Chop Suey : A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States (40 page)

   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,
195
–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