9/1/2023 0 Comments Chop suey restaurant nycThe reason why the restaurateur chose broiled chicken as his example may be a little more straightforward, for it seems that broiled chicken was then a distinct and tasty specialty of Chinese restaurants.Ĭhop suey became so ubiquitous that it was not unusual in the 1930s for average eateries to offer it as the daily special. For one thing, it raises the question as to whether women of the fin de siècle were particularly fond of chop suey. He went on to explain that when a husband and wife came to his restaurant after the theater, there were times when the woman wanted a bowl of chop suey, and the man was in the mood for something like broiled ham or broiled chicken. 4 Not surprisingly, the proprietor replied that he did it in order to satisfy his customers. We can make a ‘Night in China’ for you.” There are no Western-style dishes on this menu from the late 1890s.Ī “chop suey joint” had already opened on Times Square in 1903, when a newspaper reporter asked a Chinese restaurateur why he served both Chinese and American food. Chinese Orchestra, String Band and Songsters will be furnished at short notice. The notice on the cover reads: “Our annex dining hall fited (sic) up expressly to serve dinner for Clubs and Parties. Known as the “Chinese Delmonico,” this restaurant was patronized by white members of the middle and upper classes. This menu comes from Mon Lay Won in New York’s Chinatown. Eleven menus from the early twentieth century show how the culinary traditions of the two cultures slowly came together. 1 Even though this inexpensive dish quickly became popular, it wasn ’t long before Chinese restaurateurs began putting a few Western-style dishes on their menus in order to appeal to the broadest possible audience. The most prominent adaptation was chop suey, comprising assorted pieces of meat or seafood, quickly stir fried with vegetables like bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery, and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. Compared to traditional native dishes, this version of Chinese food utilized fewer ingredients and expressed a narrower range of textures. However, by the 1890s, a new style had emerged that we now call Chinese-American cuisine in which traditional Cantonese dishes were modified for the dominant American palate. In the early years, these modest eateries fell into two basic categories, serving Chinese food for Chinese immigrants or typical American fare for non-Chinese patrons. Chinese restaurants first opened in the United States during the California Gold Rush.
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