为什么中国家庭经常在美国经营中餐馆，提供美式中餐菜肴，尽管它们与传统的中国菜肴有所不同？（二）
What leads Chinese families to frequently manage restaurants in the U.S. that serve American Chinese cuisine, despite its differences from traditional Chinese dishes?
译文简介
网友：有一部名为《寻访左宗棠》的纪录片，讨论了美式中餐的历史，并探讨了一些可能对你感兴趣的业务内幕。
正文翻译
Kradget
There's a documentary called "The Search for General Tso" that covers the history of American style Chinese food, and discusses some of the ins and outs of the business that may be interesting for you.
有一部名为《寻访左宗棠》的纪录片，讨论了美式中餐的历史，并探讨了一些可能对你感兴趣的业务内幕。
There's a documentary called "The Search for General Tso" that covers the history of American style Chinese food, and discusses some of the ins and outs of the business that may be interesting for you.
有一部名为《寻访左宗棠》的纪录片，讨论了美式中餐的历史，并探讨了一些可能对你感兴趣的业务内幕。
OxCow
I was surprised I had to scroll this far for this answer. It's a really good documentary that talks about why they do it. TLDR; they figured out a formula/menu that works for American consumers and shared it among fellow immigrants.
我很惊讶我不得不滚动这么远才看到这个答案。这是一部非常好的纪录片，谈到了他们为什么这样做。简而言之：他们找到了适合美国消费者的配方/菜单，并与其他移民分享。
I was surprised I had to scroll this far for this answer. It's a really good documentary that talks about why they do it. TLDR; they figured out a formula/menu that works for American consumers and shared it among fellow immigrants.
我很惊讶我不得不滚动这么远才看到这个答案。这是一部非常好的纪录片，谈到了他们为什么这样做。简而言之：他们找到了适合美国消费者的配方/菜单，并与其他移民分享。
CRT_SUNSET
And to add to that, many of these immigrant families run restaurants purely for business reasons—they’re not particularly concerned about the traditions and authenticity of their cuisine.
此外，许多移民家庭经营餐馆纯粹出于商业考虑，他们并不特别关心他们的烹饪传统和正宗性。
And to add to that, many of these immigrant families run restaurants purely for business reasons—they’re not particularly concerned about the traditions and authenticity of their cuisine.
此外，许多移民家庭经营餐馆纯粹出于商业考虑，他们并不特别关心他们的烹饪传统和正宗性。
Superplex123
Authenticity is just a marketing tool anyway. If the cook is good and the ingredients are good, then the food will be good. That's all there is to it to food of any kind. Do people think there aren't shitty Chinese food in China or something? Authentic food from any culture can suck too.
无论如何，真实性只是一种营销手段。如果厨师和食材都很好，那食物就会很美味。无论任何种类的食物，关键就在于这些。难道人们认为中国没有难吃的中餐吗？任何文化的正宗食物也可能很糟糕。
Authenticity is just a marketing tool anyway. If the cook is good and the ingredients are good, then the food will be good. That's all there is to it to food of any kind. Do people think there aren't shitty Chinese food in China or something? Authentic food from any culture can suck too.
无论如何，真实性只是一种营销手段。如果厨师和食材都很好，那食物就会很美味。无论任何种类的食物，关键就在于这些。难道人们认为中国没有难吃的中餐吗？任何文化的正宗食物也可能很糟糕。
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And often time it's a specific progression. New immigrants with little to no English skills can come over and work in the kitchen where they aren't customer facing, giving them time to work on their English and learn the craft while making some money. They then often branch out and form their own restaurant, taking the recipes they've learned and helping the next round of immigrants. There's also a similar story with Vietnamese immigrants and nail salons, although that one is interesting because you can largely trace it back to a single person: Tippi Hedren.
通常情况下，这是一个特定的过程。英文能力较差的新移民可以来到这里，在厨房工作，不需要面对顾客，这给了他们时间练习英语，学习手艺并赚一些钱。然后他们经常拓展业务、成立自己的餐馆，带着他们学到的食谱帮助下一批移民。还有一个类似的故事是关于越南移民和美甲沙龙，尽管这个故事有趣的地方在于你几乎可以追溯到一个人：蒂皮·海德伦。
This is a great documentary. I really enjoyed it and it really provides a perspective that is hard to get otherwise. If you’re interested in the OP’s question, this is. A great use of your time.
这是一部很棒的纪录片。我真的很喜欢它，它提供了一个很难以从其他地方获得的视角。如果你对楼主的问题感兴趣，这是值得花时间观看的。
Because Americans are more likely to buy that kind of foods, plus in the past it was availability of ingredients
因为美国人更有可能购买这类食品，而且在过去，这是原料的可用性
Culinary evolution at its finest! Chinese restaurants adapt to American tastes, and hey, availability of ingredients plays a tasty role too.
这就是烹饪进化的精华！中餐馆适应了美国口味，嘿，配料的可获得性也起到了美味的作用。
Not just Chinese food. I live in South East Asia and I get a lot of spicy Italian food.
不仅仅是中国菜。我住在东南亚，我吃到了很多辣意大利食物。
A lot of Chinese railroad workers in the US who were hit by the Chinese Exclusion Act ended up in Mexico, and there is some pretty fantastic "Chinese restaurants" that cater to Mexican tastes, like think to yourself would avocado be a welcome addition to fried rice? And the answer is yes.
美国有许多受《排华法案》影响的中国铁路工人最终来到了墨西哥，那里有一些迎合墨西哥口味的非常棒的“中餐馆”，比如试想一下，鳄梨是否会成为炒饭的受欢迎配料？答案是肯定的。
When Chinese railroad workers in the US met the Chinese Exclusion Act, they took their culinary talents to Mexico. Now, we've got 'Chinese restaurants' with an avocado twist in the fried rice!
当美国的中国铁路工人遇到排华法案时，他们把自己的烹饪才能带到了墨西哥。现在，我们有了在炒饭里放牛油果的“中国餐馆”!
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
A big part of it is also the palettes of their American customers, as well as their access to local ingredients!
其中一个重要因素还是他们美国顾客的口味，以及他们对当地食材的获取！
You have to pay the bills somehow. Most immigrant families (at least back in the day) came with no degrees or degrees that didn’t transfer to work in the US. When you can’t speak the language, you find jobs that don’t require English. You work as a cook. Then when you save enough money, you open your own place. If your customers are mainly white/non-Asian, you cater your food to their tastes.
My parents owned a Chinese American restaurant for 30+ years. Put me through college and some of grad school.
你必须以某种方式来支付账单。大多数移民家庭（至少在过去）没有学位，或者他们的学位在美国找不到对应的工作。当你不会说英语时，你会找一些不需要英语的工作。你会成为一名厨师。然后当你攒够了足够的钱，你就会开自己的餐馆。如果你的顾客主要是白人/非亚洲人，你会迎合他们的口味。
我的父母经营了一个中美餐馆30多年。支持我完成了大学和部分研究生学业。
It’s more than that. There were immigration laws that made it very hard to come to America from Asia unless you had “trade skills” like “cooking” foreign food. Lots of restaurants were created to funnel over family members using immigration loopholes.
还有更多。有一些移民法律使得从亚洲来美国变得非常困难，除非你具备“贸易技能”，比如“烹饪”外国食物。许多餐馆的创建都是为了利用移民漏洞输送家庭成员。
Because giving people food they're more likely to buy leads to your business surviving, whereas giving people food they're not likely to buy, leads to your business going out of business.
I recommend this documentary on the subject: https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Dream_Cafe
因为提供顾客更有可能购买的食物有助于你的业务生存，而提供顾客不太可能购买的食物则会导致你的业务倒闭。
我推荐看一下这个关于该主题的纪录片：https://seinfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Dream_Cafe
Yeah, most Chinese restaurants, especially ones in Chinatown, have two menus. I wish I knew Chinese and authentic cuisine, because I'd probably order it often. I suppose I could try Google Lens to translate, but I still probably wouldn't know what's good.
是的，大多数中餐馆，特别是唐人街的餐馆，有两个菜单。我真希望我懂中文和正宗的菜肴，因为我可能会经常点。我想我可以试试用Google Lens 翻译，但我可能还是不知道哪些菜好吃。
All I know is that some Chinese dishes use mouth numbing peppers as part of the flavor sensation and I haven't found anywhere that serves it. I want to see what thats like.
我只知道有些中国菜会用麻辣辣椒来调味，但我还没找到卖麻辣辣椒的地方。我想尝一下那是什么感觉。
Get some Szechuan pepper and start cooking, bud! Don’t let your dreams be just dreams!
买点花椒回去自己做啊！别让你的梦想只是梦想！
You’re describing a specific spice called ”ma la”. It’s most commonly found in Szechuan cuisine.
你描述的是一种叫做“麻辣”的特定调料。它在川菜中最常见。
Even more specific it's the "ma" part, "la" is the spicy.
更具体地说，是“麻”的部分，“辣”是辣。
Whole Szechuan peppercorn or peppercorn oil is usually the ingredient there that causes that sensation. They look kinda similar to the husks of black pepper, but have greenish/reddish tinge.
There's a good chance your local Asian store would sell them, they preserved dry pretty well.
通常情况下，整个四川花椒或花椒油是产生这种口感的原料。它们看起来有点像黑胡椒的外壳，但有绿色/红色的色调。你当地的亚洲商店很可能会卖它们，它们保存干燥得非常好。
Szechuan Pepper probably.
As ground pepper it has wonderful taste, but I never noticed any numbness. Szechuan pepper oil, though, that will numb your mouth really quickly.
可能是四川花椒。
作为研磨后的胡椒粉，它有美妙的味道，但我从来没有注意到任何麻木感。不过四川花椒油，那真的会很快麻麻的。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
You can buy those peppers. I make a kind of chocolate cookie with Sichuan peppercorns. They have that mouth numbing feel. You can make your own or you can add it to your own Chinese food. It’s called Sichuan peppercorns.
你可以买到这些辣椒。我用四川花椒做一种巧克力曲奇饼干，它们有那种麻麻的感觉。你可以自己做，也可以加入到自己的中餐里。它被称为四川花椒。
One significant factor is economic opportunity. Many Chinese immigrants find the restaurant industry accessible, offering a chance to build a business with relatively low barriers to entry. Additionally, American Chinese cuisine has evolved to cater to local tastes, creating a niche market that appeals to a broad audience. Cultural adaptation and entrepreneurial spirit play key roles in driving Chinese families to manage these restaurants, allowing them to thrive and contribute to their communities.
一个重要的因素是经济机会。许多中国移民发现餐饮行业易于进入，提供了建立业务的机会，障碍相对较低。此外，美式中餐已经发展出迎合当地口味的特色市场，吸引了广大观众。文化适应和创业精神在推动中国家庭经营这些餐馆方面起着关键作用，使它们得以繁荣并为社区做出贡献。
It’s weird that people aren’t including this, but simply cost. There are 2-3 large distributors of American Chinese food supplies. This includes food and decor, naming rights, signage, everything you can think of.
To develop your own menu with specific ingredients would be costly, so most of the time these owners reach out to these distributors, the distributors ask the to pick a name, decor, and menu that meets their in stock options. Then boom, they are on contract for cheap food- but it’s the same food as all the others.
有趣的是，人们没有提到一个简单的原因，那就是成本。美国中餐的供应商只有2-3家，包括食品和装饰、命名权、标识等所有东西。
开发自己的菜单并使用特定的配料成本高昂，所以大多数时候这些店主会联系这些供应商，供应商要求他们选择一个名称、装饰和菜单，以满足其现有的库存选项。然后，他们就可以签订便宜的食品合同，但这些食物与其他餐馆的食物相同。
They adapt to anywhere they are because locals are more used to certain tastes. I travel a lot for work and it's funny going to Chinese restaurants in different countries to see some times very different dishes or similar ones with different taste.
It also happens with other cuisines though, not only Chinese ;)
他们适应所在地的原因是当地人更习惯某些口味。我经常出差旅行，去不同国家的中餐馆看到有时会有非常不同的菜肴，或者相似的菜肴但口味不同，这很有趣。
其他的美食也会发生类似的情况，不仅仅是中餐 ;)
Exactly. I used to travel to Belgium for extended periods of time for work and had a favorite Thai place around the corner from my hotel and it was 100% different from Thai in US. The bonus is the dishes labeled in Thai vs Flemish so I at least had an idea what I was ordering
确实。我曾经因工作需要长时间前往比利时，我的酒店附近有一家我最喜欢的泰国餐厅，它与美国的泰国菜完全不同。而且菜单上标有泰语和弗拉芒语，这样至少我知道我在点什么。
Chinese restaurants cater to whatever region they are in by putting spins on their dishes. In every country, and I have yet to be to a country that doesn’t have Chinese restaurants. For instance, Chinese restaurants in England frequently serve chips (fries) and advertise it as Chinese and chips takeout.
PS McDonalds does this too
中国餐馆会根据所在地区的口味对菜肴进行改良。在每个国家，我还没有去过没有中国餐馆的国家。例如，英国的中餐馆经常供应薯条，并宣传它是中国和薯条外卖。
PS：麦当劳也是这样做的
Income and business opportunity? Is this really a complicated question?
收入和商机？这真的是一个复杂的问题吗？
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
American Chinese was invented by immigrants that had to adapt to new ingredients, and im pretty sure for a while there, the only businesses these immigrants were allowed to own were restaurants and laundromat.
Look into the Chinese exclusion act of 1882
美式中餐是由不得不适应新食材的移民发明的，我相当肯定在那段时间里，这些移民被允许拥有的唯一生意就是餐馆和洗衣店。
可以了解一下1882年的《排华法案》。
The dishes are still of Chinese heritage? They didn't just spring up out of the ether actual Chinese immigrants worked hard to come up with one of the early fusion cuisines in US history. Those immigrants had been adjusting the food for their own needs and tastes for over a hundred years before American Chinese became mainstream with white people in the 50's. Sweet and Sour Pork and Chop Suey are much older than that for the most obvious examples.
这些菜仍然是中国传统的吗?他们并不是凭空冒出来的，真正的中国移民努力创造了美国历史上早期的融合美食之一。在美国华人在50年代成为白人的主流之前，这些移民已经根据自己的需要和口味调整了一百多年的食物。最明显的例子是糖醋排骨和杂碎的历史要久远得多。
Watch the documentary “the search for general Tso”. Basically racism forced Chinese immigrants into either laundry or restaurants. They then catered to their audience.
观看纪录片《寻访左宗棠将》。基本上是种族主义迫使中国移民只能从事洗衣店或餐馆。然后他们迎合了他们的观众。
Chinese immigrants created American style Chinese food. They used the ingredients they had available.
中国移民创造了美式中餐。他们使用了当地可获得的食材。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
Because Americans do not go to Chinese restaurants (is there even a generic Chinese cuisine? The one in Shanghai is different from Beijing, and from other areas), they would not even like them very much. They go to American Chinese restaurants, which have a cuisine they like.
因为美国人不会去中餐馆（甚至是否存在一种通用的中国菜系？上海的与北京的以及其他地区的菜系都不同），他们可能并不太喜欢它们。他们去的是美式中餐馆，这些餐馆提供的是他们喜欢的菜肴。
If the easiest way I could get a foot hold in another country was by opening up an "American" restaurant with pizzas covered in corn and weird stuff or hamburgers made from lamb, then I'd do what needed to be done.
如果我能通过开一家"美式"餐馆来在另一个国家站稳脚跟，比如用玉米和奇怪的配料覆盖的披萨，或者用羊肉制成的汉堡，那我会做必要的事情。
Because they are trying to make money by selling the costomer population what it wants and will pay for, rather than foods they know well but the customers are not interested in.
因为他们想通过销售顾客想要并且愿意付费的食物来赚钱，而不是那些他们熟知但顾客不感兴趣的食物。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
If I were an American moving to China in order to make a life for myself by opening up a restaurant, I'd cook and sell whatever made me the most money.
如果我是一个移居中国、通过开餐馆来谋生的美国人，我就会做任何能让我赚到最多钱的菜肴。
Food is changing all the time. Cultures meet and cross-breed. It's been happening for ever. Even within ethnic communities, new recipes emerge to make use of the different availability of ingredients in a new place.
Chinese have a very old and vigorous commercial culture. They get on with it. It's the same reason their menus aren't always perfect English - there's a business to run, so who cares about the spelling? You want authenticity or you want to do business? This dish sells? We make it!
食物一直在改变。不同的文化相遇并交融，这种情况一直都在发生。即使在种族社区内部，也会出现新的菜谱，以利用新地方的不同食材供应。
中国有着非常古老而充满活力的商业文化。他们一直在做生意。这也是为什么他们的菜单上并不总是用完美的英语——因为有生意要做，谁会在意拼写？你想要真实性还是想要做生意？这道菜畅销？我们就做！
Years ago my mother asked me to drive her to this Chinese buffet for lunch . This was weird because my mom claimed it was an authentic Chinese place despite it being a buffet in the tourist area of our town, which is in the shadow of multiple theme parts/resort areas owned by multinational firms, one of which has a mouse for it's logo. So we went and it was...exactly what you expect. the most American of American Chinese food. Variations of General Tso's Chicken, Pepper Steak, fried rice, etc. Not bad but basically what you'd get at Panda Express in the the Mall. My mom was bummed and mad, saying that restaurants in the tourist area should make authentic Chinese food since there are so many international tourists. I told to her to look around. Most if not all the patrons were white people from either Middle America. We were probably the only Asians there. I told here that the majority of people eating there didn't want authentic Chinese food they wanted American Chinese good--basically chicken nuggets in sauce. That's what they want and that's what the buffet was serving so they made money.
多年前，我妈妈让我开车带她去一个中餐自助餐厅吃午餐。这很奇怪，因为我妈妈声称那是一个地道的中餐厅，尽管它位于我们镇上旅游区的自助餐厅，而我们的镇位于由跨国公司拥有的多个主题公园/度假区的阴影下，其中一个公司的标志是一只老鼠。所以我们去了，结果…正如你所期望的那样。最美式的美式中餐。各种变种的左宗棠鸡、青椒牛肉、炒饭等等。不错，但基本上就是你在商场的熊猫快餐里能吃到的东西。我妈妈很失望和生气，她说旅游区的餐馆应该做地道的中餐，因为有这么多国际游客。我告诉她四处看看。几乎所有的顾客都是来自中部美国的白人。我们可能是唯一的亚洲人。我告诉她，大多数在那里用餐的人并不想要地道的中餐，他们想要的是美式中餐——基本上是酱汁里的鸡块。这才是他们想要的，而这也是自助餐厅提供的，所以他们挣了钱。
My great grandparents opened a Chinese-American restaurant in Baltimore ~1940s. They were the only Asian family for miles, so there were no Asian grocery stores, no social media, no online shopping for international foods, etc. They had to improvise and come up with something similar but would also appeal to the non-Asian population which was majority white at the time.
上世纪40年代，我的曾祖父母在巴尔的摩开了一家美籍华人餐馆。他们是几英里内唯一的亚洲家庭，所以没有亚洲杂货店，没有社交媒体，没有网上购物的国际食品等等。他们不得不即兴发挥，想出一些类似的东西，但也能吸引当时以白人为主的非亚洲人口。
They know their audience and that authentic Chinese food probably wouldn’t sell as well as American Chinese food. It is a business, and so they’re going to do what’s most profitable for them.
他们了解自己的受众，而且正宗的中国菜可能不会像美国中餐那样卖得好。这是一门生意，所以他们会做对他们最有利的事情。
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处
The food in Italy is significant different than what you'll find in the USA. Try to order Spaghetti and meatballs and you'll see the horrible look you'll get.
You want really bad food? Go to an "american" restaurant in China.
意大利的食物和你在美国能找到的有很大的不同。试着点意大利面和肉丸子，你会看到别人的可怕表情。
你想吃非常难吃的食物?在中国去一家“美式”餐厅。
Because even if the restaurants serve delicious and authentic food, a lot of Americans will still ask for fries and ranch sauce. You also don't have to hire good Chinese chefs to cook American Chinese food. Another reason is that it is hard to procure some Chinese ingredients and condiments in the US.
因为即使餐馆提供美味正宗的食物，很多美国人还是会点薯条和牧场酱。你也不需要聘请好的中国厨师来做美式中餐。另一个原因是在美国很难买到一些中国的配料和调味品
In case you ever wondered how white and clueless Reddit is despite trying to be supposedly worldly and culturally aware, I'm just going to use this post as a reference from now on
如果你曾经想过Reddit尽管试图表现得世故和对文化有所了解，但实际上有多么白人和无知，从现在开始我就会把这篇帖子作为参考。
It's like bringing a taste of home to a new land – Chinese families in the U.S. craft a fusion of flavors that bridges cultures.
就像把家乡的味道带到新的土地上一样——美国的华裔家庭打造了一个融合口味的菜肴，架起了文化之间的桥梁。
Chinese cuisine has a history of adapting and assimilating to the available ingredients and pallet of the population. Happens in SEA too where I'm from. I'm Chinese and actually prefer the Chinese food outside of mainland china
中国菜有着适应和融合当地食材和口味的历史。在我来自的东南亚也发生着这种情况。我是华人，实际上更喜欢中国以外的中国菜。
Because i like the orange chicken and will more than likely order the orange chicken
因为我喜欢橙子鸡，很可能会点橙子鸡。
Why is this confusing? if you walk into a mcdonalds are you freaking out that america doesn't have a traditional history of eating big macs and those didn't exist before a real food (hamburgers) was modified to be more marketable? Almost every restaurant in the US isn't selling "traditional food"
为什么这让人困惑？如果你走进麦当劳，你会因为美国没有传统的吃大麦克汉堡的历史，而且在真正的食物（汉堡包）被改良成更具市场销售性之前根本不存在，而感到震惊吗？美国几乎所有的餐馆都不卖"传统食物"。