[Gay State Conservative]

Of course the real punchline is there’s no such thing as “Chinese” food, much like there’s no such thing as “American” food. China is a huge country with readily identifiable subcultures that all come with their own cuisine tradition. Most of the “Chinese” food in America is based on Szechuan but is pretty far removed from it’s original structure.

I have no doubt that what you say is true.And as I said earlier the only exposure I've ever had to Chinese food (here or in or near China) is the "Cantonese" style so that's the only type about which I can speak with any credibility.And for the record,in my neck of the woods "Cantonese" is the most commonly found regional style.Of course that may vary in other parts of the country.

[discostu]

Wiki says Cantonese is the most popular in America. I might have to bow to them, Szechuan tends to be very spicy, so it’s definitely more popular down here in Tucson where we’re well trained in food that fights back. Of course Szechuan gets a lot hotter than Mexican, which could be why we go after it, once you’ve gotten to the point where habanero doesn’t scare you any more you’ve got to go find a bigger burn. No idea which places are “more authentic” but if it tastes good I don’t care.