Chinese restaurants and foods in the USA - Research Paper Example

Facts about the Chinese restaurants and foods in the United s of America Canton restaurant with the Chinese Forty-miners Canon Restaurant is believed to have been the first Chinese restaurant to be opened in the United States of America. It was opened in 1849 and had bartenders who spoke English. The hotel with a capacity of 300 seats majored in restaurant and food operations that were meant for the immigrant Chinese in California. Despite the numerous other restaurants that were available in the region, this Chinese restaurant was seen as the most favorite with commercial mark being a yellow silk flag. It is worth noting that this restaurant was started during the gold-rush period in which the Chinese pioneers saw the business opportunity of making money. In addition to the food business, they also ventured into export and Import businesses and ran small herbal pharmacies, warehouses and tool shops. Additionally, they operated grocery stores and guest houses thereby attracting more Chinese immigrants not only to the gold-rush that was a great opportunity but also to their own businesses that they had established. It is said that the Chinese played an imperative role in the establishment of the state of California and were not viewed as mere immigrants but as founders of the state as well. This image represents the Canton restaurant with the Chinese Forty-miners is shows relatively elderly Chinese preparing Chinese meals ready to serve to an American population. It was retrieved from the following link. https://www.google.com/search?q=Canton+restaurant+with+the+Chinese+Forty-niners+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=UdBV5OoBO_bUwM%253A%253BpPUbuN2G1YC2SM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Farchives.starbulletin.com%25252F2006%25252F10%25252F31%25252Fnews%25252Fstory12.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=UdBV5OoBO_bUwM%253A%252CpPUbuN2G1YC2SM%252C_&usg=__v7SK2OxVUxdJamNQoqASkWrg8Dw%3D&ved=0CDkQyjdqFQoTCKGVgZDFz8cCFaUp2wodOVwGlg&ei=6EziVaGBBaXT7Aa5uJmwCQ#imgrc=UdBV5OoBO_bUwM%3A&usg=__v7SK2OxVUxdJamNQoqASkWrg8Dw%3D The food culture in the United States of America: Rice v/s beef Despite the fact that the Chinese restaurants were one of the founders of food business in the state of California, it is important to note that there were only a few of them within the state. Most were American restaurants until in the last three decades of 19th century. There were only 14 Chinese restaurants in San Francisco by 1882 when the American congress passed the very first Chinese exclusion act. This was opposed to the over one hundred and seventy five Chinese laundry stores that were distributed all over the town. One ought to note that it was as a result of the numerous Chinese exclusion laws that were passed between 1882 and 1904 that discouraged the expansion of the Chinese food business despite their spectacular cuisines. The disparity between the Chinese and the American eating culture was evident. It was for this reason that the Americans made rice look like the racial symbol of the Asian inferiority and beef as the American superiority. As a matter of fact, food became a racial ideology and the culture of eating rats in Chinese restaurants made the American doubtful of the hygiene in these restaurants. The image shows Diana Xu who was falsely charged with overcharging English speaking customers in her restaurant. The image was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=food+discrimination+of+chinese+food+by+americans+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=sGac958B-zJJoM%253A%253BzZDOrXr2_HWEvM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.voanews.com%25252Fcontent%25252Fchinese-americans-discrimination-in-us-still-a-problem-but-improving%25252F1955153.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=sGac958B-zJJoM%253A%252CzZDOrXr2_HWEvM%252C_&usg=__xxq8sxQRFcblll9wQfUDaIM1KpU%3D&ved=0CDAQyjdqFQoTCI3dsrnHz8cCFUIo2wodHwMKOw&ei=V0_iVc3VLcLQ7AafhqjYAw#imgrc=Kt-3zNV6ysSDrM%3A&usg=__xxq8sxQRFcblll9wQfUDaIM1KpU%3D Rat eating became a stereotyped image for an entire century The Chinese culture of eating rats was perhaps the most stereotyped image in the 19th century. In 1897, a company that advertised a pest control product used an image of a Chinese man with his mouth open ready to eat a rat which was as a matter of fact a rodent. This was an illustration that the Chinese were perhaps the most effective in exterminating these rodents from the face of earth. This was a complete mockery to the Chinese societies living in the United States of America. That notwithstanding, the white labor movement that was held in California in the 19th century used the slogan: “The Chinese must go” which was derogative to the Chinese culture. Racist propaganda became creative each day with the Americans claiming that, rats, cats and dogs were the most preferred meats in the Chinese cuisines and it is for this reason that the Chinese food business in the state of California dropped significantly. The culture of the racial discrimination related to the Chinese cuisines had been deeply absorbed by the American population to an extent that American children grew up knowing that it was not just wrong but also morally unacceptable to eat rodents. They even made fun of their Chinese colleagues in schools for eating the despicable rodents. During the relocation of the communists from the south to the north via Long March, the commanders and solders were faced with a lot of challenges including hunger. It was believed that they ate anything edible from wild animals to tree backs including their leather belts but never ate rats that were easily available. This was a clear demonstration of how the Americans loathed the Chinese rat-eating culture. However, Wong Chin-Foo, a Chinese public speaker, was an activist who came to the rescue of his Chinese colleagues. On most occasions, he was seen as a protector of the Chinese rat-eating culture. He once responded to a question from one of his audiences by saying that he was never aware that puppies and rats were fit for human consumption and actually delicious until he was told by the American people. The image shows rats prepared ad ready for consumption by humans. It illustrates how the Chinese American people ate rats however much the American societies despised this act. It was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Rat+eating+by+chinese+in+usa+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=5d67Rmt2sjSG2M%253A%253B9vfnZHVdXVA4nM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.bbc.co.uk%25252Fnews%25252Fmagazine-22467484&source=iu&pf=m&fir=5d67Rmt2sjSG2M%253A%252C9vfnZHVdXVA4nM%252C_&usg=__bLLXzWNG4Y5sgPGsqQNO3ivsHRQ%3D&ved=0CDAQyjdqFQoTCMe2-rTIz8cCFckX2wodtysPlw&ei=WlDiVcehNcmv7Aa317y4CQ#imgrc=ViG5Ud5eVRdlOM%3A&usg=__bLLXzWNG4Y5sgPGsqQNO3ivsHRQ%3D Chop suey houses The Chinese food business experienced a twist in 1896 when Li Hongzhang, one of the most important Chinese diplomats at that time, visited the United States of America. The American business community still showed interest in the Chinese trade and markets in spite of the intense racial discrimination by the Americans against the Chinese eating culture. It was for this reason that Li’s visit to the US was accorded much media presence. The turn-around of the Chinese restaurant business came when the American media reported that Chop suey was the diplomat’s favorite food. Immediately the Americans began craving for Chop suey and the Chinese immigrants saw this as an opportunity to make the food available to the American population. They soon capitalized on this venture and carefully modified the food’s recipe to fit the American culture. Chop suey houses soon sprung all over American cities. The Chinese immigrants went a step further and creatively generated numerous Americanized Chinese meals out of the simple rural Chop suey. These included chicken Chop suey, beef Chop suey, egg foo young and chow mein. In the years between 1900 and 1960, the modified or Americanized Chinese meals became famous in the American cities and this resulted to the construction of more Chinese restaurants that were synonymous to the Chop suey houses. It is worth noting, however, that the Chop suey houses were not considered as the tools that assimilated Chinese into the America culture. They were merely strategies that the Chinese used to end the exclusion era and create an occupational niche for themselves. The image shows one of the Chop suey houses in the USA. It was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Chop+suey+houses+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCMah96_Jz8cCFSwr2wodzKUNeg#imgrc=1zTDz-wr0yAq8M%3A The Chinese food and the American Jews According to the history of New York City, American Jews and Chinese Americans shared neighborhoods in the last decades of the 19th century. Both of them devised ways and methods of adapting to the American society. During their day to day interaction with the Chinese population in the United States of America, the American Jews frequently visited the Chinese restaurants and became familiar with the Chinese cuisines. In the process, they gradually turned away from their restrictive dietary rules and embraced a more accommodative Chinese cuisine. The Chinese foods and restaurants soon became the new identity of the American Jews population. Their Christmas tradition and other significant festivals strongly borrowed from the Chinese mode and culture of eating. The image shows an American Jews population enjoying a Chinese cuisine as they are served by a Chinese American. It was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Chinese+food+and+the+American+Jews&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEYQsARqFQoTCMuzkOTJz8cCFQaC2wod2IUIig&biw=1366&bih=667#imgrc=a85cNN4L7ioG2M%3A Chicken made in Taiwan for general Tso After the end of the World War II, the Chinese restaurant business in the United States of America began to change significantly. This was effectuated by the return of the servicemen from Asia. Nonetheless, the most significant turn of events in the Chinese restaurant business was experienced after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act that gave chance to hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants to come into the United States of America from Hong Kong, Taiwan and majorly china. The arrival of these immigrants and the American servicemen from Asia gave a boost to the sale of Chinese food. In fact, the Chop suey houses became irrelevant as the immigrants and the servicemen were in need of the original Chinese cuisines from Asia. This was an 1875 photo of General Tso against an impeccable background of the chicken delicacy that was named after him in USA. It was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Chicken+made+in+Taiwan+for+general+Tso+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCMjm-qrKz8cCFQRH2wodjdgM6A#imgrc=S4MFZmIpcbhcdM%3A San Gabriel Valley, the Chinese food capital One ought to note that food forms one of the most important elements of the Chinese American culture and it is for this reason that much of the recipes are maintained as they originally were when the Chinese first got into the United States of America. Another boost to the maintenance of the Chinese American cuisines was experienced after the World War II that saw the return of the American servicemen from Asia and the and the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act that allowed quite a number of Chinese immigrants to enter the country. It is in the Chinese restaurants that the Chinese Americans socialized and passed their food culture to their younger generations. The South Californian city of is seen as the contemporary Chinese food capital because of the many Chinese restaurants, groceries, ethnic strip malls that have been congregated and rooted in the region. The image shows the Hong Kong plaza in San Gabriel Valley. It was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=San+Gabriel+Valley,+the+Chinese+food+capital+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB4QsARqFQoTCLOllJfLz8cCFUen2wodRHMK2Q#imgrc=3vM9Ovwtv1mhvM%3A To whom does the culture belong to? By early 21st century, there were more than 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States of America. For this reason, it is right to recognize the fact that the Chinese cuisine forms and significant part of the food market of America. In spite of the huge number of these restaurants, there by early 21st century there was only one sit-down, full service Chinese restaurant that was a publicly traded stock company in the entire country. China Bistro, which was established by an American restaurateur, was in the same price range as California Pizza Chicken, Olive Garden and the Cheese Cake Factory. The restaurant was highly successful. However, it is surprising to note that it was located far away from where the Chinese American societies lived. This then brought for the question of who owned the culture. The Chinese restaurant that was founded by an American seemed to have succeeded in the business far much more than the Chinese-owned restaurants. Its location was also a historic turn of events. As a matter of fact, the restaurant culture is in the public domain and is dictated by participating agents and not the original owners of the cuisines served therein. Therefore, food is seen as a commodity that is dictated by the participating factors and is therefore less inherited than it is acquired. The photo shows an American family enjoying Chinese cuisines at a Chinese restaurant in America. The photo was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=americans+enjoying+chinese+cuisine+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB8QsARqFQoTCPfP5IvMz8cCFcEX2wodMmwBPg#imgrc=-OWAivutkmcQpM%3A Panda Express as a fast food The Panda Express is a significant example of the manner in which the Chinese Americans have incorporated the American concept of fast foods in their restaurants. Panda Express is perhaps the largest and the fastest growing Chinese fast food chain in the United States of America. This chain was founded in 1983 by a couple from Hong Kong and Taiwan. It began in southern California where other renowned names in the fast food industry like McDonald In-and-Out can be trace. However, and analyst once noted that it is technically difficult to run a Chinese fast food as compared to the other ordinary fist foods because the Chinese cuisines and menus require utter skills and precision. In spite of this, Panda Express has managed to offer a number of Chinese-flavored foods that have attracted a wide market. Therefore, the Chinese fast food has the Chinese foods an available option for the American customers who like the fast-food hotel market. The image shows on of the Panda Express stores in America with most of its customers being of American origin. It was retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?q=panda+express+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCPWJjczMz8cCFUEI2wodDcUCzA#imgrc=6uWItLAsO6Ho3M%3A Dumplings as a diaspora Chinese food for Din Tai Fung Chinese restaurants have become widespread in major cities across the globe. This is perhaps because of the rich flavors contained in the Chinese cuisines. However, it is worth noting that the Chinese cuisine is a complex art to master as revealed by Din Tai Fung that is a dumpling house that was first made in Taiwan. This renowned restaurant, that has a number of stores spread all over the world, claims that its Shanghai steamed dumplings are more authentic as compared to any other Chinese restaurant that prepares the same. According to the chain of restaurants, the authenticity of any food is found in its fluid and concept of preparation. The image above shows a delicacy of Dumplings prepared at one of the Din Tai Fung stores. It was retrieved from: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/din-tai-fung-costa-mesa?select=U8K4mw7WRZFqkNNnC3lQIg Works Cited http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/din-tai-fung-costa- mesa?select=U8K4mw7WRZFqkNNnC3lQIg https://www.google.com/search?q=americans+enjoying+chinese+cuisine+images&rlz=1C1CHX U_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa =X&ved=0CB8QsARqFQoTCPfP5IvMz8cCFcEX2wodMmwBPg#imgrc=- OWAivutkmcQpM%3A https://www.google.com/search?q=Canton+restaurant+with+the+Chinese+Forty- niners+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=i sch&imgil=UdBV5OoBO_bUwM%253A%253BpPUbuN2G1YC2SM%253Bhttp%2525 3A%25252F%25252Farchives.starbulletin.com%25252F2006%25252F10%25252F31% 25252Fnews%25252Fstory12.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=UdBV5OoBO_bUwM%253 A%252CpPUbuN2G1YC2SM%252C_&usg=__v7SK2OxVUxdJamNQoqASkWrg8Dw %3D&ved=0CDkQyjdqFQoTCKGVgZDFz8cCFaUp2wodOVwGlg&ei=6EziVaGBBaX T7Aa5uJmwCQ#imgrc=UdBV5OoBO_bUwM%3A&usg=__v7SK2OxVUxdJamNQoq ASkWrg8Dw%3D https://www.google.com/search?q=Chicken+made+in+Taiwan+for+general+Tso+images&rlz=1 C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=u niv&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCMjm- qrKz8cCFQRH2wodjdgM6A#imgrc=S4MFZmIpcbhcdM%3A https://www.google.com/search?q=food+discrimination+of+chinese+food+by+americans+image s&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=s Gac958B- zJJoM%253A%253BzZDOrXr2_HWEvM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww .voanews.com%25252Fcontent%25252Fchinese-americans-discrimination-in-us-still-a- problem-but-improving%25252F1955153.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=sGac958B- zJJoM%253A%252CzZDOrXr2_HWEvM%252C_&usg=__xxq8sxQRFcblll9wQfUDaI M1KpU%3D&ved=0CDAQyjdqFQoTCI3dsrnHz8cCFUIo2wodHwMKOw&ei=V0_iVc 3VLcLQ7AafhqjYAw#imgrc=Kt- 3zNV6ysSDrM%3A&usg=__xxq8sxQRFcblll9wQfUDaIM1KpU%3D https://www.google.com/search?q=panda+express+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&e spv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsAR qFQoTCPWJjczMz8cCFUEI2wodDcUCzA#imgrc=6uWItLAsO6Ho3M%3A https://www.google.com/search?q=Rat+eating+by+chinese+in+usa+images&rlz=1C1CHXU_en KE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&imgil=5d67Rmt2sjSG2M%25 3A%253B9vfnZHVdXVA4nM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.bbc.co.uk %25252Fnews%25252Fmagazine- 22467484&source=iu&pf=m&fir=5d67Rmt2sjSG2M%253A%252C9vfnZHVdXVA4n M%252C_&usg=__bLLXzWNG4Y5sgPGsqQNO3ivsHRQ%3D&ved=0CDAQyjdqFQo TCMe2- rTIz8cCFckX2wodtysPlw&ei=WlDiVcehNcmv7Aa317y4CQ#imgrc=ViG5Ud5eVRdlO M%3A&usg=__bLLXzWNG4Y5sgPGsqQNO3ivsHRQ%3D https://www.google.com/search?q=San+Gabriel+Valley,+the+Chinese+food+capital+images&rl z=1C1CHXU_enKE579KE580&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=667&site=webhp&tbm=isch& tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB4QsARqFQoTCLOllJfLz8cCFUen2wodRHMK2 Q#imgrc=3vM9Ovwtv1mhvM%3A https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Chinese+food+and+the+American+Jews&rlz=1C1CHX U_enKE579KE580&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CEYQs ARqFQoTCMuzkOTJz8cCFQaC2wod2IUIig&biw=1366&bih=667#imgrc=a85cNN4L7i oG2M%3A Read More