Ralph's two cents  Ralph Knisley By Ralph Knisley Staten Island
Advance  Many of the Chinese-American dishes in our restaurants
today have been popular for half a century or more and are
virtually unchanged from that earlier time. We are in a food era
where people are much more aware of, and crave, bigger flavors
in their dining experiences.  Chinese restaurants which seek to
attain a more sophisticated level of dining might want to
consider bringing out some of the flavors of these classic
dishes which can be so subdued that many diners don't realize
they are even in the dish.   Winter Melon soup relies on Chinese
ham, or our equivalent, Smithfield ham or even prosciutto to
flavor broth. It is usually difficult to detect in most
restaurant offerings.  Lobster sauce, which was created to sauce
lobster, not contain lobster, should contain pork, usually pork
butt, but it rarely has enough to detect its flavor.  Grand
Marnier sauce, usually served with shrimp, includes mayonnaise,
something the Chinese like but