Thomas,

I have to agree with you here.  The best Chinese food I've ever had has been in America...in the little wedge of the San Gabriel Vally that my partner and I call home.   Granted, I've never eaten in mainland China, so this is by no means meant as a definitive statement.  However, I've dived into various forms of Chinese food from San Francisco to Yokohama to Taiwan to Hong Kong, and even Stillwater, Oklahoma.  And without a doubt, the best I've had has been in my neck of the woods, and more often than not it comes from the kitchen of my metaphorical "mother-in-law".  That's not to say I haven't had great Chinese food elsewhere.  There are a places in Taipei that blew my mind/taste buds, sames goes for Hong Kong.  In Japan, however, it just wasn't good, and it was so over-priced that we found ourselves shocked.

Recently, I was eating dinner at one of my favorite local joints, a place where we've become friendly with the cooks and staff, and I casually asked the owner if she had an idea why the food seemed so much better in suburban Los Angeles than the urban clusters of many Chinese cities.  Her answer was quick, curt, and to the point:  "All the best cooks come here, that's why."  All the best cooks?  I asked.  "Of course,"  she said.  "Why wouldn't they?"  Fair enough, I thought.

That said, I can also safely say that the worst "Chinese" food I've ever had is also in the United States.  Pinkish sweet and sour sauce on spicy chicken wings with a pepperoni pizza slice on the side, my ass.