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65% Critic Match
The Search for General Tso
6.5 / 10• 2014• 1h 11m•NR• English
Documentary
Storyline
From New York City to the farmlands of the Midwest, there are 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S., yet one dish in particular has conquered the American culinary landscape with a force befitting its military moniker—“General Tso’s Chicken.” But who was General Tso and how did this dish become so ubiquitous? Ian Cheney’s delightfully insightful documentary charts the history of Chinese Americans through the surprising origins of this sticky, sweet, just-spicy-enough dish that we’ve adopted as our own.
Cast & Crew
SC
Susan Carter
Self - American historian
Lead
Ian Cheney
self
PC
Philip Chiang
Self - restaurant owner
AC
Andrew Coe
Self - food writer
LX
Liang Xiao Jin
Self - Chinese historian
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Ian Cheney's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Search for General Tso is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
