If you like to eat at Chinese restaurants in the United States, you’ve probably consumed copious quantities of General Tso’s Chicken, a crowd-pleasing dish that typically combines breaded, deep-fried chicken in a sweet-and-spicy red sauce with steamed broccoli. I know I did, before I became a vegetarian (now I restrict myself to General Tso’s Tofu).
Why does this particular dish turn up on the menu of virtually every Chinese restaurant in America? Where did it come from? Is it authentically Chinese? And who was General Tso, anyway?
Ian Cheney, a 2014-15 Knight Science Journalism Fellow, says these questions started gnawing at him back in 2004, when he was on his way to Iowa to film scenes for King Corn, his 2007 documentary on corn’s role in the U.S. food system. Many years later, his documentary delving into the answers—and their unexpected relevance to the historical and cultural experiences of Chinese-Americans—is in theatrical release.
The Search for General Tso will have its Boston-area premiere at 7:00 pm on Friday, March 6, at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square, Cambridge. [Tickets are available online now](http …