Directed by Ian Cheney | USA | 2014 | Documentary | 73 mins
Sponsor: A Single Pebble
Film Source: IFC Films
Introduced by Chiuho Duval, Single Pebble.
Screening preceded by a General Tso tasting reception by A Single Pebble
Scan the menu of any Chinese restaurant in America and you’ll likely find some variation of General Tso’s chicken. The spelling might vary (General Tsao, Tao, Chau, etc.), but the sweet and spicy chicken dish, deep-fried with a side of broccoli, will invariably be near the top of the list. But who exactly was General Tso, and how did his namesake dish become a staple in the American takeout diet? Those are the questions asked and answered in Ian Cheney’s lighthearted but surprisingly enlightening documentary, which uses the most widely ordered Chinese food as a springboard to examine the history of Chinese emigration – and the racism, discrimination and cultural stereotypes faced by Chinese-Americans during the 20th century.