tanspace

That's an interesting story on the Nagasaki version of Champon. I don't know the real history behind it, but chances are it is derived from the Shandong version of Chao Ma Mian. Chao Ma Mian (mandarin pronounciation) == sou ma men == jampong: they all basically mean the same dish which came from Shandong. However, I don't think this dish is invented in Japan. Champon may be invented in Japan by Chinese, but the original Chao Ma Mian has always been a Chinese dish (and spicy) - and the Koreanized version made by Chinese from Shandong is not very different from the original. -t

I'm sure there are tons of Korean-Chinese restaurants in NY, since there's both a large Korean population as well as a large Chinese from Korea population. The key is these restaurants don't put up a big neon "Korean-Chinese" sign in front of the restaurant like "Cantonese" or "Szechwan". If anything, more likely they'll proclaim to be "Mandarin" first and maybe "Sichuan" as well. The best way to find these is look for Chinese restaurants in the Koreantown neighborhood. Or ask any Korean friend you know where to get Jjajangmyeon or Jjampong, and they should be able to tell you. Or if you have no Korean friends, then at the END of a meal at a Korean restaurant, ask the waitress or anyone if they know where to find the above dishes, and hopefully they will tell you. -t

I remember the zongzi made by my Shandongese grandma was white. And the only filling I remember was the red bean paste. So it was a sweet version, and I ate them by dipping it in more sugar. I don't remember if there was a savory version or not since I only liked the sweet things as a kid. Also, I don't remember if it was boiled or steamed. I know the Taiwanese versions are definitely boiled and I agree with a previous poster that the hardest part is the bamboo leaves. I had to hand scrub each one of about 160 leaves (both sides!) that we used to make the 80 or so ZongZi a few weeks ago. That's one of the bad things about not being able to cook - you get relegated to doing the the labour intensive work which has little affect on the tastiness of the final product. -t

Ask any Chinese what Shandong food is famous, and you'll likely get the answers: Man Tou (steamed buns), Bao Zi, (steamed buns with filling), and Shui Jiao (water boiled dumplings), right off the top of their heads. Of course, as one of the four original cuisines (Beijing/Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, and Shanghai), there are lots more than the above. But for most part, Shandong or northern cuisine is famous for the wheat based, noodle based dishes. The most common style of filling for JiaoZi from Shandong is either Bai Cai (Chinese cabbage) with pork, or Jiu Cai (Chinese chives) with pork. Other viariations include fish, shrimp, or sea cucumber based fillings. One dish William mentioned, which is Sugar and Vinegar Pork is also one of the original "sweet and sour" type dishes. And it tastes different than the Cantonese version served in middle America. Most of these dishes can be found in America in "Korean-Chinese" restaurants. These restaurants are mostly owned and operated by Shandongese people, who had previously migrated to Korea (and popularized Chinese food in Korea) and eventually to America. Just as in the old days when Chinese food in America meant the variety from Cantonese restaurants, Chinese food in Korea meant the variety from Shandong restaurants. -t