In the mid-twentieth century, General Tso’s chicken was invented. Over ensuing decades, a series of serendipitous events made it among the most popular Chinese dishes in the United States. Peng Chang-kuei, the inventor, died on Nov. 30 in Taipei, Taiwan. The chef, who had two children from a marriage in mainland China and five from a second marriage in Taiwan, was 97-years-old by Western reckoning. He was born in September, 1919 in Hunan Province.