<p>I'm a chinese living in hong kong and the first time i visited US and tried some chinese food, I had no idea what the heck 'General Tso's Chicken' was, but my US summer school friend said it's THE chinese food, and so i gave it a try. It was pretty good, but i dont think i can find anything too similar easily in hong kongs restaurants.... hahaha so i'm actually tempted to say its some 'fake' chinese food. but hey.. maybe im ignorant and don't know about it (well the name is definitely not general tso's chicken in chinese if there is such a dish..)
just felt like sharing this hahahaha (well um.. maybe a lot of you know it anyways)</p>
<p>I think general tsao's chicken and other stuff you'll find off the menu are classified under "New York Style" or some **** like that. I think its pretty tasty, though its nothing like authentic chinese food. The stuff you find in America is really greasy, much of it is deep fried, and quite unhealthy.
Hong kong food is so delicious. I love the dim sum, and the chicken, and the duck (I spent a summer there).
BTW, there is a dish in China that is similar to General Tsao's called Zhu Gong Ji.</p>
<p>yeah definitely dont expect most restaurants near colleges to have "real chinese food." i'm not chinese, but i can tell the difference between real and fake chinese food. all kinds are good :) i have to say, there is a lot of fake chinese food to be found in china itself. i tried to stay away from touristy places when i visited, although that made it a bit tough when i had to ask for a fork and no one spoke english :)</p>
<p>nerj, be the true asian: offer to tutor a chinese kid in the area and his family will reward you with food :)
our family befriended a duke student (we live nearby) and when she comes over to help me with college apps/high school stuff, we feed her the kind of food she misses :)</p>