On the phone with amberfox a few weeks ago, I mentioned the mushroom recipe, and how I had to re-create it, and how I had a decent chance at doing this because I'd gotten a decent schooling from Dad in the ways of basic Chinese cooking. This led into the differences I noticed between real Chinese food and buffet-style Chinese food. Specifically, I pointed out that crab puffs, which have cream cheese, couldn't be "authentic", because of the traditional Oriental attitude towards milk and its food value (nil). But they're an accepted part of Chinese cookery now, at least in takeout and buffet restaurants.

"They're ... they're ... they're fanon!" I declared.

amberfox cracked up.

After we recovered, we explored this new analogy. The authentic places that serve any ethnic food the way you could find it in the source culture are canon. The things that everybody think of as being authentic, but you'd never find in the source culture, or you'd have not found it there five years ago, those are fanon. Things like french fries at a Chinese buffet? Those? Those are Mary Sues.

I think pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough is a Mary Sue on the field of American cookery to start with. To wrap that like a wonton and deep-fry it (given that I suspect deep-fried anything is a bit fanon when it comes to authentic Chinese cooking)? That's a Darth Mary Sue.

(And it's so good.)