There's a Tums ad running where a guy finishes a meal at a Chinese restaurant, then receives a declaration of war from General Tso, who - in the form of some sort of meatball avatar - proceeds to pelt him with chicken pieces. It's a reasonably funny ad, even though it's likely a historical abomination.
Okay, I looked it up, and yes, General Tso was a real person. Though at least General Tso's Chicken did originate in Taiwan, which makes it more authentic than much Westernized Chinese food.
But speaking of General Tso Chicken, it also brings up a point I've wanted to make for a while now: For the last time, people: It's General Tso, not General Tao.
You could understand if it was a simple misspelling or something, but this is a rather awkward misremembering in which people confuse two of the few Chinese things they've heard of. Worse, Tao is a religious concept, so it's a particularly touchy thing to confuse. Imagine that Apple Crisp became popular in China, but they couldn't remember the word "crisp," so they started calling it, "Apple Christ."
What's especially embarrassing, this seems to be a largely Canadian problem. Americans seem to get the name right. But here in Canada, companies like President's Choice put "Tao" on their packaging. Even Chinese restaurants give in and use the wrong name. So let's take this ad as proof we need to change; there's no way we can get out-ethnic-diversitied by Tums.
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