Chop Suey, USA - The Story of Chinese Food in America (gnv64)

Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America
by Yong Chen
Columbia University Press | October 2014 | eISBN 978-0-231-53816-9 | ePUB | 346 pages | 22.2 mb
http://www.amazon.com/Chop-Suey-USA-Traditions-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B00O0FYGZ6

The rise of Chinese food in America’s gastronomical landscape in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is one of the greatest epic stories of cultural exchange in world history. The arrival of Chinese food on American shores injected a refreshing air of diversity to a country long dominated by Anglo culinary monotony that many have lamented since the nineteenth century. By 1980, Chinese food had become the country’s most popular ethnic cuisine. The spread of Chinese restaurants facilitated a quiet but revolutionary change that enriched America’s palate. More important, it marked the country’s socioeconomic transformation, turning dining out into a democratic experience. A thoroughly researched, highly readable account of the development of Chinese American food, this book fills important gaps in the literature of ethnic and food studies, while incorporating an appealing personal memoir into the narrative.

About the Author
Yong Chen, raised by his food-loving mother in China, is professor of history at the University of California, Irvine, and served as the institution's associate dean of graduate studies. Among his numerous publications are Chinese San Francisco, 1850--1943: A Trans-Pacific Community. He co-curated a museum exhibit on the history of Chinese restaurants in the United States, and his commentaries on food, immigration, and Sino-American relations appear frequently in the media in four languages.

CONTENTS
Preface: The Genesis of the Book
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Chop Suey, the Big Mac of the Pre-McDonald’s Era
1. Why Is Chinese Food So Popular?
2. The Empire and Empire Food
3. Chinese Cooks as Stewards of Empire
4. The Cradle of Chinese Food
5. The Rise of Chinese Restaurants
6. The Makers of American Chinese Food
7. “Chinese-American Cuisine” and the Authenticity of Chop Suey
8. The Chinese Brillat-Savarin
Conclusion: The Home of No Return
Afterword: Why Study Food?
Notes
Bibliography
Index