Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America

Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History

by Yong Chen

American diners began to flock to Chinese restaurants more than a century ago, making Chinese food the first mass-consumed cuisine in the United States. By 1980, it had become the country's most popular ethnic cuisine. Chop Suey, USA offers the first comprehensive interpretation of the rise of Chinese food, revealing the forces that made it ubiquitous in the American gastronomic landscape and turned the country into an empire of consumption.Engineered by a politically disenfranchised, numerically small, and economically exploited group, Chinese food's tour de America is an epic story of global cultural encounter. It reflects not only changes in taste but also a growing appetite for a more leisurely lifestyle. Americans fell in love with Chinese food not because of its gastronomic excellence but because of its affordability and convenience, which is why they preferred the quick and simple dishes of China while shunning its haute cuisine. Epitomized by chop suey, American Chinese food was a forerunner of McDonald's, democratizing the once-exclusive dining-out experience for such groups as marginalized Anglos, African Americans, and Jews. The rise of Chinese food is also a classic American story of immigrant entrepreneurship and perseverance. Barred from many occupations, Chinese Americans successfully turned Chinese food from a despised cuisine into a dominant force in the restaurant market, creating a critical lifeline for their community. Chinese American restaurant workers developed the concept of the open kitchen and popularized the practice of home delivery. They streamlined certain Chinese dishes, such as chop suey and egg foo young, turning them into nationally recognized brand names.

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction, China, Cooking, Food and Drink

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2014

Reviews

[Nathaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book exemplifies Chinese scholarship in English: technically flawless, but very dry and often lacking in personality. Chen's research is highly impressive, but he often gets bogged down in details that obstruct the flow of the story he's trying to tell, and the book itself is not nearly as focused as the title makes it sound. Still, unlike many books in this category, Chen's personal interest in his research area and his lack of concern for white intellectual conventions makes for a much better presentation than similar works in this mold. While I did learn some things about the history of Chinese restaurants in America, I think Chen's most valuable commentaries are based in his underlying thesis that America is a consumption-driven culture based in the ready availability of food. It wasn't supposed to be the focus of the book, but I found this thesis a lot more interesting - and true - than most of the actual history that Chen digs up. Despite his excellent research, I felt that a lot of the history itself lacked depth; I didn't come away knowing much more than I'd already learned via Wikipedia many years ago. There's also one brief diversion late in the book in which Chen attempts to talk about fast food that should not have been included at all, which seems more to like the product of trying to fit into academia's clueless social agenda (with poor, unscientific sources ranging from Eric Schlosser to PETA). It's only for a couple of pages, but clashes dramatically with the tone and high-quality research of the rest of the book and is really out of place.

The bottom line is that this is a well-researched book with several interesting ideas on a subject that has been long overlooked. However, the writing is dense and very academic, so if you're looking for a casual read rather than a scholarly study based on a theory of American society advanced by an outsider that most Americans might consider heretical, you might be disappointed.

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting read. At times it feels like a series of well-researched blog posts, and might actually benefit from being read in installments rather than cover to cover.

[Alivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In style, essentially a research paper expanded to book length-although significantly more readable than many research papers-this exploration of Chinese food in America traces the historical, political, social, and economic forces that made Chinese restaurants so ubiquitous in the United States today. On the face of things, the rise of Chinese cuisine in the US was highly improbable; Chinese immigrants in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries faced harsh immigration laws, racism, and often, permanent separation from their homes and families in China. But Chen masterfully illustrates the connection between America's expanding "consumer empire," the consequent demand for luxuries such as cheap food cooked outside the home, and the unique ability of Chinese immigrants to provide excellent, inexpensive meals and service. "Chop Suey" was highly readable, is well researched, and contributed greatly to my understanding of Chinese-American history. My appetite is wetted to explore the topics of Chinese food/culture and foodways further. However, many typographical errors appeared in this printing-as many as one serious error per page-which detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Heads-up: There are a handful of recipes and graphs, and nearly 100 pages of notes. (Review taken from my Instagram account @booktalkback)

[Barron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious, poorly written, and not that insightful. A great topic, but reads like an undergraduate research project that contains a lot of good data collection but needs more work on its thesis. I am happy that this book exists, but also happy that I am done reading it.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly different take. Thought this book would be closer to other books I've read in this particular genre that looked at the origins of food like Orange Chicken, the rise of places like Panda Express and why Chinese restaurants are so popular with Jewish people, particularly at times like Christmas. This book is not quite that (although it does address how various groups like Jewish families who eat Chinese food, even if it's not kosher).Instead, we get the story around the concept of Chinese food in the United States. From how immigration restrictions forced Chinese men into particular service jobs like restaurants and laundromats. The perception surrounding Chinese food (from eating rats to its supposed health benefits to the rise of "Chinese American" food like egg foo young and the like) and how it has changed (or not). The role of Chinese food (author Chen posits that it's actually precursor to the rise of fast food joints like McDonald's: maybe not quite as cookie cutter and without the same reach but considered fast, cheap and tasty and its own way has become an "empire" within the empire that is the United States of America).
So it was definitely not quite what I expected but it was slightly different than other books that address this particular topic and I enjoyed it. That said, it wasn't an easy read. The topic is interesting in itself and sometimes the author is compelling. But it's quite academic and dry. Chen is a professor that probably has a lot to do with it. I do think there's also a lot more that could be done with some of the topics he discusses. The perception of Chinese food including addressing racism and xenophobia, the concept of "empire" and how Chinese food (no matter how authentic) can be found in many places from San Francisco to New Orleans, and the variations they take in between. The rise of places like Panda Express (I think this particular chain only gets one mention in the entire book) and what it says about capitalism, commercialism, etc.
Overall I liked it. However, I'm glad I got it relatively cheap (it's like $35 USD but I managed to find a new/almost new copy for like $10). Unless you really like reading about food/food histories, need it for reference and want a slightly different take (one that is perhaps examines the aspects of the historical/political/societal impacts more), I'd recommend the library or a bargain buy/buy it used.

[Ralphz · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a slight book (fewer than 200 pages not counting index and notes), it spends a lot of time on things other than Chinese food. For example, it lost me when more than half a chapter, a quarter of the way in, was devoted to Chinese laundries in the late 1800s. It didn't just talk about them, it shared a census of how many laundries were in Chicago in 1870, then in 1880, then in 1890. Then in Detroit in 1870, then 1880, then 1890. Then in Pittsburgh in 1880 ... you get the idea.

This was a very academic tome and may have been a dissertation stretched to book length. I say stretched because there is a lot of repetition in here, stating and restating the same points - and I was still waiting to get into the food.

A demonstration of the repetition - and it probably was a printing error - is that the photo section of the book is repeated back to back. Odd.

I'm still hoping to read a pure history of Chinese food but I'm not sure one exists. I've seen another book also called "Chop Suey," but it seems similar in addressing more than just food, and "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" apparently combines two of my least favorite things: travlogue and memoir. I'll keep looking.

[kuzieboo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a good timeline of how Chinese food was introduced to the US and how it evolved into the Chinese American cuisine it is today. The author uses many detailed sources to support his timeline, and alludes to some interesting relationships, such as that between Chinese American food and African Americans.

The author has a great voice in his preface and afterward, but I found that lacking in the actual chapters of his book and wish that he had offered elaboration that was more closely related to the evidence. At times it felt more like a list of quotations, in which he would state his idea and then offer four to five citations that proved it, but he didn’t necessarily follow it up with an argument or commentary.

All in all, an interesting read and probably a very good reference book.

[Arlene Mullen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book talks about that author coming to america. He talks alot about the rise of Chinese food in the states. Throughout the book recipes are shared. The all look like recipes of food that I grew up eating at restaurants. There was alot of talk about how we (america) has grown into a country of to much. The book is alot of his research about Chinese and their food in america. He has recipes here and there. Some are Chinese recipes and some are just some recipes of food that he has come to love since living here.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. There are so many books on European and American cuisine and their evolution that this is a refreshing change. I picked up the book thinking that it would just be about how Chinese food evolved in America. It turned out to be so much more. Well researched and really interesting.

[James Currin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting - well researched and written!

[Stuart Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book on Chinese American food history.

[John Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chinese food is one of the most popular cuisines, if not the favorite, in the United States today. It would surprise many, however, to learn that this high acceptance did not occur until sometime after the 1960s. From the mid 19th century, Chinese immigrants, and their foods, were viewed with scorn and ridicule for many decades. In “Chop Suey, USA,” Yong Chen, a historian with interests in the relationship of food and culture, examines the factors responsible for this amazing transformation over the past century and a half.

As with chop suey, the iconic yet lowly dish that was once the most popular restaurant item of non-Chinese patrons, Chen’s book is a delicious stir-fry that blends many ingredients, historical, cultural, economic, and socio-political seasoned with some intriguing personal observations. Chen’s account of the growth and changes in the Chinese restaurant business involves a more nuanced view than the assumption that gastronomy, or superior taste, of Chinese food was the primary cause. On the contrary, Chen notes that relatively simple and inexpensive dishes such as chop suey and chow mein, not the haute cuisine of shark fins and other delicacies, fueled the growth of Chinese restaurants. Throughout the book, Chen explains how factors other than taste of Chinese food played important roles in the success of Chinese restaurants.

Relegated initially to feminized or domestic work by racial prejudices, early Chinese immigrants, almost all men, made their living running laundries and then small restaurants. As Chen pointed out, many Chinese who opened restaurants did not actually know how to cook before leaving China, but once here they quickly acquired minimal skills to survive by running a restaurant. Before opening restaurants, some had learned to cook while working as a house servant for white families. Even though their repertoire would have consisted of American dishes, this experience was invaluable as the menu of Chinese restaurants in areas where there were few Chinese actually contained mostly American and only a few Chinese dishes.

The earliest Chinese restaurants located in the Chinatowns of America were not intended to serve the appetites of non-Chinese customers. They served dishes which were unappealing to non-Chinese but were popular with Chinese immigrants who lived in or frequented Chinatowns. These cafes not only served their need for familiar foods but also facilitated cultural ties and social contact among Chinese. When Chinese eventually moved into regions with non-Chinese patrons, mostly from underprivileged groups than from the upper echelons of society, success of their restaurants involved a combination of factors.

Growth of the middle class which had a consumption-oriented outlook, especially as the nation moved from a rural to an urban society, led to an increased demand for restaurants where people who could afford it could pay others to prepare their meals. Chinese restaurants succeeded in places across the country where there were few, if any, Chinese residents because they had low prices, adapted their recipes to satisfy the palates of non-Chinese, offered delivery and takeout service, had kitchens visible to customers, provided dance floors in the dining room, and promoted their food with good public relations by inviting white civic leaders to banquets. Further promotion of awareness and interest in Chinese food among the general population since the 1960s occurred with the proliferation of Chinese cookbooks.

Chop Suey, USA, offers a lively and informed discussion of the role of numerous factors that fostered the development of the Chinese restaurant in America that is thoroughly documented with extensive footnotes and bibliographic citations of popular and scholarly sources. it is a welcome and valuable resource for learning more about the complex interplay between food, culture, society, and history.

[Ai Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fine. The bits about empire were honestly among the most painful reading (in terms of shoddy analysis) I have read for grad school thus far, but overall it was informative and a good starting point for thinking about food in a transnational context. It's also very accessible in terms of readability (I read the entire thing in maybe two hours with a lunch break,) so if you're looking for that, it's a good read!

[Biblio Files (takingadayoff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read the entertaining social history of Chinese food in America, Chop Suey by Andrew Coe, I was expecting something similar in Chop Suey, USA. Although these books are almost identically titled, they are not at all similar. Yong Chen's is a personal and sometimes impassioned look at the conditions of Chinese immigrants in 19th and 20th century America, the attitudes they faced from other Americans, and how Chinese food was enthusiastically accepted by all Americans. Professor Chen grew up in China and came to America in the 1990s as a graduate student, planning to return to China when he had earned his doctorate in American history. Instead, he made America his home and has been here ever since, first on the East Coast, and now on the West Coast.

The first half of the book documents the tough time Chinese immigrants and even the first few generations had. Racism was the norm and it left the Chinese community with only a few career options -- laundry, being domestic cooks, and restaurants. When white and black America discovered that the food in the Chinese restaurants was plentiful and inexpensive, they took to it enthusiastically. Professor Chen explores the rapid spread of Chinese restaurants through the country and compares it to the rapid acceptance of American fast food in China in the past few decades.

Later in the book, we learn more about the evolution of the Chinese restaurant and Chinese cuisine in America. Chop Suey, USA covers a lot of ground, about social trends, race relations, assimilation, cookbooks, and classes in America. If you are expecting a book about why America likes chow mein or who invented fortune cookies, look elsewhere -- this is a deeper, multi-layered look at the people behind the food.

(Thanks to NetGalley for a digital review copy.)

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting an in-depth read into the history of not only Chinese food, but that of Chinese immigrants and their diaspora in the U.S. It's comprehensive, it's well written, it's got some great little stories, as well as personal insights on the part of the author and those whom he interviewed. Of most interest to me, as a chef and food lover, are the stories of how many of the dishes (including the eponymous chop suey) came about as adaptations from traditional Chinese dishes to those we know and love in American Chinese cooking.

At the same time, it's a little dry. A bit too much time spent on statistics and citations. I suppose that comes with the territory of being written by a professor of history.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Chop Suey, USA" documents the history of the Chinese in the US in tandem with the emergence of Chinese restaurants as one of the most popular cuisines in the US restaurant scene. This book is a melange of history, cultural and culinary studies and sociology and enlightens the average reader about the central role the Chinese restaurant played in Chinese American life.

The persistence and conscientiousness of the Chinese in the US is impressive, especially considering the racism and other obstacles they faced. Historically, the only occupations open to them were domestic employment, laundries and restaurants. They succeeded in all three areas despite difficulties encountered since the time Chinese immigrants began coming to the US.

I found the book to be entertaining and educational. Dr. Chen researched these topics well, which makes a credible book. He wrote from his heart, which makes a humane and happy book.

A very good read!

[Odette Cortés · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful and interesting study concerning the history of Chinese-American food. Being a firm believer on food studies I think this book is a must read if you are interested on the subject of food and culture.

Choy Suey USA by Yong Chen explains in an understandable manner an astounding number of issues, questions and myths regarding Chinese food in the United States. Why is it so popular? How did it become so popular? Why do some people suspect of Chinese food?

All those questions have very logical answers that can be answered when combining historical research with culinary history, newspapers and word of mouth.

I was fascinated by it.

I got this book from netGalley.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned so much about Chinese cuisine from reading this book. Several commonly-held myths are debunked and there were whole categories of discussion I had never even heard or thought of, like the Jewish connection with Chinese food. sometimes a little bit slow and/or dry, but still a worthwhile read of you like Chinese food.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly what could be a really interesting subject never really comes alive. Because of the way the book is structured it comes across as a dissertation with far too many names, dates and places without any real cohesion or narrative.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Karen D Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Didn't like academic style.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea that the history of Chinese food could be so technical.

[teohjitkhiam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend reading this, first, followed by Eddie Huang's Fresh Off The Boat for a culinary perspective of Chinese American history.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, rich in the early days history. Should have been edited down by a third as it became highly repetitive.