[ozonemania]

I'll say one thing though, the food sources in Vancouver are really quite good. Fresh, locally grown ingredients make for better food, particularly in Cantonese-style cuisine (and the like). Simple dishes, like a simple fried kailan vegetable plate or a steamed fish, cooked to perfection, highlight the quality of the food source.

Vancouver has really good Chinese cuisine, yes. But one criticism I have is that it is fairly static. It hasn't really changed much since the 90s. At least compared to cuisine in Asia. For example Hong Kong's cuisine is much different than it was 10 years ago. Here, not so much.

For this reason I would also argue that there exists a Vancouverese-style Chinese food, which you can't really find anywhere else. It's sort of an evolution/fusion of HK 1997 food + Taishan (old Chinese immigrant) food styles, along with influences from pacific north west food and the local produce/ingredients.

I think what Vancouver needs, is more adventurous diners and more innovative chefs within the Chinese community. Consumers tend to demand more of the same but good quality and cheaper prices. Chefs will want to cater to this demand or go out of business. It really is the fault of consumers, they are so set in their ways that anything out of their normal expected experience they tend to label as bad and don't keep an open mind about it. Innovation in cuisine in say Hong Kong, Taiwan or Shanghai would not be received so poorly.