How Does Chinese Food Evolve in America?

American Chinese food has its own unique taste compared to the traditional food introduced by China in the United States. Younger generations would rather prefer the so-called hip Chinese food than the usual offering.

Food historian Andrew Coe told The Atlantic that this has become a trend especially for teenagers. "I'm particularly thinking of places here in New York, like a chain called Xi'an Famous Foods, which is kind of like Chinese fast food, but they're not serving chop suey," he explained. Coe said that these restaurants serve spicy noodle dishes and spicy burgers.

He claimed that the impact is mostly felt among Chinese students who are now living in big cities in the United States like Los Angeles and New York. "In these places, [they serve] food for Mandarin speakers-meaning food tastier for those from central and northern China, with lamb instead of fish and chicken that is a lot spicier than Cantonese food," Coe said.

The food expert also mentioned that the boom of Chinese food in the United States began during the time of President Lyndon Johnson when Chinese immigration was opened in the country. He said that people from various parts in China like Beijing, Taiwan and Hunan introduced to the US various types of American food.

However, he noted that the food culture changed throughout the years. This can be especially attributed to the hipsters of the 1920s.

Thrillist noted that the Chinese, over time, learned how to cook a variety of Chinese food which were appetizing for the Americans. It was then followed by the fusion of both cultures into the food flavors.

The same report noted that this change started with the mixture of American-signature sauces, which are known to be extra sweet, in Chinese food. Then came the introduction of the still-famous folded paper boxes for Chinese food which were perfect for takeaway food like choosey and Mongolian beef.

Coe said these influences has definitely made Chinese food in the US "hip." "Particularly, ethnic food is hip. I think a couple reasons for that are, people are traveling a lot more, and people are going to other countries to work and study and coming back with new ideas of food and tastes," he added.