I have just about had it with people dragging American Chinese food because it's "not authentic". Not authentically what? And what does that say about your opinion of Chinese Americans?

Yes, even if your Chinese friend said it. Yes, even if you've been to China and /loved/ the food there. Yes, even if you're Chinese! But especially if you're not, because you are intruding on a much larger conversation about our culture and identity that you have no place in.

Evaluating the "authenticity" of diasporic cultural food is an intracommunity discussion. Chinese people can supply our own shitty takes on who is "Chinese enough", thank you very much.

I am a Taiwanese immigrant to the US and the vast majority of Chinese food here is not like what I grew up with. I'm delighted when I do find tastes that remind me of home, but that doesn't make Chinese American food less Chinese.

And the thing is, I /like/ (good) American Chinese food, too. It's a part of the bittersweet complexity of the Chinese American experience, right down to the part where laowai think being consumers of our culture makes them arbiters of it.