Li Hongzhang and Chop Suey - Commemorating the 120th anniversary of Chinese food entering the mainstream of the United States

Li Hongzhang and Chop Suey - Commemorating the 120th anniversary of Chinese food entering the mainstream of the United States. When did the Tang cuisine we call, that is, Chinese cuisine, come to be in the United States...

When did the Tang cuisine we call, that is, Chinese cuisine, come to be and develop in the United States? After checking the history, I learned that Chinese restaurants have been opened in the United States for 150 years. The person who promoted the Chinese restaurant industry and was able to dominate the sound of Western food knives and forks was Li Hongzhang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty who visited the United States 120 years ago. In the mid-19th century, the Chinese who came to the United States had already begun to do business. By 1850, there were written records: In San Francisco, where the Chinese were concentrated at that time, there were 33 Chinese-operated grocery stores, 15 medicinal shops, 5 butcher shops, 5 barber shops, as well as a number of tailors, inns, cake shops, wood factories, theaters, newspapers, etc., but there were only 5 Chinese restaurants at that time. In 1872, the most common occupations among the Chinese in Chinatown were cigar makers, with 3,000 people, leather shoe factories with 2,000 people, food canners with 1,000 people, and woolen factories with 500 people. In New York's Chinatown, where Chinese Americans are concentrated, more than half of the businesses are engaged in laundry, followed by the cigar business, but restaurant operators are still in the minority. It can be seen from this that the Chinese restaurant industry was not booming at that time. The service area was mainly in Chinatown, and most of the diners were local Chinese. The Chinese restaurant industry could not yet enter the mainstream of the United States. By 1896, the situation had changed. At that time, Li Hongzhang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Qing Dynasty, visited the United States. After arriving in New York, he was grandly received by the U.S. government. In terms of food, "Governor Lee brought a large team of chefs." The New York Times reported on August 29, 1896, wrote: "There are more than a dozen chefs in the delegation. The chief chef is a tall, expressionless man of unknown age. Wearing a dark robe, he behaves like a subordinate official of the governor. Probably because the owner holds a senior position, the head chef also solemnly did not talk to the people in the hotel and then went upstairs, waiting for his owner's instructions." The American "Creation of Li Hongzhang's Chop Suey" also records: "After Li Hongzhang arrived in New York, he tried to create good Sino-US relations. On the evening of August 29, he entertained American guests. During the dinner, Li Hongzhang served a dish consisting of celery, bean sprouts, meat and delicious Chinese sauce to satisfy the dual tastes of the Chinese host and American guests." ("American Story" magazine) , and this kind of "miscellaneous" Chinese food is the Chinese dish "chop suey" that has become famous in the future. The official translation of the British name is "Chop Suey". The term "Li Hongzhang offal" was first mentioned in mainstream American social literature in the works of American writer Lewis. In the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 1914 novel, he wrote: "Yes, go to Li Hongzhang's Chop Suey Shop and the American Dim Sum Shop in the Kingdom of Seven Flowers, where there is a tea table for $5 a person."

Regarding the story of Li Hongzhang and the chop suey, there were different versions circulated in Chinatown at that time. One of them is: After Li Hongzhang arrived in New York, he went to a restaurant called "Wanli Yun" to eat Chinese food. However, the dishes he ate were indeed nothing special. When Westerners asked, Li Hongzhang simply answered "chop suey". After being reported by journalists, the name "offal" became very popular. By 1898, there was the "Chung Yuan House" to attract customers with the "Chop Suey" brand, and then there were restaurants such as "Hong Kong House" and "Huamei Restaurant" to follow. Chinese food became famous because of Li Hongzhang’s visit to the United States. The little-known chop suey became a brand of Chinese food. In 1903, Liang Qichao came to Chinatown, New York from Canada. He wrote the following: "There are about 20,000 Chinese in New York. Most of them are laundry workers, followed by the chop suey shop... The chop suey shop started after Li Hongzhang's trip to the United States. "In the past, Westerners did not visit Tangren Port. Since Li Hongzhang's arrival, Westerners have been as curious as ever. If they want to know the extent of Chinese life, they must go to New York's Tangren Port to see it." "When Li Hongzhang was in the United States, he wanted to eat Chinese food. He went to Chinatown for several meals. When Westerners asked him his name, he responded with the name of offal. Since the name of offal has become popular, there are three to four hundred offal restaurants in this corner of New York. There are more than 3,000 Chinese people in the United States who have good food and clothing. The income from this business every year can reach millions of dollars, and they have become a big country." It can be seen from this that Chinese food pioneered the path of "Li Hongzhang Chop Suey" and expanded from Chinatowns such as New York and San Francisco to all parts of the United States and entered mainstream American society, eventually establishing the status of Chinese food as a major country. The data also shows that in 1896, Li Hongzhang traveled around the world, visiting Russia, Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He was received by local heads of state wherever he went. In an interview with the New York Times in the United States, he also criticized the United States' Chinese Exclusion Act. Phoenix already had Chinese restaurants operating in 1900. According to the book "Phenomenon: The History of a Southwest City" written by Bradford Rockingham, a professor of history in Alberta, "In 1910, the local Chinese still ran some quite good laundries, grocery stores, and vegetable stalls, and the three largest restaurants in Phenomenal City were all controlled by Chinese people." From the information and photos provided by local overseas Chinese seniors, we also learned that in the early 20th century, there was the "Citi Restaurant" operated by Yu Kangzhong of the Yu family. It was one of the few Chinese restaurants at that time. In 1928, the "Shanghai House" chop suey restaurant opened in a prosperous area of ​​downtown Phoenix. It has a history of more than 80 years. Mainstream society in Alberta and countless Americans also tasted chop suey from the "Shanghai House" and then fell in love with Chinese food. In the subsequent proliferation of Chinese restaurants, chop suey has become a must-have Chinese delicacy. However, in recent years, due to the diversification of the Chinese catering industry and the promotion of local food brands, chop suey has begun to decline, and it is even difficult to see this healthy and delicious Chinese dish in the past on the menu. Even so, we Chinese in the United States must not forget that "Li Hongzhang Chop Suey" 120 years ago made the Chinese restaurant industry famous in the United States and benefited thousands of Chinese families. According to recent statistics, there are currently more than 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States, more than twice as many as McDonald's. The Chinese food industry's annual sales in the United States have exceeded 20 billion. Americans consume more than 2.5 million pieces of Chinese food every day, making it a home-cooked meal for Americans. Nowadays, Chinese food has long been famous all over the world. For example, according to Jewish custom, Chinese food is always eaten after Christmas! In 2016, the Alberta Chinese Restaurant Association will hold a grand ceremony to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the entry of Chinese cuisine into mainstream society in the United States. This kind of initiative and commemorative event is the first in the United States and has its groundbreaking significance. Its initiative has received enthusiastic response and active participation from the restaurant industry. The Chinese Restaurant Association of Alberta sincerely invites the mainstream of the province and the Chinese community in Phoenix to participate in the event and celebrate the commemoration together. Let’s relive the history of chop suey, savor the deliciousness of chop suey, and promote Chinese food culture! (The author is currently a consultant to the Alberta Chinese Restaurant Association)