You would think they'd start off with some of the earliest restaurants which would be Chinese...and not Chinese-Chinese but American Chinese.

As owners who opened up restaurants say during the Gold Rush, changed the food for American palates as they didn't think Americans would eat Chicken feet, etc.

Ergo Chop Suey is born.

Our Chinese food is so American that when we exported the fortune cookie to China they advertised it as the "famous American Fortune Cookie."

I think the beginning of mass restaurants in America has origins in places like S.F. and the Gold Rush and a way for Chinese immigrants to make money (besides laundry services) was to feed the Miners.

Before the late 19th century, restaurants weren't much of a thing in America...you ate at home. I think the Chinese say thousands of Miners with no wives who couldn't feed themselves and thrived on giving them a new food.

This post was edited on 2/21/21 at 9:22 pm

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Posted by Kafka

I am the moral conscience of TD

Member since Jul 2007

143187 posts

Posted on 2/21/21 at 9:47 pm to mizzoubuckeyeiowa

quote:
I think the beginning of mass restaurants in America has origins in places like S.F. and the Gold Rush and a way for Chinese immigrants to make money (besides laundry services) was to feed the Miners.

Before the late 19th century, restaurants weren't much of a thing in America...you ate at home. I think the Chinese say thousands of Miners with no wives who couldn't feed themselves and thrived on giving them a new food.

Are you not from LA?

quote:
mizzoubuckeyeiowa

oh ok

NO is where the food revolution in America started. Being a French city, it was not dominated by the Puritan ethic of "Eat to live, don't live to eat" (one of Franklin's proverbs in Poor Richard's Almanac).

Chinese influence was relatively limited. Italians were much more influential. Even so, the Puritan ethic was still very dominant in the heartland until at least the 1980s. Now with all the cooking show and celeb chefs it may be an endangered species.

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Posted by Napoleon

Kenna

Member since Dec 2007

69469 posts

Posted on 2/22/21 at 8:14 am to mizzoubuckeyeiowa

My brother lives in Taiwan. The first thing he wants when he comes to the states is Chinese food because he says you can't get it in Asia. Not OUR Chinese food.

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Posted by TideWarrior

Asheville/Chapel Hill NC

Member since Sep 2009

11849 posts

Posted on 2/22/21 at 8:29 am to mizzoubuckeyeiowa

quote:
Our Chinese food is so American that when we exported the fortune cookie to China they advertised it as the "famous American Fortune Cookie."

I read this last month and thought it was appropriate. This is from the menu of a Chinese restaurant in Canada and the owner put the menu in his own words.

quote:
Imperial rolls

quote:
Owner's words: I spent most of time eating Chinese food and I did not know these vegetable rolls are so delicious until I opened this restaurant. Also you don't want to miss our special dipping sauce, do you? Each order has two small rolls and as the owner, I think they are small too but they are so good. Delicacy could be the word here.

quote:
General Tao chicken

quote:
More than once, More than twice, our customers told me AuntDai has the best General Tao Chicken in Montreal. Hands half way down or 3 quarters way down maybe, I am no expert on North American Chinese food but I like our General Tao a lot, a lot more than what I would have thought. We use high quality chicken breast and our own special sauce. I am really proud we have this great dish even though deep down I hope all the items on our menu are authentic Chinese.

quote:
Wontons with peanut butter sauce

quote:
Owner's words: Most loved by our customers, perfect peanut sauce on five home made wontons. Myself is addictive to it even it's totally North American. By the way, as born in China, most times I prefer real authentic Chinese food over the North American version. Warning: This one is really sweet.

Here is a link to his menu.

LINK

I just find it funny that so many Americans have no clue what real authentic food is because restaurants have to Americanize it for their customers. I am probably unaware as well with countries I am not familiar with.

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Posted by S