'Clean' Chinese food causes Instagram tiff

Uproar over a restaurant in NYC evokes debates over cultural appropriation

A new Chinese restaurant in Manhattan found itself in a social media controversy after its owner promoted the cuisine as healthier than typical Chinese restaurants.

In an effort to offer "feel-great food inspired by American-Chinese cuisine", Lucky Lee's, owned by New York-based nutritionist Arielle Haspel, was criticized for Instagram posts, now deleted, that favorably compared its food to lo mein, specifically it claimed to be "not too oily or salty" and not making diners "feel bloated and icky the next day".