BUT IS IT AUTHENTIC? THE DOUBLE-STANDARD

The other day I was stuffing my face with various goodies, when I was conversationally addressed by an elderly woman from upstate New York. She remarked how very unusual it was to hear a white man speaking Cantonese ("just enough to get the food I want, ma'am"), and guessed that the dimsum was pretty authentic. After all, most of the customers were Chinese.

Well, yes.

White people are scared of food.

But what if this was the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Peking?


No one asks whether classic junkfood is "authentic", or ventures the authenticity judgement over a steak place. Even if all the kitchen staff are from Mexico City and its environs, that may be the best darn porterhouse you ever had.  The waiter, by the way, is from Jalisco, and the Maitre D' is a Turk.

Chinese restaurants, however, get the eagle-eyed appraisal.


"Is it authentic?"


I can understand that query if the menu contains mostly white folks Chinese food, like sweet and sour pork with pineapple and ketchup, shrimp fried rice (with ham, egg, carrots, and peas), brown rice, multiple kung pao objects, and absolutely anything Hunanese.
Hunanese food in the United States is often a code-phrase that means "Hi, we're Cantonese, and remarkably we can't cook worth crap, so we're calling ourselves something else.... Italian was already taken".
Same goes for palatial places serving the finest Peking food.
Szechuanese is marginally better.

But if a restaurant is staffed by Cantonese, there's a very good chance that something there is 'authentic'. Even if only to feed the weary traveler from HK, desperate for any thing that isn't deep-fried and drenched with sweet Caucasian gloop.

White people often think that if the decor is pretty nice, then the food in a Chinese restaurant cannot be any good. Or, if there are only white people eating there, it isn't "real Chinese food".
This is a somewhat simplistic approach.
Not all cheap greasy joints are authentic. Some still cater mostly to white people, but the locals who actually get food there do not order the same things. And a really nicely appointed restaurant may also take pride in the talent of the kitchen and the professionalism of their staff.

The question should not be "is it authentic", but "is it honest". If the food is appetizing, the people who run it are hard-working, and the prices seem appropriate to the selection and the neighborhood, it's authentic. Even if they're running an Italian diner in the outer Richmond.


Other than baffled white people, the other group that questions authenticity are Chinese who are not (or no longer) 'Chinatown', but more prosperous and acclimatized. Either escapees who have been here long enough, or Taiwanese with a mega chip on their shoulders. And usually very much English speaking, often outsiders. They'll sneer that real dimsum only uses certain ingredients, that the best Chinese cuisine is in Taipei, or that Hong Kong has food so much better that nothing here even compares, and certainly NOT this slop that the C'town dives are dishing up.
Why, this roast duck is only fit for peasants!

Remarkably, that's EXACTLY who is eating it. And enjoying it immensely, too. Real authentic peasants! From somewhere in the authentic peasant hinterlands of Canton province, and I'm guessing that you authentically have relatives like that. Authentessentially.
Their food is also authentic.
The duck is fine.


It might be fake if they cooked Peking seethed fish (軟炸魚).
Or Shanghainese eel with scallions (爆炒鱓絲).
Unless they did a marvelous job.

Did you get something you liked?
Did you leave happy?
That's it.


金華點心快餐 KAM WA DIM SAM FAAI CHAN
YUMMY DIM SUM & FAST FOOD, LLC.
930 Stockton Street, between Clay and Washington.
San Francisco, CA 94108.

This place does dimsummy things, nothing fancy, and a few bakery items. Most of their customers either come for lunch or wander in for a quick snack. They also do two types of rice porridge -- yu pin juk (魚片粥 fish curls congee) and pei dan sau yiuk juk (皮蛋瘦肉粥 preserved egg and lean pork congee) -- plus decent yau tiu (油條 deep-fried puff-dough stick). But the main draw is the selection of cheap filling lunch items, three over rice for a very low price. Frequently they are stressed out. Especially by Germans and Midwesterners who come in, look at everything, ask incomprehensible questions, take up time, and leave after buying one soda to split among half a dozen very large white bodies.


富祥點心 FUK CHEUNG DIM SAM
NEW FORTUNE DIM SUM & COFFEE SHOP
815 Stockton Street, between Sacramento and Clay.
San Francisco, CA 94108.

A small hole in the wall run by people who speak Toishanese and hardly anything else. Their chicken buns (雞飽 'gai bau') are a favourite of mine, and I'll often head in for some shrimp bonnets (蝦餃 'haa gau') and open pork dumplings (燒賣 'siu mai'). If they've run out of chicken buns I'll have the choi yuk bau (菜肉飽). Sometimes just a fried sweet sesame ball (煎堆 'jin deui') with a cup of coffee is all I need. Judging by the number of people who come in, know exactly what they want, and leave satisfied, this is the place. Except for white people, who are often confused, and intimidated by a short woman gently asking them what they want.


多好茶室 DO HOU CHAA SAT
DOL HO
808 Pacific Avenue, just up from Stockton.
San Francisco, CA 94133.

A madhouse, with excellent black bean spare ribs and rice (豆豉排骨蒸飯 'dau si pai gwat tsing fan'). Their stuffed eggplant (釀矮瓜 'yeung ngai gwa') is also good, so are their meat balls (牛肉球 'ngau yuk kau'). Some people go here just for the stewed chicken feet (鳳爪 'fung jau'), but you should also have the shrimp-stuffed green bell pepper (蝦膠釀青椒 'haa gau yeung tsing chiu').
I am very very fond of their stuffed tofu skin roll (腐皮捲 'fu pei kuen'), by the way.
You can ask for any of these things, or wait for someone to come barreling out of the kitchen pushing a cart.
Strictly dimsum.


城景 SING KING
CITY VIEW RESTAURANT
662 Commercial Street, between Kearny and Montgomery.
San Francisco, CA 94111.

Good place to take the relatives. Clean, high quality, and pretty darn good. Dimsum. A restaurant for people with whom you feel comfortable, and whom you want to feed. They'll be happy.


幸福餅家 HANG FUK BENG KAA
BLOSSOM BAKERY
133 Waverly Place, between Clay and Washington.
San Francisco, CA 94108.

American coffee, Chinese pastries, and a timeless atmosphere. Local folks come here, including some of the more eccentric, who may not have entirely understood the realities of life. The prices are low, and the selection is not particularly extensive. It's our kind of shop, very home-town. Do not expect too much, but just enjoy it for what it is. Which is a nice place to hang out and day-dream, or listen in on other people gossiping. You might also just read the newspaper, with some milk tea (奶茶 'naai chaa') and a lotus-seed pastry (蓮蓉餅 'lin-yong bing'), a red bean pastry (豆沙餠 'dau sa bing'), or a a wife-cookie (老婆餠 'lo-poh bing'). Relax.


人仁西餅麵包 YAN YAN SAI BENG MIN BAAU
YUMMY BAKERY & CAFÉ
607 Jackson Street, near Kearny.
San Francisco, CA 94133.

A vast selection of Chinese pastries, many somewhat western in inspiration. They do very good stuff here, and they also have coffee, but only three tables. I have listed their entire range in this post: YUMMY. If there's time, sit down and have a snack. Otherwise buy a lot and take it home.



Are these places 'authentic'? Yes, I guess so. I'm happy when I leave, as are the other customers. That's because we know what we want, and have no unrealistic expectations.
It's Chinatown. People live here and eat in the neighborhood.
Prices are reasonable, and the selection suits the locals.

Please don't forget to tip very generously.

More than anything else, that's authentic.



==========================================================================
NOTE: Readers may contact me directly:
LETTER BOX.
All correspondence will be kept in confidence.
==========================================================================