If you're serious about cooking Chinese food, you'll need a variety of tools. The basics include a wok, a rice cooker, a cleaver, a wide-bladed spatula (great for stir-frying), bamboo steamers for use with the wok, a frying strainer, and, of course, chopsticks.

If you can't find a Chinese food restaurant in your local area, you're probably not looking hard enough. There are more Chinese restaurants in America than there are Wendy's, McDonald's, and Burger Kings combined. Depending on your area, of course, the type of Chinese food available might be limited.

Some basic Chinese food ingredients can be bought in the local supermarket, especially if you have a local Chinese-American population. But for truly authentic fare, you'll need to seek out an Asian food market. You'll find them in most large cities in the U.S.