Shangrila Chinese Restaurant

Did you know that the Japanese usually eat miso soup not at the beginning of the meal, but at the end -- to aid digestion? Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock into which miso paste is mixed. Various other ingredients are added depending on personal tastes.

Several websites identify eight regions in China that have had the most influence on Chinese culinary traditions. They are Sichuan, Hunan, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong (Cantonese), Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shandong cuisines. These regional cuisines have been benchmarked as models on how the Chinese should cook their dishes.

Not sure what exactly qualifies as Taiwanese food? There’s no need to be ashamed about it. Taiwanese cuisine has a wide variety of different dishes and styles, so you’ll be sure to find something on the menu to fits your tastes, even if you’re new to the cuisine.

Different provinces in China are known for their distinctive cuisine. For example, Cantonese cuisine is noted for its sweet dishes, while Szechuan cuisine is often spicy and bold. Take the time to sample them all, including Hunan and Fujian.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, a sweet flavor can "tone the body", alleviate illness, and improve one's mood. Sweet Chinese seasonings mainly include sugar, honey, and various jams.

If you eat with a Chinese friend for the first time, don’t be too surprised if they put food on your plate. This is a gesture of respect and friendliness, not because they don’t like what they’re eating.

Did you know that there are no dairy products used in Chinese food and that the Chinese eat about three times as many vegetables than Americans? Did you also know that ice cream originated in China in around 2000 B.C., or that soup is the last course consumed in a Chinese meal?

Kung pao sauces were originally made using particularly spicy peppercorns from the Sichuan province. In the 1960s, these peppercorns were no longer available in the US, so most Chinese restaurants reformulated their kung pao sauces to use other types of peppercorn.

Did you know that in China, rice is their staple food? In fact, much of their culture has been built around an agricultural way of life centered on the cultivation and harvest of rice. Thus, it’s not surprising that rice plays such a prominent role in Chinese-American dishes.

When you eat Chinese food, you will usually receive a set of chopsticks, often made of wood, with your meal. Chopsticks can be made of different materials: porcelain, metal, wood, bamboo. Rulers in Asia even used silver chopsticks with gold being reserved for those of the highest nobility!

Food historians believe we have China to thank for the invention of ice cream, which occurred around 2,000 B.C. Care to guess what explorer introduced ice cream to Europe? If you guessed Marco Polo, you're right.

Did you know that the Chinese are big on fruits and vegetables? They eat twice as much fiber as those in the West, resulting in a healthier diet and lifestyle!

Did you know that there are five different classic styles of Chinese cuisine? These are Beijing, Cantonese, Hunan, Sichuan, and Fujian. Each of these has different tastes and style, but you’ll find many of their favorites at a Chinese buffet.

American Chinese cuisine has many different influences, including Chinese, French, Japanese, and Italian food. Dishes like Crab Rangoon (based on French Polynesian cuisine) and the fortune cookie (adapted from a Japanese cracker) have blended seamlessly into the food you'll find at a Chinese restaurant.

The vastness of Chinese culinary traditions is best presented through the buffet style of dining. Here, we are able to show off the different types of foods and preparation techniques so that our guests can enjoy all the country has to offer.

No matter if you eat to live or live to eat, you will find that Taiwanese food will nourish you on the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. Whether dining alone, with friends, or with family, you will leave us refreshed, renewed, and ready to enjoy the world.

Born in China in 1889, Buwei Yang Chao was the author of the first English-language Chinese cookbook, published in 1940. Today she’s best remembered for this cookbook, but then, she was recognized as the first Chinese woman to be formally educated as a doctor.

You may know the capital of China is Beijing, but is Beijing also the largest city by population? If you guessed yes, guess again. The most populous city in China is Shanghai.

Can you guess which day of the year is the busiest for Chinese restaurants? Perhaps you've heard it's Christmas, but is it true? In fact, Christmas is the busiest day for Chinese restaurants.

Have you ever wondered why most Chinese food is cut into bite sized pieces? It turns out there's a good reason: In China, fuel has always been a precious commodity, and cooking meals quickly was originally a cost saving measure. Minced and diced foods cook fast.

Chinese food began its rise in popularity in the latter part of the 19th century when workers came over to work on the transcontinental railroads, bringing the flavors and techniques of Cantonese cuisine with them.

While rice seems to dominate much of Chinese cuisine, it is not the exclusive grain. In northern China, for example, its geography and climate make wheat the principal grain and it is used to create noodles and dumplings.

Rice is naturally filling. Why? That water used to steam rice makes it plump and juicy, but the expansion process common in rice doesn't stop there. Even after a grain of rice enters your stomach, it keeps absorbing the available liquid and expanding. That's why rice makes you feel fuller longer.

During the Shang and Chou Dynasties, beef, mutton, pork, and various wild game were preserved with salt, fermenting, and vinegar curing. Plants like royal fern, smartweed, and thistle were also collected in the wild, and dishes were enhanced by cooking in animal fat.

In China, soup is not served at the beginning of meals as it is in most countries. It is typically served at the end of the meal to help with better digestion.

Did you know that traditionally a typical Chinese meal is composed of several main dishes as opposed to one main dish? Buffet-style dining makes it easy to eat in this way, as you can choose from a range of meat, vegetable, and fish dishes, as well as a variety of soups.

A lot of Chinese cuisine tends to use a yellow wine (shaoxing-style wine), but not Taiwanese cooking. Taiwan uses a lighter, clear rice wine which is similar to the Japanese rice wine mirin, but the Taiwanese version is less salty than mirin.

If you love pot stickers, you're in good company. Pot stickers consistently rate in the top five of Chinese food favorites. They're also a traditional Chinese New Year food. For the holiday, though, a coin is concealed inside one pot sticker. It's believed that the person who gets the coin will have a great year.

Fried rice is a dish of steamed rice that has been stir fried in a wok and often includes vegetables and egg mixed into it.

Tofu is a food of Chinese origin and is frequently included in Chinese-American dishes. Tofu is essentially soy bean curd, with a consistency and look that’s similar to cheese.