It is said of Sichuan cuisine that 100 dishes will have 100 flavors, so why is it that when North Americans think Sichuan they think hot hot hot? As a unique style of food, Sichuan cuisine was already famous more than 800 years ago during the Southern Song Dynasty. Originally, the cuisine’s flavorings were very mild, unlike the popular dishes of today. Christine discovers flavor over heat and how the popularity of the cuisine has spread from China to Taiwan to North America.