Beyond the Takeout Carton - A Review of Chop Suey, USA
by TakingaDayOff
Chop
Suey, USA is a personal and sometimes impassioned look at the
conditions of Chinese immigrants in 19th and 20th
century America, the conditions they faced from other Americans, and
how Chinese food was enthusiastically accepted by all Americans.
Author Yong Chen gre up in China and came to the States in the 1990s
as a graduate student, intending 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 difficult times the immigrants
and even their children and grandchildren had. Racism was the norm
and it left the Chinese community with only a few career options –-
domestic work as cook, or opening their own laundries or restaurants.
When white and black Americans discovered that the food in the
Chinese restaurants was plentiful, inexpensive, and tasty, they took
to it enthusiastically. Professor Chen explores the rapid rise of
Chinese restaurants through the country and compares it to the rapid
acceptance of American fast food in China over 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 race relations, social trends, assimilation,
cookbooks, and social classes in America.
Although
Chop Suey, USA has a similar title to another book from recent years
on the topic, Chop Suey by Andrew Coe, it is a very different book.
Coe's book is also well-researched and entertaining, but Chen's book
is more personal and focuses more on the immigrants themselves. If
you are expecting a book about why America likes chow mein or who
invented the fortune cookie, look elsewhere –- this is a deeper,
multi-layered look at the people behind the food.
No comments:
Post a Comment