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

320 Pages·2009·3.67 MB·English

by  Andrew Coe

Chop Suey
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Chop Suey
...............................................................
A Cultural History of Chinese
Food in the United States
Andrew Coe
1
2009
1
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Copyright © Andrew Coe 2009
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coe, Andrew.
Chop suey : a cultural history of Chinese food in the United States
/ Andrew Coe.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN978-0-19-533107-3
1. Cookery, Chinese. 2. Food habits—United States—History. i. Title.
TX724.5.C5C64 2009
641.5951–dc22 2008054664
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
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t o j a n e
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c o n t e n t s
Acknowledgments ix
List of Illustrations xi
1 Stags’ Pizzles and Birds’ Nests 1
2 Putrifi ed Garlic on a Much-used Blanket 38
3 Coarse Rice and Water 64
4 Chinese Gardens on Gold Mountain 103
5 A Toothsome Stew 144
6 American Chop Suey 180
7 Devouring the Duck 211
Photo Credits 253
Notes 255
Bibliography 265
Index 279
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a c k n o w l e d g m e n t s
This journey into the less-charted realms of Chinese and
United States history could not have been accomplished
without the assistance of many individuals and institutions.
During the seemingly endless research phase of this project, I
depended on the collections, staff, and resources of the New
York Public Library: the Humanities and Social Sciences
Library, particularly its Asian and Middle Eastern Division,
and the Chinese Heritage Collection at the Chatham Square
Branch Library. I also consulted the Nixon Presidential
Library, the National Archives at College Park, Maryland,
and the magnifi cent Dr. Jacqueline M. Newman Chinese
Cookbook Collection housed in the Special Collections
and University Archives of the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial
Library of the State University of New York, Stonybrook. I
am indebted to a Linda D. Russo Grant from the Culinary
Trust for allowing me to visit the Bancroft Library at the
University of California, Berkeley, and the Chinese Historical
Society of America. The exhibition “Have You Eaten Yet?
The Chinese Restaurant in America” at the Museum of
Chinese in the Americas was one of the inspirations for
this book. During the writing phase of this project, I relied
on the staff and workspaces of the New York Mercantile
Library’s Writers’ Studio and the New York Society Library.
For assistance during all phases of this project, I am grate-
ful to Richard Snow, Magnus Bartlett, Andrew Smith, Anne