Dumplings and Wontons: Siblings or Cousins?

            
             Before I came to the United states, I noticed that people in lots of American TV shows like to order Chinese takeout. But it was not until I came to the United States that I realized how popular Chinese food is in America. Except for Chinatown and Flushing where Chinese people and restaurants assemble, you definitely can find a Chinese restaurant within ten blocks. I once went to Han Dynasty, a Chinese restaurant, at nine in the evening and half of the people in the restaurant were Americans. It surprised me because to my limited knowledge on American people, they usually go to bars at this time. But what surprised me more was that almost every table ordered a plate of dumplings. Since then, I started to keep an eye on the omnipresent dumplings. Not before long that I came to the conclusion: Americans love dumplings. Indeed, dumplings are so popular that they are even on the snack menu of a bar called Tropical 128. (Sipher) When I asked Americans on my floor why they like dumplings, most of them said, "Cheap and delicious." But this phenomenon makes me think that out of so many delicious and cheap Chinese food, why dumplings?.
             Chinese Preoccupation with Food.
             Before talking about why dumplings become so popular, I think I should talk about how great Chinese cuisine is. Because the more you know about the greatness of Chinese cuisine, the more you will wonder why the common and unimpressive dumplings become so popular. It is well known to the whole world that the Chinese preoccupation with food has long pervaded all segments of the society. Indeed, food is as precious to the Chinese as the fine arts are to the Westerners. Because of the scarcity of food especially in ancient times, Chinese have over the centuries learned to treat all edible materials with great respect and care. Many foreigners sometimes regard Chinese people as a nation that eats everything. In fact, Chinese make use of every resource available to them, including duck's webs, fish heads, pig brains and chicken blood, partly because of the scarcity of food in ancient times.