout my entire life, even when I lived in China, was a huge comfort.
I remember coming across a small restaurant in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles with my cousins that I would have ignored in any other scenario, had I not been as voraciously hungry as I was. It was a nondescript shop with a sign that said “Shanghai Cuisine.” If you’ve been on the Chinese side of TikTok, you might have heard of the idea that if you enter a Chinese restaurant and hear shouting, see a kid working on homework on one of the tables, and feel a generally unpleasant atmosphere, then it is bound to be as authentic as you can get in the States. This restaurant checked all the boxes- and more.
I walked in. The particular aroma of dim sum and the sight of circular tables covered with yellowing table cloths greeted me. When I dug into my order, home has never felt closer.
But I also think it’s important to note that true “authenticity” isn’t about what the outside looks like. It’s about what you make it to be. I personally love myself some Americanized Chinese food, as appalling as that might sound. Long live orange chicken.