China Orders Chicken Killed By Snakes Off Menus

But chain's 'Chinese' food is very different from traditional fare

(NEWSER) - Panda Express is weighing an expansion to China—but it could be tough sell for the Chinese food chain, given that American-style Chinese food here is “very alien” in China, writer Jennifer 8. Lee tells NPR . Indeed, American-Chinese food is a cuisine all its own, she notes. Take General Tso’s chicken: “I actually went to the home town of General Tso,” says writer Lee. “I showed them pictures of General Tso's chicken,” and “they were like, 'Huh, we've never seen this!'” More»

General never tasted dish but Kissinger was a big fan

(NEWSER) - The Qing dynasty military leader General Tso never tasted the chicken dish that bears his name, Francis Lam finds in a journey into Chinese food history. Classically trained Hunan chef Peng Chang-kuei created the dish and named it after his province's hero after fleeing to Taiwan with the Nationalists in 1949, but the version we know today owes just as much to New York as to Hunan, Lam writes in Salon. More»

PETA rips cruel food video

(NEWSER) - Footage of Chinese diners tucking into a still-breathing fish has outraged animal rights groups. The video, which has attracted thousands of viewers on YouTube, shows the fish being picked apart with chopsticks as diners laugh and the fish gapes. It had been kept alive during cooking with a wet towel over its head. PETA calls the video "disgusting" and says "every decent person should be shocked," the Telegraph reports. More»

Latest targets: chickens and tires

(NEWSER) - US-China trade tensions escalated yesterday when Beijing announced it was investigating whether the US dumped auto parts and chicken products onto the Chinese market, the LA Times reports. An expert calls the retaliatory move, which comes days after the White House slapped a 35% import tariff on Chinese tires, "a turning point in US-China relations, likely to represent a trend toward subtle, if not overt, forms of protectionism from both sides." More»

(NEWSER) - Poison control centers have witnessed a steep rise in snakebites in parts of the country this summer, USA Today reports. Authorities in central Texas say bites are up 35%, and southern California has seen many more serious cases than usual. Some experts suspect more snakes are developing powerful toxins in their venom, although conclusive evidence has yet to emerge. More»