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Tracy[_2_]

wrote:
> aem > writes:
>
>> Same for bean sprouts, never in the rice, almost
>> essential for the chow mein.......
>
> Wow! I thought I was the only one who insists on bean sprouts in my
> chow mein.
>
> Bean sprout-based chow mein used to be the norm. When I was a kid,
> every dish of chow mein from every Chinese restaurant I ever ate at,
> and there were many, was basically bean sprouts and other great
> veggies --water chestnuts, snow peas, onions, baby corn, etc-- dished
> over crispy fried noodles. Later, as an adult, when I moved to the
> SFBA, the largest Chinese population on the West Coast, I never saw a
> bean sprout ever again. Chow mein was now always pan fried noodles
> (basically limp greasy spaghetti) with a few (very few!) veggies mixed
> in. If I even mentioned bean sprouts, the resto ppl looked at me like
> I'd ordered bbq'd baby lips! What the Hell happened?
>
> I thought is was all me. One of the largest newsgroup threads I ever
> instigated was on ba.food and was about chow mein. I argued tooth and
> nail for days against an overwhelming majority who claimed chow mein
> IS ALWAYS pan fried noodles. Chow mein means noodles in Chinese, yada
> yada. I even went to old restos I knew as a kid, if they still existed.
> Nary a bean sprout in sight. I began to doubt my sanity.
>
> I finally found one lone restaurant, where my dad lives, that still
> serves bean sprout chow mein over crispy noodles. I am vindicated!
> One other questionable source still does that particular combination.
> Unfortunately, it's canned. Yes, Chung King! Ick.
>
> Now, if I want it my way with my beloved bean sprouts, I gotta make my
> own ...and I do.
>
> nb

This is how I recall chow mein as well - vegetables (with bean sprouts)
over crispy noodles. I live on the east coast though and I know Chinese
food is way different over here.

We used to get sub gum chow mein. I think it just meant the vegetables
were diced instead of thinly sliced. I really don't know. It's what we
(my family) always got along with a poo-poo platter and pork fried rice.
It was a long time before I realized that chinese food was more than
chow mein.

Tracy