Columnist Nicole Lee 4—General Tso’s Chicken story!左宗雞的故事！

What’s your favirate Chinese food?  Welcome to Nicole Talks！ In the United States, General Tso’s Chicken is the most popular Chinese dish. Almost every American has tried it, and most absolutely love it. But here’s the twist — if you ask people in China about General Tso’s Chicken, most of them will look confused. That’s because… it’s not actually a Chinese dish.

You heard that right. The most famous “Chinese” food in America is basically unknown in China. Despite being labeled a “traditional Hunan dish,” General Tso’s Chicken isn’t something people in China eat, and it definitely doesn’t taste like anything from real Hunan cuisine.

The only part of the story that’s true is that General Tso — or Zuo Zongtang — was a real person. He was a famous military general during the Qing Dynasty, born in Hunan province. But he had nothing to do with fried chicken, and there’s no record that he even liked it.

So where did this dish come from?

The credit goes to a Chinese chef named Peng Chang-kuei, who was also from Hunan. In 1952, the U.S. Navy Admiral Arthur W. Radford — commander of the Seventh Fleet — visited Taiwan. The Taiwanese Navy, led by Admiral Liang Hsu-chao, hosted a banquet for him that lasted three days. Chef Peng was in charge of preparing all the meals, and he was told that the menu had to be different each day.

By the third day, Chef Peng had already used up all the classic dishes — braised, steamed, fried — you name it. So he came up with something new. He chopped up chicken into large chunks, deep-fried them until crispy and golden brown, then stir-fried them in a sweet and tangy sauce that he knew Americans would love.

Admiral Radford was blown away. He asked what the dish was called. Thinking quickly, Chef Peng said, “General Tso’s Chicken” — combining Radford’s military rank with his own hometown hero, General Zuo Zongtang.

Radford later returned to the U.S. and couldn’t stop talking about the dish. He didn’t remember the rest of the banquet, but he remembered that chicken. Eventually, Chinese restaurant owners in New York heard about it. One of them flew all the way to Taiwan to try it, then brought the recipe back to the States.

Over time, the dish evolved. The flavor became much sweeter, thicker, and more syrupy to fit American tastes. And that’s the version we know today — sticky, sweet, with just a hint of tang, and super popular at places like Panda Express.

But here’s the funny part: if you go to any restaurant in China and ask for General Tso’s Chicken, they’ll probably just shake their head. It’s not on the menu. Chinese people usually don’t like that sticky-sweet flavor. If you want to try it, you’ll have to go to an American-style Chinese place or a fast food chain — the kind made specifically for the American palate.

So next time you’re enjoying a plate of General Tso’s Chicken, just remember — it may be “Chinese” food in America, but in China… it’s pretty much a mystery.

Author： Nicole Lee(HSPVA music student)

左宗雞的故事！

作者：李亦君Nicole Lee（HSPVA休斯頓藝術高中學生）

在美國，「左宗棠雞」是最受歡迎的中國菜。幾乎每個美國人都愛吃這道左宗雞，但是，其實中國人都不知道這道左宗雞，也不覺得這是中國菜。你沒聽錯，中國人都不知道這道美國最著名最流行的中國菜左宗雞！這道所謂「中國傳統美食湖南菜」，其實是一位中國廚師專門為美國人發明的，它的味道也和正宗湖南菜毫無相似之處。

唯一真實的是，左將軍確實是一個著名的清代將軍，而且出生於中國湖南省。左將軍與炸雞沒有任何關係，也不喜歡吃炸雞。這道中國菜的發明人--湖南籍廚師彭長貴才是把左將軍的名字和炸雞塊綁在一起的始作俑者。

1952年，美國太平洋第七艦隊司令、海軍上將阿瑟•威廉•雷德福訪問台灣，當時台灣負責接待的海軍總司令梁序昭連續三天設宴款待，並請湖南籍著名廚師彭長貴主廚，他要求彭長貴在三天內菜色必須天天不同。第三天時，眼看紅燒、清蒸、油淋等傳統大菜都做完了，為了讓客人換換口味，彭長貴靈機一動將雞肉切成大塊，先炸到金黃半焦狀，再下入美國人最愛的甜酸醬醬汁，熱炒做成一道新菜。雷德福將軍品嘗後非常喜歡，詢問菜名，彭廚師考慮到雷德福是將軍，自己又是湖南人，就隨口說道：「左宗棠將軍雞」。後來雷德福將軍回到美國後，對其他的菜都沒什麼印象，唯獨對這道左宗雞念念不忘，認為是最好吃的中國菜。後來，紐約的中餐館經營者聽說了這道雷德福將軍喜愛的左宗雞，於是專程飛到台灣去品嘗這道菜，並引進到了美國。隨着時間的推移，這道菜的味道也不斷演變，最終形成了和最初的味道截然不同的偏甜、有點酸、粘稠口味，從而迎合美國消費者的胃口。並在美國大受歡迎。

不過，你去中國的任何一家餐館都找不到這道左宗雞，因為中國人根本不喜歡這種又甜又酸又黏糊糊的口感。如果你想吃左宗雞，要去專門給美國人吃的中餐館或者快餐店像panda express，那裡的左宗雞下單率很高。