Mott Street Girls

View Original

National Chop Suey Day

Happy National Chop Suey Day! 🍲

You don’t need to look far to find the nearest Chinese joint. It is estimated that there are more Chinese restaurants than McDonald's in the US. But how did it start?

From the early chop suey joints to today’s regional Chinese restaurants, the evolution of Chinese food in the U.S. tells a tale of immigration and adaptation. Thanks to the California Gold Rush which brought thousands of Chinese immigrants to San Francisco, it also kicked off the beginning of Chinese restaurants.

Ironically, chop suey, the dish that made these Chinese restaurants so popular in America, wasn’t Chinese, but Chinese-American. Chop suey, or 雜碎 in Chinese, is a stir-fried mixture of meat and vegetables. Due to the anti-Chinese sentiment and language barrier, it was difficult for the early Chinese immigrants to find work. Despite not having cooking experience in China, they took up restaurant work as a way to survive. By combining Chinese cooking techniques and American ingredients, these early chefs devised inventive dishes such as egg rolls, beef and broccoli, and General Tso’s chicken that are still popular to this day.

It wasn’t until the 1960’s that the U.S. experienced the full range of Chinese cuisine. Before then, most of the Chinese food available in the U.S. was largely derived from Cantonese cuisine as most immigrants were from southern China. The liberalization of immigration policy allowed for arrivals from all over China to bring their unique provincial Chinese cuisines to America.

Since then, Chinese restaurants have become a part of American culture. However many people have no idea about the xenophobia that led to a large number of Chinese restaurants in America. So the next time you get Chinese takeout, remember the history that brought these Chinese restaurants to America.

Fun fact: You can still find chop suey in Chinatown at Hop Kee.

📸: Keystone-France, Imogen Cunningham, Berenice Abbott, Pierre and Granville Pullis, and Ally-Jane Grossan.