Why do people hate Chinese food?

Question

I meant real Chinese food sold in China not Americanized Chinese.

Answer 1

It's not that I don't like it. It's that I don't see if often and when I do it's not like the "Chinese" food I know.

Answer 2

For me I don't like the texture.

Answer 3

why do people like AMERICANIZED chinese food? it tastes absolutely awful. too much oil/grease/fat/etc.

you can't just judge chinese food in general, because there are MANY places in china and taiwan as well that have different specialty dishes. & in some places, they'll have different ways of cooking food.. people are probably judging it by the americanized chinese food instead of real chinese food. (i doubt anyone in america has tried food from, say, the jiangsu province in china? there are ALOT of tasty dishes from that place.)

btw, alot of us (chinese people) DONT add msg to our cooking, contrary to popular belief. we DONT like that stuff.

Answer 4

its just the taste they dont like i guess.

Answer 5

Well, I love Chinese food - but I only like white meat chicken - so that makes me a little picky about where I eat it and what type I eat........

Answer 6

WHO SAID THAT PEOPLE HATE CHINESE FOOD? THE ASIAIN KITCHEN HAS LOT OF INFLUENCE OF CHINESE CULINARY.

APART FROM ALL THIS THE WHOLE WORLD IS ENJOYING FOR EXAMPLE TEA & NODDLLES IN DIFFERENT VARATIES. THEY ALL CAME TO US FROM CHINA.

LET ME SAY THAT OUR FOOD HABBITS ARE DEVELOPED FROM OUR CHILHOOD. TO CROSS THIS BARRIER WE HAVE TO FIGHT OUT OUR STEREOTYPED MENTALLITY. WE MAY CAN 'T TAKE SOME CHANESE FOODS AS PER OUR HABBITS OR CULTURE, BUT OVERALL I ASSURE THAT CHINESE CULINERY IS QUITE RICH.

BEING AN INDIAN I CAN SAY THAT I AM FOND OF CHINESE FOOD, EVEN EXOTIC ONES.

Answer 7

because we've heard of cat soup, and squid, and other stuff like that-cats are our pets and squid looks nasty and slimy. its just not something we're accustomed to. i've actually had some really great food made by my cousins chinese church. traditional and delcious!

Answer 8

It's not that people hate the food, I can't have it more than once a month because of the way it makes me feel when I do have it (like a fat pig) I get full extra fast because of the MSG they use in the food and then when I least expect it I'm starving again. I also think it's way too expensive.

Answer 9

1. Chinese love of the jellified, glutinous texture which is a real turn-off for many westerners.

2. Fear of the harmful effects of MSG which is widely used in China

3. Food which aren't palatable to a western palate eg parts of animals not commonly eaten in West.

4. Use of pork which is taboo for some faiths

5. Bad experiences with horrible Chinese food back home in the West

6. Being too close to food's origin - Westerners are used to having their meat plastic-wrapped in the supermarket - not still live and clucking in the market!

Bottom line is, Chinese food culture's just different!

Answer 10

More fear of not knowing what's in it

Answer 11

I think it's for different/various reasons:

-some people just don't like it, which is a valid reason

-people are used to American Chinese food, and when they see something that's not like the stuff at Chinese buffet, they are reluctant to try it

-some stock Chinese/Asian foods (tofu, Asian vegetables, a wide variety of fish and seafood, spices such as ginger and cilantro, etc.) are too unconventional for some westerners

-racist or xenophobic undertones: omg the chicken is really cat, all Chinese places must use lots of MSG, etc.

-assumptions that all Chinese food is the same, as some comments above show: What, we love glutinous foods? I personally can't stomach it and rarely cook glutinous foods, except for a few desserts.

I guess that to sum it all up--it's a fear of the unknown and an unwillingness to try different and new things.

I find it amusing when people mention the markets with live fish and so on, or when they are disgusted by the sight of a whole fish at the table (or seeing chicken heads, etc). People want to eat meat, but not to be reminded of where it comes from. Come on, if you're going to eat animals, why kid yourself?

Answer 12

Americanized Chinese food is much sweeter and blander than real Chinese food; some of the dishes are Chinese in name only.  Real Chinese food has a completely different balance of flavors.  There's a recently-published book called "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" that examines Chinese food in America -- it's a fascinating read, and it should give you a lot of information on the subject.

Answer 13

I think because it's disgusting!

I don't know but they use very strong ingredients and it's just not the same as here in the US, it is greasy, and yucky, natural disgusting flavors, yikes!

Answer 14

u never know what's in it..a Chinese guy once tOld me "we eat every and anything that moves "

Answer 15

It's because non-Chinese tend to lump ALL chinese food into one group. There are so many varieties of Chinese food from different regions of China! Hunan, Shanghi, Beijing, Canton, Guandong...those are the main cities and their dishes are SOOO incredibly different from one another.

If one claims to be a gastronomist, one should take the plunge and try something new. And yes, they cook with "typical" meats (chicken, pork, beef), so you don't have to wonder what you're eating. It's just the cooking styles that are different. And no, you don't have to fly all the way to China to try real Chinese food. Just drive over to the closest city that has a large Asian population and ask around what is a good restaurant to try out. Chinese people love our food, we'll be more than happy to recommend something!

Answer 16

ktrb is right.