The Search for General Tso

The Search for General Tso is an engaging chronicle of cultural assimilation told "with the verve of a good detective story" by writer-director Ian Cheney and producers Amanda Murray and Jennifer 8. Lee and based on a ubiquitous restaurant menu item adapted to Americans' palate. (A recipe is included on the film's website.) Shown during the recent Sedona International Film Festival, at other film festivals around the country, and available for viewing through the link above, this popular, humor-laced documentary also traces the history of the real General Tso, a fearsome warrior from the late 19th Century.

The dish was inspired by President Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972 and was introduced at the venerable Shun Lee Palace, near Lincoln Center in New York City. But the dish's history predates its American introduction. Its originator was a Hunan chef named Peng Chang-kuei, who fled Communist China and settled in Taipei, Taiwan. He created General Tso's chicken in 1955 for Chiang Kai-shek.

Now 90 years old, Chef Peng frowns when shown a picture of the dish, noting he would never use scallions or decorate the plate with broccoli! To achieve a sweet-and-sour taste, the American version adds sugar—another touch unheard of in traditional Chinese cooking.

I had the pleasure of reading Jennifer 8. Lee's "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" (http://fortunecookiechronicles.com/) several years ago and have patiently waited for some form of this delightful book to appear in film. "The Search for General Tso" presents a delicate balance of documentary intrigue, awkward food-geek humor, and mystery.

When I showed the trailer to the Chinese-American owner of my favorite local Chinese restaurant, she looked puzzled and said "Is this supposed to be funny? My customers love General Tso's chicken." That's pretty much the message of the film -- despite the American fascination and love of Chinese cuisine, there is still a great gulf of misunderstanding. Americans still wonder what is "real" Chinese food, and Chinese cooks stick to the tried and true recipes that have been popular for years and seems to please the American palate.

Perhaps a sequel can help close the gap? "The Search for Authentic Chinese Food in America."

General Tso's Chicken is my favorite Chinese dish, and sadly, they don't have it here in the UK.

I watched this documentary out of curiosity to see where the dish came from. It turned out to be about a lot more than just the dish --- it's a history lesson about the origins of the Chinese community in America, wrapped in crispy fried goodness.

I knew there had been discrimination and racism against the Chinese in America in the early 1900s, but I didn't realize the extent of it.

It was interesting to learn how the Exclusion Act played a role in pushing Chinese immigrants into the restaurant business (and other traditionally Chinese-owned businesses). It was also interesting to see all the different variations of General Tso's Chicken, and I was surprised to find out that the original version didn't actually include broccoli.

The documentary really highlights the hard-working, entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese-Americans. It shows how food became a bridge between Chinese and American cultures, ultimately leading to Chinese food becoming part of the very fabric of American culture.

The General Tso dish is one of the most popular Chinese dishes today. It is mouthwatering and the most demanded in the Chinese Food Industry. This dish is blended to the American tastes, and will make you want to eat some General Tso chicken after you watch the movie. Just like it did to me. Before General Tso everybody loved Cashew Chicken. In the documentary it talks about who made that dish and the back story behind that. It was very lucky to how Cashew Chicken became popular and without his luck he might have never been famous for his widely known dish. Who is General Tso? General Tso was a man of Great Power long ago.

The interviews with the Chinese people was very hysterical. I didn't know we would do something like that but it never fails me. Us Americans always try to make everything our own. This documentary is a good detective story and they keep hunting till they find the truth. They went all the way from New York to China to find answers. The truth is buried in layers of Chinese history. General Tso was a general in the 1800's for the Hunan province during the late Qing dynasty. It is unknown why the dish was named after him because he did not name the meal himself and it isn't known that he liked chicken as well. During the Gold Rush in the 1800's the Chinese poured into America and into different big cities. In despite of all the immigrants the Americans created the Chinese Exclusion Act after the rise of Immigrants due to the Gold Rush. Basically attempted to get rid of all the Chinese out of the country. They lost their jobs and had no way of making money due to the discrimination and hatred from Americans. So they turned to owning their own business, and they discovered that if they tend to American taste with Chinese food then they can make money. In China they interviewed a few people about who General Tso is and what they think of the dish. When asked it was comical what their reaction was to the dish and what it was named. General Tso chicken never was heard of, until it became available in Chinese restaurants in the 1970's. One person they interviewed was a collector of Chinese restaurant menus. He had them dated back to the 40's. He held the Guinness World Record for the most number of Chinese menus. He also had a very interesting item which you don't see very often. So old that he had to make a copy of it to preserve it. General Tso has a Museum in China that most people don't know about. They took a tour of it, and they have a portrait of the famous General that everybody has been wanting to see. Nobody knows what he looks like and everyone just knows the name. This documentary definitely explained the whole back story behind the famous dish. It was very interesting and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in documentaries.

Better read the Wikipedia page. It has all the information in a shorter form. As the whole documentary is about 5 minutes long. The rest is fluff. With relevant testimonies that are probably supposed to enhance the archaeological abilities of a lazy, yet greedy production team. The testimonies are as relevant as "I remember I've just got off the Grayhound and was attracted by the neon sign and surely I was eating chop su..." What? Yea, even the food reference is about something else! And what has the prejudice has anything to do with the food? Was it originally made with urine?

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