This comes to us via The Amateur Gourmet:
Not one in 10,000 knows who General Tso (most commonly pronounced “sow”) was, nor what terrible times he lived through, nor the dark massacres that distinguished his baleful, belligerent career. Setting their chopsticks aside, patting their stomachs, the satisfied diners spare scarcely a thought for General Tso, except to imagine that he must have been a great connoisseur of hot stir-fried chicken. [Browning]
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the General, The Definitive General Tso’s Chicken Page defines General Tso’s Chicken this way: “fried boneless dark-meat chicken, served with vegetables and whole dried red peppers in a sweet-spicy sauce.” Though, many variations exist.
Martine Gingras presents her own personal variation, in the “General Tao” style, over at Suburblicious.
Browning, Michael. “Who Was General Tso And Why Are We Eating His Chicken?” The Washington Post. 17 April 2004. <www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59302-2002Apr16> (26 April 2004).