前言

在美国，很多中国餐厅的菜单有在中国找不到的菜，像“杂碎、“左宗棠鸡，” “橘子鸡，” 和 “糖醋鸡”。虽然这些菜不地道，但是不管真假美式中餐成了最流行的菜。2015年 GrubHub 找到最流行的中国菜是左宗棠鸡、螃蟹仰光、橘子鸡和糖醋鸡。格外左宗棠鸡是第四个全面的最流行的菜 (“Data Reveals Most Popular Chinese Dish in America”)。有的人觉得美国中餐结合中国和美国的菜，所以说 “It started out as an immigrant cuisine more than 170 years ago, when people took their taste memories from home and tried to recreate them with limited ingredients. They adapted them to their new home. They bridged cultural divides by creating something that reflected their new dual lives” (“Chinese American Food Is Its Own Great Cuisine. Time to Love It That Way”)。可是，别的人说 “It casts a long shadow over other Chinese cuisines — allegedly tricking non-Chinese people into believing all Chinese food is this way. It’s a foreign cuisine, one we distance ourselves from, one we’d never claim proudly as our own. It’s food for non-Chinese people, not for us” (“Chinese American Food Is Its Own Great Cuisine. Time to Love It That Way”)。美国中餐继续发展了，所以人们想要是这道菜就是一个中国菜的提神。

美式中餐的历史

人们常常称美国是“叫机会之地”，所以很多人民从他们的国家到美国来。1800世纪的时候，加州淘金热拔了多中国人。他们带了衣服和别的东西，比如商店和餐厅。可是他们也带了他们的菜系，因为多人想念了中国菜 (“Chinese Food in America: A Very Brief History”)。在下个世纪，中国餐厅成了越来越流行。人们觉得 “the establishments’ cleanliness and professionalism” 以最好的或者最好的菜 (“Chinese Food in America: A Very Brief History”)。可是文化差异和餐厅的成功对中国人和别的人制造仇恨。所以有的人签署法律中国人不能工作和中国人不能到美国来工作。他们的坏联继续伤害中国人，因为别的人说他们是 “The Chinese evil” 也在他们的地图上写的一个 “sickening stench arising from thousands of such foul places in the very heart of our city would breed a plague in a week” (“Chinatown declared a nuisance!”)。

虽然中国人在美国有很多障碍，美式中餐还可以仍一个欢迎和流行的地方。有的有名的菜人们可以在中国找到了多甜，多炒，或者用别的陷。一个人说 “I like to think that they were doing exactly what millions of other immigrants to America before them did: taking what was available and incorporating other cultures and influences from their new home into what they put on the family table” (“Chinese American Food Is Its Own Great Cuisine. Time to Love It That Way”)。一个人在纽约公共图书券研究美式中餐的食品数据看到猜的趋势和猜的频率 (“A Concise History of Chinese Takeout”)。这些数据表明最流行的是鸡肉炒，杂碎和炒饭。可是在中国，人们都找不到这些菜。到 1900 年代中后期，人们多认识了中国菜，其中他认识的菜人们在中国也能找到。此外新的法律变了以前的移民办事的法律，所以很多中国人移民到美国来。这些新人民也带来了别的菜和厨师，谁可以做那些菜 (“150 Years of Chinese Food in America”)。在美国，今天有多四万五千中国餐厅或者美式中餐的餐厅。这个数字比美国的麦当劳, 汉堡王, 肯德基和温迪的总数多 (“A Concise History of Chinese Takeout”)。所以我么可以说，美式中餐从一个方面把中式和美式的美食文化融合在一起，另一方面中式美食养活很多淘金矿工企业养美国，造成人最喜欢的事物之一，再说是美国一个最受欢迎和流行的餐厅。

人们的接收

在考虑美国中餐的时候, 人们常常有一个积极的看法。有的人知道美国中餐的历史，所以说 “intimately aware of Chinese food’s long and complicated history in the United States, the owners and chefs behind this new crop of restaurants are proud of their Americanized offerings. With a more modern emphasis on branding, marketing and operations, they’re transforming what Chinese takeout can be” (“More Than 'Just Takeout'”)。虽然他们知道中餐和中国人在美国在历史上的障碍，这些人想要好好地改变美国中餐的写照。他们觉得菜可以把多文化和人们连在一起，不分人们的民族。一个作者叫 Jennifer Lee 说菜的历史的时候，写了 “The recipes that are American Chinese were created by people who were forced to cook for a living, and they developed a series of dishes that served the American palate” (“More Than 'Just Takeout'”)。找到谁真喜欢这些菜的时候，餐厅老板在一个新的环境可以分享他们的文化。

可是，有的人也批评美国中餐和中国人，所以她们说吃中餐时能得“中餐厅综合症”, 其中 “susceptible persons eating food and especially Chinese food heavily seasoned with monosodium glutamate,” 可是人们以后确证味精跟得中餐厅综合症”的人的症状一点关系都没有 (The Campaign to Redefine 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome'”)。中餐厅综合症引起有的人头疼了或者晕了美国中餐这样人们 “would not be “bloated and icky” the next day, or one where the food wasn’t “too oily” or salty” (“A White Restaurateur Advertised 'Clean' Chinese Food. Chinese-Americans Had Something to Say About It”)。虽热餐厅老板可能有好的心，他们的餐厅有很多的批判因为他们叫他的餐厅 “Lucky Lee's” 也要做了一个多干净或者最好的中国菜。餐厅老板作为回应说 “We are so sorry. We were never trying to do something against the Chinese community. We thought we were complementing an incredibly important cuisine, in a way that would cater to people that had certain dietary requirements” (“A White Restaurateur Advertised 'Clean' Chinese Food. Chinese-Americans Had Something to Say About It”)。听到人们的负面评论，“Lucky Lee’s” 的创始人说她会听到舆论的批判，而认真学习，不会冒犯别人。

谈到美国的中国菜，人们应该多学和了解多的各国的菜因为了解文化的差异真重要。格外多亚裔美国人觉得美国中菜的历史跟他们的经验一样 (“The Wonder of Chinese American Food, In Five Dishes”)。比如，美国菜和中国菜的融合跟他们的美国和中国文化的经验一样。有的时候，移民者从中国到美国带来了他们的 文化和菜，可是到达以后，他们应该学了美国的语言、 文化和做“美国菜”。一个人说他的经验：他先在美国的中西部开餐厅, 可是他应该学了那个地区食物偏好。可是他也说 “When the chefs weren’t cooking for customers, they made Chinese food that reminded them of home” (“One Family's Story, From Toisan to Wichita”)。他以后看到了美式中餐 “whether it was fried chicken, peach pie, butterflied shrimp, or chop suey, brought communities together — a predominantly white community that ultimately welcomed Young Mar and his family, and became customers of his restaurant, and a Chinese American community also beginning to call Kansas home” (“One Family's Story, From Toisan to Wichita”)。以 Young Mar，美式中餐的历史和文化重要， 因为它可以对人们跟他们的文化或者经验了。他说美式中餐跟中国的中国菜不一样，所以他个看法比 Appadurai 说的话也不一样。因为更多人觉得美式中餐不是一个代替，反而可以连人们和文化，成了独特的事物。所以它的意思可以改变，不会侮辱事物的原有的历史和文化，因为它成了新的事物。