GLC said:Julia Child, as in, "If no one's in the kitchen, who's to see?"
Yep that's the one I thought it was! Seems to be a bit of a legend does JC
GLC said:Julia Child, as in, "If no one's in the kitchen, who's to see?"
I think you make a good point in the 'proper' Chinese food is rice flour and (lazy?!) American/English styles include wheat.
I'm just going off my own experiences here though!
Gourmet Greg said:I can't think of any reason to use wheat flour as a thickener when cornstarch is so widely available, and superior to flour. A lazy chef would use whatever works easiest.
Perhaps Chinese cuisine in England differs from that in America. Here in Los Angeles we have such a huge Asian population that there's no reason to use anything but what works best because all Asian ingredients are widely available (one of the best reasons for Asian food enthusiasts to live in L.A.). Here in L.A. we have no reason to substitute anything used in Chinese cooking.
Yeah I love practical presents
Thanks for the warm welcome - certainly clearing up some pre conceived myths about food and I've been here for less than 24 hours lol
I live in Widnes near Liverpool!
Have to say - here in the north west of the UK at the very least - they seem to be super lazy!!
Probably something to do with mixed cuisine take aways?! So one take away shop will serve for example Chinese American (burgers pizzas etc) English (fish chips kebabs and so on)
Gourmet Greg said:Do you have a large Chinese population? I suspect that rather than a large Chinese population you have a large immigrant population perhaps not from China who are satisfying a large demand for Chinese cuisine. I'm just guessing here.
I'm pretty sure parts of England have a large Indian population so I bet Indian cuisine is popular, widely available, and probably fairly authentic.
I still don't understand being lazy and using flour as a thickener. Is not cornstarch widely available in UK?
Gourmet Greg said:I'm fortunate that as far as I know I have no problems with consuming wheat or gluten. However I have noticed that restaurants increasingly have gluten warnings, gluten free sections, and/or notes that specific dishes can be prepared gluten free upon request.
Gourmet Greg said:By the way, you might want to watch out for MSG which may be used in Chinese food. MSG (mono-sodium glutamate) is a potent flavor enhancer, but also contains a large amount of sodium which is not good for you at best and is bad for people who are on low sodium diets. Some people report that MSG gives them headaches or other symptoms after consuming food cooked with it. As far as I can tell the Chinese restaurants do not use MSG even though it's traditional in China. Many state right on the menu "We do not use MSG" while others I've asked assured me they do not use MSG. This is something you might want to check into when dining in Chinese restaurants, along with your asking about wheat. And of course if you do any Chinese cooking yourself just leave it out.