Moo Shu Pork

[La Niña]

Gotcha.

[Bux]

No you are confusing what I said. I have a general proffer that Americans find eating sandwiches to be a less refined dining experience then if the ingredients were presented decomposed. And in light of that I offer that Moo Shu was sort of fadish. It was hip and trendy for a while but when people realized it was really a sandwich, it fell out favor. It used to be a centerpiece of the meal. Even those lettuce bundles at Canton which were popular for a while fell out of style because what is the purpose of wrapping it and eating it? There is nothing that can't be served outside of its wrapper and almost everything tastes better without it. This of course is different for things like dim sum which perform a lunchtime function.

I think New Yorkers just like to find new fads and that it has little to do with any resemblance to sandwiches. Most New Yorkers don't go to Chinese restaurants with refined dining in mind. That may be their loss, but that's not the issue at hand. I wasn't aware the lettuce bundles had fallen out of favor. I better be careful of my company in Chinatown.

I think the lettuce leaf is an integral part of that dish. While I've finished off the minced squab on its own, I've also asked for more lettuce leaves to enjoy the remaining filling. The most faddish thing about the dish to me is how restaurants have gone from calling it a lettuce taco to a lettuce wrap or cup. It's hard to argue with anyone's taste, but the contribution of the lettuce is significant in my mind and it's like removing a major component of the dish to eliminate the lettuce wrapper.

[Pan]

It's been a long time since we discussed Moo Shu dishes in this forum, and we have many new members. Do you make Moo Shu dishes? How do you make them? Do you order them in restaurants? What do you feel is the right way to make them?

[afn33282]

Golden Palace in Birmingham, AL. Seriously.

May not be authentic, but this restaurant is a gem.

[stephenc]

IJust like Peking Duck was a phase.

And that's why real chinese people never eat Peking Duck.