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The Bowery Boys: New York City History

#328 Chop Suey City: A History of Chinese Food in New York

The Bowery Boys: New York City History

Tom Meyers

Places & Travel, History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.7 • 3.9K Ratings

šŸ—“ļø 22 May 2020

ā±ļø 40 minutes

šŸ§¾ļø Download transcript

Summary

EPISODE 328 New Yorkers eat a LOT of Chinese food and have enjoyed Chinese cuisine – either in a restaurant or as takeout – for well over 130 years. Chinese food entered the regular diet of the city before the bagel, the hot dog and even the pizza slice. In this episode, Greg explores the history of Chinese food in New York City -- from the first Mott Street kitchens in Manhattan's Chinatown to the sleek 20th century eateries of Midtown. We have one particular dish to thank for the mainstreaming of Chinese food -- chop suey. By the 1920s, chop suey had taken New York by storm, a cuisine perfect for the Jazz Age. Through the next several decades, Chinese food would be transformed into something truly American and the Chinese dining experience would incorporate neon signs, fabulous cocktails and even glamorous floor shows by the 1940s. FEATURING: Such classics as the Port Arthur Restaurant, the Chinese Tuxedo, Ruby Foo's Den, Tao, Lucky Cheng's and the eateries of 'Szechuan Valley'. PLUS: Bernstein-on-Essex and the love affair between Chinese food and Jewish New Yorkers. boweryboyshistory.com Ā  Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/boweryboys

Transcript

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0:00.0

The Bowry Boys Episode 328.

0:02.4

Chop Sui City, a history of Chinese food in New York.

0:07.2

Hey, it's the Bowry Boys.

0:08.8

Hey.

0:10.0

Support for the Bowry Boys is provided by our listeners.

0:13.5

Join us for as little as $1 a month

0:16.0

by visiting patreon.com slash Bowry Boys.

0:22.9

Hi there, welcome to the Bowry Boys.

0:25.1

This is Greg Young with a salute today to a business

0:29.6

to a vital food institution that New York City and America

0:34.8

could not do without the Chinese restaurant.

0:38.8

New Yorkers eat a lot of Chinese food.

0:42.4

I myself eat a lot of Chinese food.

0:45.9

And the city has enjoyed Chinese cuisine,

0:48.5

either in a restaurant or a takeout for well over 130 years.

0:55.2

Chinese food entered the regular diet of New York City

0:58.4

long before the bagel, the hot dog, and even pizza.

1:03.4

Now during this pandemic period and across the country,

1:06.6

Chinese restaurants have been hit especially hard

1:10.2

for a variety of reasons.

1:12.6

There have been food distribution issues.

1:16.2

Employees at small corner restaurants

...

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