In reality, these American-Chinese dishes had nothing to do with authentic Chinese food—not even half a cent's worth. The fried crab wonton was made by wrapping artificial crab meat and cheese with wonton wrappers and frying them, served with American sweet and sour sauce. The orange chicken salad consisted of lettuce, boiled chicken breast, rice noodles, and peanuts, with a dressing made from citrus juice, vegetable oil, dry hot mustard, pickled ginger, and dried orange peel. The Manzhouli fried pork cutlet was a bite-sized pork cutlet fried with onions and seasoned with a sweet sauce. The almond fried chicken was coated in a batter mixed with almonds, then fried and served with a spicy sauce.
America 1982
Urban · A spoonful of the past
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