Columnist Nicole Lee 4—General Tso’s Chicken story!左宗鸡的故事！

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)

左宗鸡的故事！

作者：李亦君Nicole Lee（HSPVA休斯顿艺术高中学生）

在美国，「左宗棠鸡」是最受欢迎的中国菜。几乎每个美国人都爱吃这道左宗鸡，但是，其实中国人都不知道这道左宗鸡，也不觉得这是中国菜。你没听错，中国人都不知道这道美国最着名最流行的中国菜左宗鸡！这道所谓「中国传统美食湖南菜」，其实是一位中国厨师专门為美国人发明的，它的味道也和正宗湖南菜毫无相似之处。

唯一真实的是，左将军确实是一个着名的清代将军，而且出生於中国湖南省。左将军与炸鸡没有任何关係，也不喜欢吃炸鸡。这道中国菜的发明人--湖南籍厨师彭长贵才是把左将军的名字和炸鸡块绑在一起的始作俑者。

1952年，美国太平洋第七舰队司令、海军上将阿瑟•威廉•雷德福访问台湾，当时台湾负责接待的海军总司令梁序昭连续三天设宴款待，并请湖南籍着名厨师彭长贵主厨，他要求彭长贵在三天内菜色必须天天不同。第三天时，眼看红烧、清蒸、油淋等传统大菜都做完了，為了让客人换换口味，彭长贵灵机一动将鸡肉切成大块，先炸到金黄半焦状，再下入美国人最爱的甜酸酱酱汁，热炒做成一道新菜。雷德福将军品尝后非常喜欢，询问菜名，彭厨师考虑到雷德福是将军，自己又是湖南人，就随口说道：「左宗棠将军鸡」。后来雷德福将军回到美国后，对其他的菜都没什麼印象，唯独对这道左宗鸡念念不忘，认為是最好吃的中国菜。后来，纽约的中餐馆经营者听说了这道雷德福将军喜爱的左宗鸡，於是专程飞到台湾去品尝这道菜，并引进到了美国。随着时间的推移，这道菜的味道也不断演变，最终形成了和最初的味道截然不同的偏甜、有点酸、粘稠口味，从而迎合美国消费者的胃口。并在美国大受欢迎。

不过，你去中国的任何一家餐馆都找不到这道左宗鸡，因為中国人根本不喜欢这种又甜又酸又黏糊糊的口感。如果你想吃左宗鸡，要去专门给美国人吃的中餐馆或者快餐店像panda express，那裡的左宗鸡下单率很高。