In 1784, passengers on the ship Empress of China became the first Americans to land in China, and the first to eat Chinese food. Today there are ov...
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reviews
Aug 27, 2010
Adrienne
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My trip to Taiwan 5 years ago led to a fascinating discovery: the Chinese food you get in the United States is very different from what you get in China or Taiwan. How did the food get adapted to American tastes and become so popular? Andrew Coe's Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States traces the way Chinese food came to the US, the reaction of European Americans to it, and how it evolved from a limited number of dishes from one particular region of China to a wide ra
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Apr 04, 2010
Jason
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I loved the premise of this book: how Chinese food made its way into every neighborhood, and the social history that accompanied it. But while all the facts are in this book... the sparkle is not. The result is almost as dry as a college textbook; I found myself with that uncomfortable itch that made me worry, "Will this be on the final exam?" The author does warm up to his subject halfway through, letting his own voice be heard somewhat -- but by then it's too late. And that's a cryin
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Feb 17, 2010
Jesse
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Some fascinating stuff: Americans as far back as the 18th century peddled the story that Chinese people typically ate cats, dogs, and rats (Coe doesn't go into where this came from--did Europeans think this as well?), so the recycling of this stereotype in stories from, say, the Times in the 1880s was nothing new. He also points out that chop suey, though it quickly became a mishmosh fake-Chinese dish, probably did start from real Chinese ingredients despite the folklore surrounding it, and that
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Aug 27, 2009
Robert
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Andrew Coe, Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in America (Oxford, 2009)
As someone who both was born in 1968 and is a lover of Chinese food, I actually lived through much of the last chapter of Andrew Coe's book, and I was somehow entirely unaware of it all. So as he was writing about the way Chinese restaurants in America have changed over the past twenty or so years, I kept saying “yeah, just like that” in my head, but I had somehow not noticed what really are major change More...
As someone who both was born in 1968 and is a lover of Chinese food, I actually lived through much of the last chapter of Andrew Coe's book, and I was somehow entirely unaware of it all. So as he was writing about the way Chinese restaurants in America have changed over the past twenty or so years, I kept saying “yeah, just like that” in my head, but I had somehow not noticed what really are major change More...
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Jan 29, 2012
Jana
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"Chop Suey" is a gem of a book which gives the reader a fascinating glimpse of the history, politics, and cuisine of two widely disparate countries, China, (The Middle Kingdom), and the U.S. This volume just came out in bookstores today, July 16, and I really hope it receives the consideration it deserves.
American trade with the Middle Kingdom began in February 1784, when the ship, "Empress of China," captained by John Green, set sail from New York on a previousl More...
American trade with the Middle Kingdom began in February 1784, when the ship, "Empress of China," captained by John Green, set sail from New York on a previousl More...
Nov 06, 2011
Derek
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Andrew Coe gives readers an expansive history of that soy sauce soaked food we all seem to crave so much: Chinese. Integrating a high number of citations from things like diaries, newspapers, television, and cookbooks, Coe certainly paints a vivid picture of food from the land of the rising sun. Historical events abroad and in the States are brought to life as Coe examines how cultural prejudice, racism, and a sense of adventure helped pin Chinese food at the top of takeout lists on American ref
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Feb 23, 2010
Jill
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Another surprisingly good read on Chinese food. I'd expected Chop Suey to delve into the origins of such well-loved American standards like moo goo gai pan, egg fu yong, General Tso's chicken and well, chop suey. Not unlike the Fortune Cookie Chronicles which was, unfortunately, a rather ghastly book. But Chop Suey surprised me by starting its exploration of the history of Chinese Food in the US with the Americans' first contact with China, when the Empress of China sailed to China in 1784 on a
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Sep 13, 2009
Ron
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Don't let the title fool you: this is a great history of Sino-American relations as illustrated by a narrow focus on food. The earlier chapters, about the opening of American and Chinese relations, are the best, but Coe packs a lot of history into his study of the origin of Chop Suey. Yes, Chop Suey is Chinese but has always been associated with America because it was the type of food the Chinese thought Americans liked. You will learn a great deal about American Colonialist Ignorance, about
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Jan 29, 2011
Anthony
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An interesting look at the history of Chinese food and it's evolution in America. Note I said history - unlike Fortune Cookie Chronicles, another book about Chinese food in America, it focuses primarily on the history from the first US voyages to China to the early 1900's, with only a quick look at contemporary Chinese food and restaurants. It's readable, interesting, and informative, even if some of the author's focuses seem odd - he devotes a bunch of pages to Jewish attitudes to Chinese fo
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Feb 08, 2012
Larissa
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1/25 - reading, Nook. There is a fair amount of history of early Sino-American relations. One fact of note is that early American traders did attempt to trade with the Chinese in such goods as sea cucumbers and birds' nests - both of which were Chinese delicacies and which commanded a good price. However, in the years prior to the Opium War, American traders turned to opium. It was more easily procured than sea cucumbers or birds' nests and also commanded a good price. Americans peddled opi
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Jan 17, 2010
Julia
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My Amazon review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R29PVF3FHB3...
As an ethnic food -- okay, an *all* food -- buff, I've been wondering lately about what factors affect how quickly an immigrant population's cuisine is assimilated into their new culture. Chinese food is one of the most fully assimilated non-Western foods, and I've wondered if that's because of the length of time large numbers of Chinese have lived in the US, because of how adaptable Chinese cooks have been in catering to We More...
As an ethnic food -- okay, an *all* food -- buff, I've been wondering lately about what factors affect how quickly an immigrant population's cuisine is assimilated into their new culture. Chinese food is one of the most fully assimilated non-Western foods, and I've wondered if that's because of the length of time large numbers of Chinese have lived in the US, because of how adaptable Chinese cooks have been in catering to We More...
Oct 15, 2011
Chinese food has been present in the U.S. for two centuries, but initially stereotypes were common (such as the consumption of rats) and early travelers to China were averse to eating even the most formal ceremonial meals. By the mid-1800s Chinese immigrants arrived because of the Gold Rush and to work on the railroads, and they were immediately subject to prejudice, including American revulsion towards their food. Eventually, the cultural elite of New York and other large cities developed an ap
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Sep 17, 2011
Alee
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It's actually a really detailed history of Chinese in America (as well as some pre-history into sino-anglo relations in China itself starting with early trade). When we went to Guangzhou with my sister when she adopted her 2nd one, we stayed in the Swan hotel which is right near the areas discussed in the first part of the book. The coverage is not lighthearted, though. This is a serious history book.
Dec 07, 2009
Carl
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This is more a history of the American perception of China and Chinese foods. I was disappointed by the long diversions into the historical incidents. I book does not really deal with the explosion of interest in Chinese and all kinds of asian food in the 1980's and how that has changed American's feelings about ingredients, methods and techniques of Chinese cooking.
Nov 20, 2011
Julia
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Coe's book is what the title says, some what condensed but solid research. I thought it would be dry going but I am happy to report that is ws engaging and well-paced. The great surprise was the interesting the chapter on Nixon & Kissinger in China. Its all good!
Oct 15, 2009
Leslie
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Not as flip as Jennifer 8 Lee's take on the history of Chinese food in the USA, Chop Suey is a well-researched look at Chinese immigration and cultural assimilation into American society, using its cuisine as the lens. The only caveat? You'll be ordering takeout or making your way to your favorite dim sum palace after reading.
Nov 27, 2011
Steve
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enjoyable cultural history of Chinese food in America and the invention of Chop Suey and how it helped Americans get over their fear that all Chinese food was rats, cats, and dogs!
Aug 11, 2011
Ian
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A little heavy on the history of Sino-American relations than on food necessarily, but it does break down some forms of Chinese food into appropriate regions and places of origin.
Jan 07, 2012
Kate
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I really really enjoyed this book. It's a great history of the interaction between Americans and China, focused on food. Includes details of the first Americans to visit, right after the American Revolution up through Nixon's visit in 1972 (there is a mention of later interactions, but they take up less than a page). The focus is definitely on early history - late 18th and the 19th century. As well as immigration from China during these periods. It is an easy read, but fact-laden and the teeny t
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May 25, 2010
Richard
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The best part was about Nixon in China and how the Chinese used food in their negotiations with the Americans.
Jan 11, 2010
fascinating! and i think about how many people i know who would rawther poke forks in their eyes than read something like this!
Jul 01, 2010
Spencer
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An interesting look at Chinese emigration and integration as understood by Chinese food in America.
Feb 12, 2011
Matt
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Decent book, not great. Excellent early history of Chinese food in America, as well as a general history of Chinese immigration to America. It does tend to drift a bit, and can get slightly repetitious towards the end, but I enjoyed it.
Aug 16, 2010
Liz
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Fascinating, but I felt that the end of the book was rushed - I had hoped for a more in-depth look of the last fifty years of Chinese food in America and its impact on the love of fusion cuisine. Alas.
Still a good read though.
Still a good read though.
Jul 26, 2011
Eric
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Interesting topic and some interesting facts here and there, but overall not as well researched as I'd been hoping for, not as well written and not enough really about the "culture" of Chinese food as the title promised. Sort of a disappointment.
Sep 11, 2009
Allison
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This book was fascinating. It is well written and well researched. In particular the historical aspects of Chinese food and how it evolved into what Americans now know it as is of major interest to food lovers. I especially enjoyed the account of Nixon's trip to China from a culinary standpoint!
Feb 15, 2011
Shaoyu
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The chapter one the role of food in US-China relations is fascinating.
Nov 20, 2011
Lynne
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The history of Chinese food in Gold Rush California was particularly interesting. This is as least as much history as food writing.
