This is probably not what either of you meant, but until 2005, it was illegal to import sichuan peppercorns. This resulted in a lot of dishes missing a fairly

This is probably not what either of you meant, but until 2005, it was illegal to import sichuan peppercorns. This resulted in a lot of dishes missing a fairly important taste, even in otherwise authentic Sichuan restaurants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper#US_import_ban http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper#US_import_ban