George wrote on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 09:49:54 -0400:

> On 11/4/2010 8:39 AM, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>> Steve wrote:
>>
>>> I have never seen anything beyond fried banana or [often
>>> complimentary] orange slices in any Chinese restaurant.
>>>
>>> I suppose in Sheldon's Reality they all have a dessert cart full of
>>> French pastries and confections.
>>>
>>> IOW: you're full of shit.
>>
>> In Auburn, Maine, I used to frequent a Chinese restaurant
>> which had profiteroles on the menu. You could have them
>> either with vanilla or ginger ice cream.
>>
>> But places like that are few and far between.
>>
>> Bob
>>
> Sure, there are any number of non-traditional permutations
> including those Chinese buffet places that have sprung up all over the
> place that have tater tots and cheap pizza in
> addition to the trays of industrial Chinese food. Thats fine
> but anyone who knows anything about Asian cuisine knows that
> the concept of appetizers or desserts isn't part of a meal and
> wouldn't even note the absence of appetizers or desserts on an
> Asian restaurant menu.

Traditionally, a Chinese dinner is eaten family style with several
shared dishes and does not lend itself to a separation into appetizers,
entrees and desserts. There is also the Western notion that a Chinese
meal ends with soup but that's a misapprehension from the fact that the
broth is drunk at the end of cooking of a Mongolian Hot-Pot.

I don't think that fried banana is a really Chinese dish but I've seen
it on menus for over 40 years.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not