Finding General Tso Chicken in China

Who does not love General Tso Chicken? It is a delightful and succulent breaded and spicy recipe and is one of the most requested dishes at Chinese Restaurants. While General Tso is famous here in the U.S., have we ever wondered if it is viewed the same way by the Chinese in China? I had the chance to find out when I visited China in 2002.

While stationed in South Korea, I had the opportunity to sign up for a four-day trip to Beijing, China. The trip consisted of visits to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and other locations around the city. The trip package included all meals except one where visitors were encouraged to explore Beijing and pay for their meals.

Our tour guide met the group at the airport and took us on our chartered bus to our hotel. The event planned for the first night was dinner at a local restaurant, followed by attending a show of the Chinese acrobatic theater. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were seated around round tables with food prepared in the center. The tabletop allowed people to spin and rotate the food to everyone. The food consisted of familiar items like white rice, noodles, and orange chicken. Each person was given a small plate, silverware, and chopsticks and would take turns spinning the table and putting small amounts of food on our plates. After a few spins, all the food was gone, and we asked the tour guide if more food was going to be brought out. The tour guide and the wait staff were astonished. The wait staff hurriedly told the kitchen staff to make more food. Thankfully, more food was brought out, but unfortunately, it was rapidly consumed as fast as the food came out. At the end of our meal, the tour guide realized that her American group had large appetites and that each individual in the group ate the equivalent of two to three Chinese people. The men ate closer to four times as much as the average Chinese individual. We asked the tour guide about the food and began asking her about General Tso Chicken. The group was surprised by her reaction because she appeared not to know what we were asking.

The next day, the group went to visit the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall is an engineering marvel to see in person. The Great Wall stretches for thousands of miles; however, we were only taken to a small section outside Beijing. Nevertheless, the group was able to walk up and down, take pictures, and buy souvenirs. After spending a few hours at the Great Wall, our next stop was the Forbidden City. On the way, we were going to stop for lunch, and thankfully the tour guide called ahead to inform the restaurant staff to prepare larger amounts of food. Once again, the food was good, but we kept asking about General Tso chicken, and our tour guide had no answer.

The following location the group visited after the Forbidden City was Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square was a large area where the Chinese protested in 1989 for freedom and were crushed by the government. On several occasions during the bus ride, members of the group asked the tour guide about the events of 1989, and her response indicated either she did not know much about the event or was not allowed to speak about it. While in Tiananmen Square, the group walked around taking photos near the location where a giant picture of Mao Zedong was located. As we walked around, we noticed that Chinese security services were keeping an eye on the group.

On the last day in China, the tour guide took us to several shopping areas and factors around Beijing. We visited a silk carpet factory that had a beautiful selection of handcrafted carpets. Looking back, I wish I had bought one that would have augmented the ones I purchased in the Middle East. After the factor tours, we headed back to the bus to stop for lunch and then back to the airport. As we got back on the bus, the tour guide was excited to inform us she found where we could get General Tso Chicken. She explained that we confused her because we mispronounced Tso and said the dish was not Chinese but Mongolian. Finally, she took us to a Mongolian Barbeque restaurant where they prepared General Tso Chicken for lunch.

The General Tso Chicken was good, but the story of its origins remains a mystery. If you look up where General Tso Chicken came from, you will find references to its roots in Hunan Province in Southern China. The dish is named after a Chinese general from the 1800s who served in the Qing dynasty. General Tso chicken is not considered an authentic Hunan dish and is not well known in the province. It is possible the tour guide confused General Tso Chicken with Mongolian Spicy Chicken since there are similarities. Despite the continued confusion, I will stick to the story that General Tso Chicken is Mongolian since the tour guide was determined to find it for her group of hungry Americans. If I ever get a chance to visit Hunan Province, I will ask for General Tso chicken and compare my experiences to determine the best.