Golden Mountain Dim Sum
February 28, 2016 2:18 PM   Subscribe

 
"The number of Chinese restaurants in the U.S. doubles from 1910 to 1920, and doubles again from 1920 to 1930," says Lee, referring to research done by economist Susan Carter. In New York City alone, Lee found that the number of Chinese eateries quadrupled between 1910 and 1920.

Lady and the Tramp (the Disney movie) was released in 1955 and set in 1909; one of the ways you could tell Jim Dear and Darling were on the cutting edge of trendy (and wealthy) was that when Darling has pregnancy cravings, she wants chop suey. It's such a great little cultural detail in the movie -- that that's what wealthy Americans of 1909 ate that was new and trendy -- and it's neat to see the history behind the little detail. Thanks for the post!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:42 PM on February 28, 2016 [11 favorites]


Interesting read. The Search for General Tso, available on Netflix, would be worth the time of anyone interested in this kind of history.
posted by calamari kid at 3:15 PM on February 28, 2016 [8 favorites]


Finally something to like about early China-specific US immigration policy.
posted by Pope Guilty at 3:22 PM on February 28, 2016


the Lady and the Tramp Disney movie also had really really really racist Siamese cats (that Disney has conveniently uploaded to their website) in it so yeah, cool detail but it's not something I'd say is worth remembering as a good cultural touchstone for anything to do with Chinese Americans

anyway
posted by runt at 3:39 PM on February 28, 2016


Is there some sort of policy that could bring Mexican food to Europe (or better yet, tex-mex)?
posted by el io at 4:01 PM on February 28, 2016 [4 favorites]


Interesting. It started me thinking about how hard it is to immigrate into China. Allegedly it's easing somewhat.

Is there some sort of policy that could bring Mexican food to Europe

Business opportunity, that. Mind you, starting up business in Europe if you're not plugged in....
posted by IndigoJones at 4:07 PM on February 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


Recently, the University of Toronto recently acquired the world's largest collection of Chinese menus - dating back as far as 1896.

The collector they acquired them from is featured in the above-mentioned (and very good) Search for General Tso.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:35 PM on February 28, 2016 [2 favorites]


My favorite unintended consequence of the Vietnam war was all the Vietnamese restaurants popping up in Arlington, VA.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 6:21 AM on February 29, 2016


My favorite unintended consequence of the Vietnam war was all the Vietnamese restaurants popping up in Arlington, VA.

Previously on MetaFilter: A chance meeting between actress Tippi Hedren and 20 Vietnamese refugees over 30 years ago, sparked a Vietnamese American domination of the manicure business (80% of manicurists in California; 43% nationwide)

I would read the hell out of a book that collected these stories of how particular ethnic/immigrant groups came to be so strongly associated with particular industries in various countries.
posted by Etrigan at 6:38 AM on February 29, 2016 [2 favorites]


I would read the hell out of a book that collected these stories of how particular ethnic/immigrant groups came to be so strongly associated with particular industries in various countries.

The Back Story Behind Cambodian-Owned Donut Shops

Previously
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:19 PM on February 29, 2016 [1 favorite]


I live in S.F. and *heart* our local Chinese community. I do much of my grocery shopping there, in fact.

The fact that we have this wonderful community as part of our city is great. There are really at least two Chinatowns in S.F... not only the one that gathers in all the tourists in the old downtown, but the bustling, newer community that's centered at around 7th Avenue and Clement, one block north of Geary, which is one of the major east/west thoroughfares in the city.

The unfortunate part is that California should actually be far more Asian than it is, with San Francisco likely to have been majority Asian, if not the entire state. At one point, about a third of California's population was Asian -- primarily Chinese -- but then came not only the anti-immigrant hysteria and the immigration laws, but also the lynchings.

Really, I don't think we should be keeping immigrants away from the US, full stop. They aren't the problem. In fact, oftentimes, they are usually the solution. Had the US not been so virulently racist with its Chinese Americans, I suspect we would've seen not only an economically stronger U.S., but also a stronger, friendlier, more westernized China, more capable of resisting both the Japanese *AND* the alienation and ill will that came after the war.
posted by markkraft at 12:39 AM on March 1, 2016 [1 favorite]


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