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britt_is_questioning t1_jdhqilj wrote

As in 'Merica, In Ecuador the Chinese people built the cities for the Spanish conquerors. The Chinese cooks didn't have access to their usual ingredients, so they used local vegetables. Their creation is called "Chifa", and is wonderful.

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_Haverford_ t1_jdkfguc wrote

I've had chifa in Quito and New York. Tastes exactly like American Chinese food. What am I doing wrong??

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britt_is_questioning t1_jdmyggo wrote

Nothing! For 6 mos. I thought Chifa meant Chinese food. Then a owner told us the story and history. I was amazed, I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Maybe nowadays they can get a larger amount of ingredients. Maybe if we had eaten Chifa 100 years ago we could notice.

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_Haverford_ t1_jdn2pkz wrote

Honestly, I was kinda bummed. I was hoping for like, Sichuan plantanos. But stepping into a Quito Chinese restaurant and having it look EXACTLY like any Chinese restaurant in the US was quite a surreal experience. I even think there was an owner's kid doing homework in a booth!!

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palaric8 t1_jdko1mc wrote

Same in peru. In lima there’s a chifa every couple of blocks or so.

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