




































Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

49 
 

Chinese Food Culture and Intercultural Communication:  

The American Chinese Restaurant as an Example 

Yujing Liu 

Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China 

 

Abstract 

In recent years, more and more Chinese restaurants have opened in the 

United States. However, in order to make Chinese food better accepted by 

American customers, Chinese cuisine has been adapted to American 

tastes, and become American Chinese food. Traditional and original 

Chinese food is replaced gradually by American Chinese food because of 

this acculturation. In addition, since Chinese food entered the United 

States with Chinese workers, the Chinese food that Americans first came 

into contact with was not authentic Chinese food and they also had a 

stereotype of Chinese food as unsanitary and of low-quality. Thus, how to 

fully integrate the traditional Chinese food culture while quickly integrating 

into the local culture is a major challenge for American Chinese restaurants 

to deal with. Why do we emphasize the importance of maintaining Chinese 

characteristics? The reasons are as follows. Firstly, in the United States, 

Chinese restaurants are not only a place to serve food. For Chinese 

immigrants, it also has the function of transmitting information, gaining a 

sense of belonging and easing Chinese immigrants’ homesickness. For 

American customers, Chinese restaurants offer them the opportunity to 

experience Chinese culture. Therefore, only by maintaining Chinese 

characteristics can these two functions be better run. Secondly, due to the 

stereotype of Chinese food for American customers and the competition of 

other ethnic restaurants, the market competitiveness of Chinese 

restaurants is gradually decreasing. Therefore, only by forming their own 

characteristics and passing on the attractive traditional Chinese culture to 

American customers can change the stereotype of American customers 

about Chinese restaurants, make Chinese food better accepted by 

American customers and enhance the competitiveness of Chinese 

restaurants. Chinese restaurants should pay attention to the Chinese 

cultural connotation of dishes and pay attention to the creation of the 

cultural atmosphere. Only in this way can they gain acceptance by 

American customers while better conveying Chinese culture. 

http://www.gpejournal.org/


Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

50 
 

Introduction 

 

In the TV series "Friends", Chandler's mother said in an interview that she liked to eat 

Kung Pao Chicken. Although this is only a TV clip, it reflects the reality that Chinese 

cuisine has infiltrated into the lives of foreign people after the years of development. 

According to media reports, there are more than 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the 

United States (www.chinanews.com, 2006). The New York Times reported that the 

number of Chinese restaurants in the United States exceeds the sum of American 

restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Burger King and ditto. However, although the 

number of Chinese restaurants is increasing, they still face many problems. For example, 

many Chinese restaurants offer American Chinese food instead of authentic Chinese 

food. Americans' favorite Chinese foods such as General Tso's Chicken, Chop Suey, 

Sweet and Sour Pork, Crab Rangoon, Beef with Broccoli and Fortune Cookies are very 

different from their Chinese versions. The New York Times reporter Li Jing has 

conducted a survey on the origins of Chinese cuisine that is popular in the United States 

and has written a book called The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, in which she investigates 

the origin of General Tso's Chicken. When she came to Hunan Province, the hometown 

of General Tso, and asked the local people if they knew General Tso's Chicken, they said: 

"We have never heard of this dish" (Jennifer 8. Lee, 2013). Chinese food entered the 

United States with Chinese workers, but not by professional Chinese chefs, so the 

Chinese food that Americans first came into contact with was not authentic Chinese food. 

In addition, because the Chinese laborers themselves were in a difficult situation in the 

United States and their income was meager, the ingredients they cook were not very 

exquisite. This also made Americans create a stereotype of Chinese food as the 

unsanitary and low-quality food. In the second half of the 19th century, the rumors of 

Chinese eating mice were widely circulated in the United States. In 1877, in a cartoon 

published in the American magazine, Americans enjoyed a sumptuous Thanksgiving 

dinner together, and the Chinese were eating rats (Gourmet, 2016). This 

misunderstanding lasted for nearly a century. Thus, how to fully integrate the traditional 

Chinese food culture into the local culture is a major challenge for American Chinese 

restaurants to deal with. We talk about the current problems faced by Chinese 

restaurants, and why Chinese restaurants need to maintain Chinese characteristics and 

how to make Chinese foods fully convey the traditional Chinese food culture while being 

accepted by American customers. We also mention how to enhance the competitiveness 

of Chinese restaurants. 

 

The Importance of Maintaining Chinese Characteristics 

 

In the United States, you can see Chinese restaurants in both the bustling New York and 

the remote towns. At present, Chinese food has become a commonplace for Americans, 

but many Chinese foods that Americans know are not found in China. Therefore, the 

http://www.gpejournal.org/
http://www.chinanews.com/


Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

51 
 

Chinese food that Americans are familiar with is American-style Chinese food, which is a 

new dish created by Chinese restaurant chefs to adapt to the tastes of American 

customers. Most of these American Chinese dishes have lost their Chinese 

characteristics. Therefore, it is very important to make Chinese food accepted by 

Americans while maintaining its Chinese characteristics. Why do we emphasize the 

necessity of maintaining Chinese characteristics? Firstly, Chinese food is more than just 

food. Eating Chinese food is not just an act. It also carries Chinese culture and has a 

certain cultural connotation. For example, Chinese people need to eat rice balls on the 

Lantern Festival and rice balls are more than just a dessert. It also means a reunion. 

Another example, dumplings are shaped like ingots, so eating dumplings has the 

meaning of being rich. Chinese people eat dumplings during the Spring Festival, which 

means praying for peace and hoping that everything will go smoothly in the coming year. 

Dumplings with different fillings and shapes also have different meanings. For example, 

cabbage dumplings mean to make more money and fish dumplings mean a surplus. If 

the stuffing of the dumplings is changed to a cream or a filling of an apple pie, the 

dumplings also lose its cultural connotation. Therefore, Chinese cuisine contains rich 

Chinese culture. Only by making authentic Chinese food can we better convey Chinese 

culture. When Chinese people appreciate a dish, they always mention that the dish has 

an attractive color, the smell of the dish is nice, and it is very delicious. To achieve such 

standards is related to the selected ingredients, cooking methods and the time of 

cooking. For instance, the traditional method of cooking Kung Pao Chicken is stir-frying, 

so if you change to deep frying, the taste of this dish may change. The heat and time of 

cooking can also affect the taste and appearance of the dish. So, if you want to provide 

authentic Chinese food, you can't change any ingredients and cooking methods of this 

dish.   

 

Secondly, American Chinese restaurants have multiple functions. For Chinese 

immigrants and students, these restaurants have developed multiple functions besides 

serving foods. First of all, for Chinese immigrants, both Chinese cuisine and restaurant 

decoration have created a hometown atmosphere. This gives them a strong sense of 

belonging and eases their homesickness. According to Ting Shi's survey on how 

Chinese restaurants in her research location adapt to both American and Chinese 

customers’ tastes and dining cultures, some Chinese restaurants offer Chinese 

customers the privilege, for example, Chinese students are even allowed to get 

chopsticks and cooked dishes in the kitchen by themselves (Shi, Ting, 2017). Some 

Chinese restaurant owners consider Chinese students who often come to their 

restaurants to eat as family members and share their food with them. “At Tasty Garden, 

the server, who is also the owner’s mother, refers to herself as ‘aunt’ when talking to 

Chinese students, who are of similar age as her son” (Shi, Ting, 2017). In some special 

festivals such as the Spring Festival, some Chinese restaurants will provide Chinese 

customers with dumplings for free. All of the above behaviors will make Chinese 

http://www.gpejournal.org/


Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

52 
 

customers feel warm, especially when they are treated like a family member by the 

owner of the restaurant, they will feel like they are back to their hometown, which will 

reduce their homesickness. For Chinese immigrants, Chinese restaurants also have a 

function, obtaining information on life and learning. For example, some restaurant 

owners know some part-time job information or renting information. Chinese customers 

who come to the restaurant can consult the boss if they need it. For American customers, 

the Chinese restaurant is a place to experience exotic culture and taste Chinese food. 

Although some Chinese dishes are not traditional, they are still American Chinese foods 

that are based on traditional Chinese dishes. They were not available in the United 

States in the past. Therefore, they can feel Chinese culture when they taste American 

Chinese food. In addition to food, most Chinese restaurants manifest their ethnic identity 

through the decoration in the store. The decorations that often appear in Chinese 

restaurants are Chinese knots, screens, Chinese calligraphy and paintings, lanterns, and 

so on. Some restaurants will place terracotta warriors on both sides of the door. Through 

Chinese-style decoration and playing traditional Chinese music, these restaurants can 

create a very strong atmosphere of Chinese culture and manifest their ethnic identity. So, 

when American customers step into Chinese restaurants, they can experience Chinese 

culture immediately.  

 

Thirdly, because of stereotypes of Chinese food as unsanitary and of low-quality, the 

popularity of Chinese restaurants is challenged. In the 1920s, the first Chinese migrated 

to the United States. After that, a large number of Chinese continued to emigrate to the 

United States. As the gold rush faded, Americans began to hate and exclude Chinese 

immigrants. At the end of the 19th century, Americans did not like the Chinese 

immigrants because they believed that the Chinese had taken their jobs. Because of the 

prejudice, Americans are also disgusted with Chinese food. They suspect that Chinese 

people eat rats. There is a painting in the children's textbook of the late 19th in the United 

States, in which a Chinese is eating a mouse. In the 1860s, when Mark Twain 

interviewed a shopkeeper named Acheng, he did not hesitate to accept a glass of brandy 

handed over by the owner, but declined a small sausage that looked clean, because 

people at that time were afraid that there was rat meat in the sausage. At that time, 

Americans believed that the source of Chinese food was unknown, and the shape of the 

ingredients was strange. Nowadays, although Chinese food is very popular in the United 

States, people still have stereotypes about Chinese food. On January 29, 2007, CW11 

television station in the United States broadcast a news report that a Chinese restaurant 

called "New Fujian" in Brooklyn, New York, had a rat meat in the takeaway food "Kale 

Chicken", which caused Americans to panic (china.com.cn, 2007). Although this report is 

not true, it also shows the prejudice of Americans on Chinese food still exists.  

 

Fourthly, with the opening of other ethnic restaurants such as Japanese restaurants and 

Thai restaurants, Chinese food has encountered strong rivals. The Chinese cuisine that 

http://www.gpejournal.org/


Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

53 
 

once flourished is no longer the case, and the market competitiveness of Chinese 

restaurants has gradually decreased. Moreover, although the number of Chinese 

restaurants in the United States is huge, they are rarely certified by mainstream 

authorities. For example, more than 650 chefs and experts from around the world have 

been organized by the authoritative restaurant magazine “Restaurants” in the UK, and 

they selected 50 of the best restaurants in the world, but none of the Chinese restaurants 

were selected (www.chinanews.com, 2007). In recent years, the Le Guide Michelin has 

awarded stars to restaurants around the world, and it is still difficult to see Chinese 

restaurants. No Chinese restaurant has won a star while some Japanese restaurants 

have received two stars.  

 

Based on the reasons above, we can see some major challenges faced by Chinese 

restaurants. Only by better displaying the cultural connotation and uniqueness of 

Chinese food, forming its own characteristics and passing on the attracting Chinese 

traditional culture to American customers can they change the stereotype of American 

customers about Chinese restaurants, and make Chinese food better accepted by 

American customers. Only in this way can they enhance the competitiveness of Chinese 

restaurants. 

 

How to enhance the competitiveness of Chinese restaurants 

 

Chinese restaurants are in competition with various restaurants. How do they better 

occupy the US market? I have the following suggestions. 

 

Firstly, they need to maintain the characteristics of Chinese cuisine especially in 

appearance and taste. They need to show American customers the difference between 

Chinese food and other national foods such as Japanese and Thai. If Chinese food is 

continuously Americanized only by considering the tastes of Americans, Chinese food 

will lose its own characteristics. Secondly, Chinese restaurants need to have an 

international strategic goal in order to promote their own development, just like many 

international brands such as McDonald and Starbucks. Chinese restaurants should learn 

from these international brands, and they need to be scaled and chained rather than 

satisfied with small-scale operations. There are also certain problems in the 

management and service of Chinese restaurants. In order to expand the market, 

Chinese restaurants must strengthen their own management, and need to improve the 

quality of dishes and improve the quality of service personnel. They need to be familiar 

with local regulations related to restaurant operations. Chinese restaurants need to 

improve the dining environment in order to eliminate the stereotype of American 

customers about Chinese restaurants. The Panda Express that is popular in the United 

States is a successful case.  

 

http://www.gpejournal.org/


Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

54 
 

Panda Express is the largest Chinese fast food restaurant in the United States. Founder 

Zhengchang Cheng expanded it from a small restaurant to the largest Chinese fast food 

restaurant with more than 1,800 stores in the United States in more than thirty years. The 

founder believes that Panda Express can be successful mainly for the following reasons. 

The first one is friendly and high-quality service. Whenever a guest leaves because there 

is no seat, the restaurant owner goes to the parking lot to apologize to the guest and 

asks if he is willing to wait a moment and then delivers the drink. Sometimes when the 

guests finished eating, he will provide some dishes or desserts for free to surprise them. 

In this way, Panda Express has accumulated some loyal guests in the initial stage. 

Secondly, it is important to streamlined menu. This makes it easier to standardize dishes. 

It not only controls the quality of the dishes, but also controls the cost of the restaurant, 

which is one of the keys to the success of the Panda Express. Last but not least, they 

should create culture atmosphere from decoration, service, dishes and other aspects. 

For example, the ingredients are prepared in advance at the processing plant and 

distributed to the branches through the logistics company. All seasonings are also 

prepared in advance according to the recipe. In this way, Panda Express has developed 

into a chained restaurant and has achieved better economies of scale. Most importantly, 

Panda Express has introduced the information management system into the 

management of the restaurant. They invented the catering system management 

software. By using this software, they can effectively order food, automatically track 

inventory and purchase ingredients. In addition, it can also reduce food waste. So, if 

American Chinese restaurants want to expand the market, they need to learn from 

Panda Express. Thirdly, with the improvement of living standards, consumers pay more 

attention to green and healthy diets. There are many vegetarians in the United States. 

Chinese restaurants should follow this trend to launch healthy recipes and develop 

Chinese dishes with low calorie, low fat, low cholesterol, low sugar and low salt. Last but 

not least, it is necessary to create the restaurant culture atmosphere, from the decoration 

of the store to the selection of tableware, which should fully reflect the traditional Chinese 

culture. Restaurants can also launch cultural events based on traditional Chinese 

festivals. For example, in the Mid-Autumn Festival, an event that allows customers to 

make moon cakes can be launched. With the spread of Chinese culture around the world, 

traditional Chinese opera dramas and comic dialogues have gradually become known to 

foreigners. For example, Deyun, a famous professional comic dialogue society in China, 

has performed in New Zealand. Therefore, American Chinese restaurants can launch 

comic dialogue or Peking Opera in the Spring Festival to attract more customers. Only 

by expressing the unique Chinese culture can Chinese restaurants be different from 

other ethnic restaurants and get the attention of American customers. 

 

A plate of Chinese food contains five flavors of sour, sweet, bitter and salty. A plate of 

Chinese food also contains extensive and profound Chinese culture. The Chinese food 

culture has gradually penetrated into the mainstream American society. The Japanese 

http://www.gpejournal.org/


Global Partners in Education Journal – Special Edition   February 2020, Vol. 8, No. 1  
http://www.gpejournal.org/   ISSN 2163-758X 
 
 

55 
 

said that there must be a Toyota car in the place where there is a road. The Chinese said 

that there must be Chinese restaurants in places where people live. Chinese restaurants 

need to form their own characteristics and pass on the attractive Chinese traditional 

culture to American customers. On this basis, Chinese restaurants should also adapt to 

the tastes of American customers. Only in this way can we better realize the idea that 

wherever people live, there are Chinese restaurants. 

 

References 

 

Lee, Jennifer. (2013). The fortune cookie chronicles. Beijing: New Star Press. 

 

Shi, Ting. (2017). Acculturation and ethnic identification of American Chinese       

restaurant. Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 9–29.  

 

(May 24, 2006). “There are more than 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States, 

with more than 300,000employees” Retrieved from 

http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2006-05-24/11339013128s.shtml?from=wap 

 

(April 19, 2007). “In protest of CW11's discrediting of Chinese restaurants, the overseas 

Chinese community in the United States plans to act again in May.” 

http://www.china.com.cn/overseas/txt/2007-04/19/content_8138287.htm 

 

(November 22, 2007). How does the Chinese food industry in New York break through 

the predicament? Retrieved from 

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2007-11-22/134512950998s.shtml?from=wap   

 

(December 12, 2016). “How does Chinese cuisine conquer Americans”. Retrieved from 

http://m.sohu.com/a/122942942_562448 

 

 

Yujing Liu is a female college student of the School of History and Culture at Shaanxi 

Normal University in Xian, China. Her interests are in Chinese food and Chinese food 

culture. In addition, she is fond of intercultural communication and was inspired to write 

the article after experience showed that despite the large number of Chinese restaurants 

in America their cuisine is not authentic. Email: 837103570@qq.com  

 

 

http://www.gpejournal.org/
http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2006-05-24/11339013128s.shtml?from=wap
http://www.china.com.cn/overseas/txt/2007-04/19/content_8138287.htm
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2007-11-22/134512950998s.shtml?from=wap
http://m.sohu.com/a/122942942_562448
mailto:837103570@qq.com

