In America in particular we use a ridiculous amount of sugar in everything. People used to eating Chinese food – like, the kind they eat in China – in my experience are typically unprepared for it. I worked for a Chinese restaurant for a while and my boss, who was Cantonese, tried and subsequently declared a wide array of American foodstuffs to be completely inedible due to being too sweet. Including stuff we don’t think of as being “sweet,” like ketchup.

I’d doubt the horrid sponge cake you find at the Chinese buffet is actually related to any imported Chinese confection, but it’s probably made according to the sensibilities of whoever is running the place. Especially if they ever plan on eating it themselves. (You laugh at this prospect. And yet: one of my boss’ favorite things to do on the rare holidays we were closed was to go to other Chinese restaurants that weren’t.)