Chop Suey : A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States

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Chop Suey : A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States Page 28

by Coe, Andrew


  Chinese cabbage, 71, 79, 99, 122

  Chinese Cookery in the Home Kitchen (Nolton), 185

  Chinese cuisine:

  adventurousness in, 71, 75, 81, 153, 155, 199, 249–50

  art of balance in, 67, 78, 85

  art of cookery in, 67, 73, 74, 84

  banquet tradition, 46, 47–48, 92–93, 218, 227, 228, 231, 235, 238

  building blocks of, 67, 79, 92, 98

  climate as influence on, 67, 70

  cookbooks describing, 66–67, 217–19

  cooking methods, 73, 76, 83–87, 98, 101, 154

  cookware, 73–75, 75, 84, 87, 97, 98

  decline of, under Mao, 227–28

  delicacies of, 27, 28, 58, 93–94, 98

  domesticated plants and animals in, 71, 72, 80, 81

  dough cookery, 88–91

  family-style meals, 94, 129, 218, 247

  fan-cai dichotomy in, 79–80, 94, 98, 101, 134–35

  fats and oils, 85–86, 92

  fermented drinks, 75, 76, 91

  fermented foods, 86–87, 91, 100

  fish and shellfish, 67, 72, 81–82, 84–85, 86

  flavorings in, 85–86, 98

  food as medicine, 77–78, 98

  food as ritual, 77, 92–93

  food cut into small pieces, 23, 51, 84, 129, 158–59

  fruits, 71, 82–83

  geography as influence on, 67–70

  grains, 71, 78–79, 83–84, 87–89, 91, 99

  meats, 14, 23–24, 48, 80–81, 84–85, 86

  noodles, 76, 88, 90–91, 95, 98

  nuts, 71, 83

  regional distinctions in, 99–102, 218

  restaurant culture in, 34–35, 94–97, 98, 100–101

  revolutions in, 87–91

  rice, 57, 71, 72, 76, 78–79, 92

  spices, 67, 83, 85–87, 98, 219

  tableware, 33, 51, 67, 94, 104, 129

  tea, 92, 95, 96–97

  texture in, 86, 94, 241

  vegetables in, 71, 79–80, 83–84, 86

  See also Chinese food in America

  Chinese culture:

  banquet etiquette, 46, 47–48, 92–93, 235, 238

  chopstick etiquette, 46, 48, 51, 63

  early reference works on, 22– 24, 33–35, 56–59, 62–63

  gender separation in, 44, 93, 94, 97

  social hierarchies in, 93

  See also Chinese cuisine; Imperial China

  Chinese Exclusion Act, 142, 161, 205, 206, 216–17

  Chinese food in America:

  Americanization of, 191–92

  in arts and entertainment, 168, 187–88, 191, 195–98, 200–204, 214

  as cheap and filling, 159, 192, 203, 211, 251

  cookbooks for, 185, 186, 217–19, 222, 248

  on grocery shelves, 91, 192–94, 240, 250

  home cooking of, 185–87, 192–94

  influence of Nixon’s visit on, 240–43

  Jewish embrace of, 198–205

  post-World War II revitalization of, 217–24

  stagnation in, 210–15, 216, 247

  See also Chinese restaurants in America; chop suey; recipes

  Chinese history:

  Beijing Summer Olympics (2008), 248–50

  Boxer Rebellion, 165–66

  Communist takeover, 217, 220, 223, 225

  Cultural Revolution, 226, 227, 229–30

  early diplomacy with U.S., 38–50, 52, 53

  free market reforms, 246

  Han Dynasty. See Han Dynasty

  Japanese invasion (1937), 205, 221

  Korean War, 225

  Li Hongzhang’s U.S. visit, 161–64, 240

  Ming Dynasty, 17–18, 20, 98

  Nixon and Kissinger visits, 224–39

  Opium War, 36–37, 39, 40, 53

  prehistoric, 16, 71, 81

  Qin Dynasty, 57, 78

  Qing Dynasty. See Qing Dynasty

  Shang Dynasty, 73–75, 75, 85, 86

  6000–3000 BCE, 71

  Song Dynasty, 84, 85, 86, 94–95

  and Soviet Union, 225

  Tang Dynasty, 85, 89, 90

  Tiananmen Square massacre, 247

  Treaty of Nanking, 37, 39

  Treaty of Wang Xia, 47, 49, 50, 52

  Xia Dynasty, 72–73

  Yuan Dynasty, 92, 99

  Zhang Dynasty, 80

  Zhou Dynasty, 75–76, 80, 81, 84, 86, 92

  See also Emperors; Imperial China

  Chinese Home Cooking (Sia), 207

  The Chinese in America (Gibson), 127

  Chinese-Japanese Cook Book (Bossé), 186

  Chinese language:

  pidgin, 9–10

  teaching to barbarians, 29

  See also Cantonese language; Mandarin language

  “Chinese Museum,” 50

  Chinese New Year, 77, 82

  Chinese Repository, 33, 34, 55, 58, 59–60, 126

  Chinese Restaurant News, 250–51

  Chinese restaurants in America:

  adapting to American tastes, 111–12, 132–33, 138, 139, 166, 167, 223, 243, 245–46, 251

  affordability, 110–11, 138, 155, 159, 168, 211, 215

  after Nixon’s visit to China, 240–43

  alcohol in, 189, 191, 216

  ambiance and decor, 104, 168–69, 213, 215, 220, 221, 222–23

  authenticity in, 172, 210, 218–19, 251

  banquet fare in, 124–26, 129–31, 131, 209–10, 220, 240

  as “chop sueys,” 166–67, 169, 170

  focus on Cantonese food, 210, 215–16, 218, 219, 244

  franchises, 247–48

  fusion, 248

  home delivery, 246

  immigration laws affecting, 214, 216, 223, 243–44, 246–47

  nightlife in, 188–91, 207

  non-Cantonese fare in, 218, 220, 221–23, 241–43, 244

  patronage by African-Americans, 169

  patronage by Bohemians, 156–59, 160, 169

  patronage by Chinese Americans, 94, 128–29, 131, 138, 154–55, 159–60, 208–10

  patronage by elites, 107, 148, 156, 169–70

  patronage by whites, 124–28, 131–34, 133, 156, 159–60, 166, 203–5

  Polynesian themes in, 215–16

  professionalism in, 111, 112, 244

  profitability of, 191, 212, 216

  spread from New York across country, 169–75

  stagnation in, 210–15, 216, 247

  ubiquity of, 250

  “white slavery” associations, 184–85

  See also New York City Chinatown; San Francisco Chinatown

  Chinese trade:

  anti-foreign bias in, 9, 21, 29, 54

  with Asia, 19, 57, 68, 83

  with Britain, 8–9, 35–36

  Guangzhou factories for, 7, 8–9, 20

  imperial trade goods, 2, 15, 26, 57

  pidgin language used in, 9–10

  with Portugal, 21

  with post-revolutionary America, 10, 15, 35–36, 39–41

  revenues from, 9, 19–20, 21

  with San Francisco merchants, 118–19, 120, 134, 137–38

  silver as currency in, 26, 28

  tea, 2, 15, 16, 22, 26, 92

  in Xia Dynasty, 72

  See also American traders in China

  The Chinese Traveller (1772), 23, 24, 25

  “Chink, Chink, Chinaman” (Williams), 196

  Chin Lee’s (nightclub), 189–91

  Chinois-on-Main (restaurant), 248

  Chongqing, 228

  chopsticks:

  American use of, 218, 240, 241, 250

  anecdotes by non-native users, 14, 30, 33, 106, 125, 127

  in Chinese culinary tradition, 51, 91

  etiquette of, 46, 48, 51, 63

  and Kissinger, 232

  and Nixons, 224–25, 225, 236, 238–39

  chop suey:

  American craze for, 160–67, 175–76, 179, 191–92

  Americanization of, 191–95, 198, 205

  in arts and entertainment, 19
5–98

  diners’ anecdotes, 158, 161, 170, 172

  ingredients, 154–55, 160–61, 164

  legends surrounding, 163–65, 176–79

  noodles, 147, 168

  origins of, 154–55, 160–61

  printed recipes for, 164, 165, 185, 194

  and western culinary tradition, 176

  Chop Suey & Company (movie), 195

  “Chop Suey, Chow Mein” (Prima and Smith), 197

  Chop Suey Dancers #2 (Marsh), 197

  Chop Suey (Hopper), 197–98

  “Chop Suey” (Rogers and Hammerstein), 197

  “chop suey sundaes,” 194

  Chouqua (Chinese merchant), 13–14

  “chowhounds,” 157

  chow mein, 168, 192, 194, 198, 210

  Christianity, 20, 31, 63, 207

  See also missionaries

  Chu Gain, 181, 182

  Chu, Grace, 222

  Chui Sing Tong, 104

  Chung Fah Low (restaurant), 144, 145–48

  Chung, Henry, 241

  cinnamon, Chinese, 85

  citrus, 82

  See also Sichuan pepper; specific fruits

  City Wok, 247

  Claiborne, Craig, 221–23

  The Classic of Tea (Lu), 92

  Clemens, William M., 183

  Colfax, Schuyler, 103, 104, 106

  Committee to Save China’s Children, 209–10

  Communist takeover of China, 217, 220, 225

  ConAgra Foods, 194

  Confucianism, 18–19, 20, 44

  Confucius, 23, 79, 153

  on civilization, 73

  on food, 75–76, 83–84

  on water, 76, 91

  congee, 66, 73, 76, 95, 206, 218

  Connors, Chuck, 195

  Constitutional Convention, 16

  “Conversations with a Chorus Girl” (M’Cardell), 168

  cookbooks, Chinese:

  for American readers, 185, 186, 217–19, 222, 248

  for Chinese Hawaiians, 207

  of imperial China, 67, 99

  See also recipes

  cookbooks, Jewish, 203

  cooking methods:

  boiling, 73, 76, 84–85, 87

  braising, 85

  cookbooks discussing, 219

  grilling, 85

  for meats, 84–85

  poaching, 84–85, 100

  steaming, 73, 76, 84–85, 87, 100, 154, 250

  stir-frying, 85, 87, 101, 250

  cookware:

  bamboo steamers, 84

  bronze ware, 73–75, 75

  ceramic steamers, 84

  cooking pots (guo and wok), 87

  cooking stoves (zao), 87

  of street vendors, 97

  Cool, Mrs. Russel, 173

  cormorants, 6

  corn, 83

  “Cornet Chop Suey” (Armstrong), 196

  Covarrubias, Miguel, 197

  crab rangoon, 216

  crabs, 99

  Crawford, Joan, 204

  Crocker, Charles, 137

  Crow, Carl, 177–78

  crustaceans, 82

  See also crabs; shrimp

  cubeb, 134

  cucumbers, 83, 101

  cuisine. See Chinese cuisine; Chinese food in America; Western culinary traditions

  Culinary Institute of America, 247

  culinary traditions. See Chinese cuisine; Western culinary traditions

  Cultural Revolution, 226, 227, 229–30

  curry, 12, 44, 45, 111

  Cushing, Caleb:

  as ambassador to China, 38–39, 41, 42, 44, 50, 51

  culinary anecdotes about, 52, 153–54, 235

  dairy products:

  Chinese aversion to, 58, 61

  in kosher practice, 198, 204

  Manchu taste for, 46, 93, 99

  in western diet, 44, 45, 46

  Daoguang Emperor, 36–37, 68

  Daoism, 75

  dates, Chinese, 82

  Deadwood, S.D., 139

  Dean, William, 61–62

  de Groot, Roy Andries, 241

  Delmonico’s, 156, 162

  Deng Xiaoping, 246

  The Detectress (movie), 195

  “Diet of the Chinese” (Williams), 34–35, 58

  dim sum, 236

  in American restaurants, 125, 130–31, 132–33, 154, 244

  origins of, 97, 100

  recipes for, 218

  tallying bill for, 97

  dog meat:

  in Chinese cuisine, 23–24, 74, 80, 81, 85

  diners’ anecdotes of, 52, 61

  as stereotyped Chinese food, 58–59

  dogs:

  domestication of, 71, 72, 81

  at street markets, 23–24, 32

  domesticated plants and animals, 71–72

  Dongbei dishes, 244

  Don the Beachcomber restaurants, 215–16

  “dot hearts,” 97, 218

  See also dim sum

  dough cookery, 88–91

  Doyers Street, 209

  Dreiser, Theodore, 171–72

  duck meat:

  in Chinese cuisine, 67, 81, 100, 230–31

  See also Peking duck

  ducks:

  domestication of, 6, 25

  eggs of, 126, 136

  Dufferin, Lady, 56

  Du Halde, Jean-Baptiste, 23, 24, 28

  Dulles, John Foster, 236

  dumplings, 76, 89, 90, 206, 219

  Dupont Street (Grant Avenue). See San Francisco Chinatown

  Dynasties. See Chinese history

  Eastern regional cuisine of China, 67, 99

  East is West (movie), 195

  Eddington, Jane, 185

  egg drop soup, 244

  egg rolls, 210, 216, 251

  1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, 171

  Eight Treasure Rice, 82

  Elder, Will, 214

  Eldorado, or Adventures in the Path of Empire (Taylor), 115

  emperors of China:

  Daoguang Emperor, 36–37, 68

  exalted role of, 16–17, 77

  foods enjoyed by, 47–49, 81–82

  Jade Emperor, 82

  Qianlong Emperor, 17

  and trade revenues, 9, 19, 21

  and tribute system, 17, 19–20

  “Yellow” Emperor, 73, 78

  Yongle Emperor, 20

  Yü Emperor, 17, 18

  See also Imperial China

  Empire Szechuan (restaurant), 244–45

  Empress (restaurant), 215

  Empress of China (merchant ship):

  cargo, 1–2, 25–26

  as pioneer of Chinese-American trade, 1–2, 5–7, 10, 15–16, 25–26, 250

  shipboard cuisine, 2–3, 4, 5

  Empress of China (restaurant), 220

  entertainment:

  in Chinese restaurants, 188–91, 207

  See also arts and entertainment

  etiquette:

  of Chinese banquets, 46, 47–48, 92–93, 235, 238

  of chopsticks, 46, 48, 51, 63

  European, 11–13

  of Imperial China, 43–44, 46–48

  in post-revolutionary America, 11

  of western-style banquets, 44–46

  Europeans:

  in Chinese treaty ports, 53–55

  etiquette of, 11–13

  in Guangzhou, 28–29

  settlement of Macau, 21, 26

  writings by, 22–24

  See also British traders; western culinary traditions

  Evans, Albert S., 119

  Evanston, Wyoming, 139

  Everest, Mount, 68

  factories of Guangzhou, 20

  American, 26

  British, 8–9, 12

  foreigners’ confinement to, 7, 9, 13, 26, 28–29

  fan-cai dichotomy, 79–80, 94, 98, 101, 134–35

  farming. See agriculture

  fast food:

  in America, 239–40, 248

  in China, 248–49, 250

  S
ee also franchise restaurants

  fats, 85–86, 92

  Fenollosa, Ernest, 170

  fen si (cellophane noodles), 91

  fermentation:

  of beverages, 75, 76, 91

  of foods, 86–87, 100

  fish:

  in Chinese cuisine, 67, 72, 81, 84–85, 99, 100, 101

  diners’ anecdotes, 33–34

  fermentation of, 86

  fishing:

  by Chinese Americans, 119–20

  Chinese cultural history of, 6, 81, 100, 101

  fish sauce, 87

  Five Years in China (Taylor), 63

  flatbreads, 88

  flavorings:

  in Chinese cuisine, 85–87, 98

  See also sauces; spices

  flour, milling of, 76, 87–88

  Flower Drum Song (musical), 197

  Flushing, N.Y., 251

  food therapy, Chinese, 78

  Forbidden City (imperial court), 17, 21

  Forbidden City (nightclub), 189, 190

  Forman, Allan, 157–58, 161

  Four Districts (Sze Yap) region, 101–2, 113, 159, 161, 210

  Four Seas (restaurant), 223

  France:

  as American ally, 4, 11

  cuisine of, 107, 155–56

  franchise restaurants, 247–49

  Franklin, Benjamin, 23

  Freeman, Charles, 227, 239

  French cuisine, 107, 155–56

  French, John B., 60–61

  fried rice, 210, 216

  fried wontons, 210

  frogs, in Chinese cuisine, 23, 24, 63, 81

  fruit:

  in Chinese cuisine, 71, 82–83, 83–84, 101

  in food therapy, 78

  See also specific fruits

  Fujian dishes, 244

  Fujian Province, 99, 127, 246

  fusion restaurants, 248

  Fu Xi, 72

  Fuzhou, 53, 99, 246

  galangal, 134

  Gang of Four, 232

  Gantt, Ernest R.B., 215

  garlic, 59, 79–80, 85, 99

  Geary Act, 142

  geese, 81

  General History of China (Du Halde), 23, 24, 25

  “General Tso’s Chicken,” 241–43, 251

  German immigrants, 149, 151

  Gibson, Otis, 127

  ginger:

  in Chinese cuisine, 30, 84, 85, 98, 99

  in regional cuisines, 100

  ginseng, as trade good, 1–2, 15, 25–26, 26–27

  gluten, 89–90

  Gold Mountain, 102, 109

  Gold Mountain firms, 118

  gold rush:

  Black Hills, 139

  California, 102, 107–10, 112–14, 115, 134

  See also mining camps

  Gompers, Samuel, 141

  Good Housekeeping, 165

  Goodnow, Elizabeth, 184

  gourds, 80, 101

  gourmet culture:

  at Beijing Olympics, 250

  of imperial courts, 47–49

  in modern China, 81

  in New York City, 157, 221, 223–24

  in Shunde, 101

  in Song Dynasty, 94–95

  grains:

  in Chinese cuisine, 71, 78–79, 83–84, 87–89, 91, 99

 

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