The Story Behind American Chinese Restaurants
If you've ever been to a Chinese restaurant in the US, you might have noticed something odd.
Sometimes the food there is quite different from the food you find in China or Taiwan.
The reason dates back to 1882.
That year, a law was passed that made it difficult for Chinese people to go to the US.
However, there was an exception.
Chinese-American business owners were permitted to bring workers back with them when they visited China.
In 1915, restaurants were added to the list of businesses covered by this rule.
Suddenly, the number of Chinese workers coming to the US shot up, and the number of Chinese restaurants, too.
The food served in these restaurants was mostly influenced by southern Chinese cuisines, especially food from Guangdong.
However, it ended up looking very different from its original form. 這些食物最終和他們原本的樣貌天差地遠
Today, Chinese-American food is a favorite choice of meal in the US.
It's often associated with the classic "Chinese takeout" container.
Though this box isn't used in China, it has become a symbol of Chinese food in Western countries.
exception（n.）例外
cuisine （n.）菜
container（n.）容器
The Story Behind American Chinese Restaurants
Much of the food served by Chinese-American restaurants was created in the US, not China.
For example, a popular menu item is General Tso's chicken.
This dish is made by chopping up chicken into pieces and then breading and frying them. 這道菜是將雞肉切成塊再裹粉油炸
The fried chicken is then coated in a thick sauce that's both sweet and spicy. 然後再將炸好的雞肉蓋上一層又甜又辣的濃厚醬汁。
It's sometimes said to have gotten its name from a Qing-era general, Zuo Zongtang. 有些人說這道菜說是命名自清朝的將軍左宗棠，
The dish was created a long time after his death, however, so he couldn't have had anything to do with it.
Chop suey炒雜碎，什錦雜炒is another famous dish.
This mix of various ingredients is believed to have come from za sui, a dish from Guangdong.
It's also said that a chef invented it when he combined leftovers for customers at closing time.
Whichever story is true, though, we don't know.
Of course, it would be a crime not to mention fortune cookies.
These are served after a meal at almost every Chinese restaurant in the US.
They have a small strip of paper inside them, on which a prediction about the future is printed.
era（n.）時代
Qing-era清代
chef（n.）主廚
prediction（n.）預測;預言
