Oct. 24, 2015, 7pm
Muenzinger Auditorium, CU-Boulder campus
Ian Cheney (Filmmaker)
USA, Taiwan, China, English, Color, 71 minutes
Introduction by Edwin Zoe, owner of Zoe Ma Ma
The Search for General Tso is an entertaining documentary that examines Chinese-American food through an inquiry into the origins of General Tso’s chicken. Who was General Tso and what were the origins of the dish? How did General Tso’s chicken come to represent the cuisine of a nation? Director Ian Cheney (King Corn) travels the globe from New York to the Midwest to Shanghai to beyond to discover the truth behind this staple of Chinese-American restaurants.
In the process, the film also explores Chinese-American assimilation, how cuisine adapts to a new culture, and food as cultural heritage. Told with the vivacity of a good detective story, The Search for General Tso’s Chicken is as much a story about the American immigrant experience as it is about food.