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This is 1A. I'm Jen White. Years ago if you opened your kitchen drawer, you'd probably find

a stack of takeout menus. There's a good chance one of those menus would have been for a Chinese restaurant.

Despite the decline of paper takeout menus, Chinese food remains ubiquitous in the US and around the world.

And for some of you, it's a favorite.

Chinese food has meant a lot to me.

There was a particular restaurant in my area called the bamboo house

and I've been going there since I was four or five and I'm going to be

50 now. My daughter went there and we loved Kung,

Powell chicken or shrimp.

That was our favorite.

I spent many years in New York City,

and my favorite go-to Chinese food

was cold Sesame Noodles.

And all my friends went to the same setuan restaurant to get cold sesame

noodles and they were great.

Thanks for sharing those messages.

According to a 2023 pew research study, every US state and 70% of all US counties have at least

one Chinese restaurant.

After the break, we explore how Chinese food is grown in popularity outside of China and why it's so beloved

...