Answers

I have found a partial answer to one of my questions:
"What is the difference between Chinese food in the USA and in China?"
One of the ways is in the USA they almost always serve a Fortune Cookie after a meal. In China the really only place you will find a Fortune Cookie is in "China Club" in Hong Kong. They are considered a joke to Hong Kong diners while in the USA they are meant to be fun and entertaining.

This is an answer to one of my questions:
"Why did the USA make up their own version of Chinese food?"
The reason is to make it taste better to the people. They changed it so that it would taste better to the "Western" palate. They first catered to railroad workers. Then after the catering for a bit, they made several restaurants.In the places that the Chinese went to, Chinese food was completely unknown. They adapted by using more common ingredients to cater to the customers taste.

Source: Wikipedia

Research Question

My Research question will be "How does chinese food change with culture and area?"

What is the most known chinese food item?

So far this seems to be the most popular Chinese food item. I will be researching to find out if this is REALLY the most popular Chinese food.

Chinese Food Info

http://chinesefood.about.com/library/bltoprecipe.htm
Lots of info about Chinese food

Chinese Food Facts

The Fortune Cookie is actually not tipically served in Chinese resturants. It is just one of those Americanized foods.