General Tso would kick Colonel Sander's lily-white ass.

As my brother and I tucked into some Chinese carryout the other night, he asked me in a matter-of-fact manner ‘Was there actually a General Tso?’ The answer is ‘Yes’, there was a General Tso. In reality, Tso was General Zuo Zongtang – his name was shortened to ‘Tso’ for the European roundeyes he encoutered.

Wikipedia has a fairly extensive bio on Zongtang; it’s noted that the attribution of General Tso’s Chicken to either Zongtang or his wife is probably apocryphal, and that it’s unlikely Zongtang ever tasted the dish that bears his name.

Which is too bad, because a properly-prepared General Tso’s chicken is the bomb-diggity.