Gourmet Kingdom
Address: 301 E Main St, Carrboro, NC 27510
Phone: (919) 932-7222
Website: http://www.thegourmetkingdom.com/
Interviewee: Long*
Interviewer: Mackenzie Kwok
“Everything Localizes”
*first name used to protect privacy
I arrived at Gourmet Kingdom shortly after 1pm on a Friday. There were two people working in the front: the hostess, and the waiter, Long (龙, as in “dragon”). We sat at a booth near the back. Beside us, round tables would remain empty until the dinner rush.
We spoke in Chinese so he could feel more comfortable conveying the ideas and emotions he had. Audio clips in Chinese follow the English descriptions below.
Long is from Fujian (福建), in the East of China near Taiwan. He came just over nine years ago to join his parents who already work in other restaurants in North Carolina. He said he came over to all live together as a family.
Working in North Carolina
“I really like this place’s environment and the pace of life,” says Long. The views are nice and it’s more relaxed. In Fujian there are more people and so the pace of life is more rushed. Long says that the more people and shortage of jobs makes the feeling of life in Fujian feel more stressful. Still, working in Gourmet Kingdom is tiring. Constantly facing customers is an exhausting task, but since he’s worked at the restaurant for over nine years he has grown used to it. He would not necessarily want any future children of his to work in the service industry, since the work is tiring both physically and mentally. He hopes his future children can have a better life with a more relaxing job that does not demand so much.
Food in Fujian vs. Sichuan and North Carolina
In Fujian, Long is used to a more sour and sweet flavor. His favorite dishes are pecan shrimp and green onion fried tea smoke duck. He also likes Kung Pao Chicken and Mah Po Tofu (as long as it’s not too spicy!)
He said he’s eaten Fujianese food for over twenty years, so he’s definitely used to those sweet and sour tastes by now. He likes foods in America and Sichuanese foods from Gourmet Kingdom, but he still above all prefers food from his home. While he can eat General Tso’s Chicken and still like it, food from his home brings back memories and emotional feelings, what he called gan xiang (感想).
Gourmet Kingdom Clientele
Most of the clients at Gourmet Kingdom are non-Chinese Americans, said Long. Before, there wasn’t any kind of really authentic restaurant. Most of them were American Chinese restaurants, like sesame chicken, but this really was the first authentic Sichuan Chinese restaurant. He said a lot of American customers come here to try a little bit of Sichuan cuisine. He noticed that a lot of younger people might be more adventurous with trying Sichuan foods, but older customers who are used to American Chinese food sometimes do not like Gourmet Kingdom’s Sichuan specialty dishes. Long said that Gourmet Kingdom’s menu keeps American favorites like General Tso’s Chicken to appeal to young children and elderly people, since they may not be used to the “ma la” (麻辣) or numbing spicy flavors of Sichuan peppercorns. According to Long, the most popular dishes range from Americanized Chinese foods to the more “ma la” Sichuan tastes. General Tso’s and Moo Goo Gai Pan are common favorites, but so is the Mah Po Tofu.
Above: Lunch menu specials that include both Sichuan dishes and dishes Long called more American.
Chinese Food in America
Long said that having American Chinese food is typical. Restaurant workers like him are far away from China, where the spices and seasonings are in different supply. He said of course Chinese food changes as it comes to America; after all, American foods like steak and pizza also change as they’re in China. As he said, everything goes through a process of localization. This is typical. He has no problem with American Chinese food; he doesn’t think it tastes bad or is inferior to his native Fujianese food. He simply prefers Fujianese cuisine because he is accustomed to it and because of its emotional value.
Localizing
I thought it was particularly poignant how a worker in a self-proclaimed “authentic” Chinese restaurant accepts the face that “everything localizes.” He accepts what others would dismiss as the “Americanization of Chinese food,” but also accepts the localization of steaks and pizzas in China. Moreover, Long acknowledged his narrative and journey to the United States is different from that of Chinese immigration to New York and San Francisco. “Those places have older immigrant histories, and probably more Chinese food,” he said, “maybe even better Chinese food.” Still, his journey from Fujian to Carrboro, North Carolina, his love for North Carolina and Fujianese food, all highlight a Chinese immigration and Chinese food story that is more typical than we may realize. Long’s story is one of hard work and cultural awareness, and fully deserves to be celebrated.