I was talking with someone about “Chinese Food.” We talked about American “Chinese” dishes and dishes that are actually from China.

I’ve only had a handful of authentic Chinese dishes. Some were passed down in my family from my Chinese grandmother. Another was a simple meal with a grad student from abroad. And then a meal at a great place in Beijing, China.

MOST of what I’ve had, though isn’t a dish that would be recognized in the East. Things like General Tsao’s Chicken or Cashew Chicken – the latter of which was invented in Springfield, MO.

And then, of course there is the fortune cookie, which is an invention made in San Francisco.

When you take one concept and apply it to another field, there is always more possibility of it becoming a new entity. Maybe better, maybe worse, or maybe just different.

What’s fun to see is that the new version is something someone created for a new market. Someone saw something new and tried to apply it in a relevant way in a new place.