Sweet & Sour: A Look at the History of Chinese Food in the United States
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will present a Chinese American display, Sweet & Sour, opening March 17, 2011. The display will be up until February 12, 2013. The Sweet & Sour showcase represents a milestone within an ongoing initiative by the museum to focus on its Chinese American history and culture through collections. The project called for collecting a variety of Chinese restaurant-related objects ranging from menus, restaurant signs, and cooking tools. These items provide a glimpse into the long history of Chinese immigration, exclusion, exoticism, and perseverance.
The history of Chinese immigration dates back to the mid-1800s when Chinese workers arrived in the United States to work as miners, railroad builders, farmers, and laborers. The first Chinese restaurants were not opened by professionally trained chefs, but by immigrants who were denied work elsewhere or simply wished to feed their own communities. The Chinese restaurant business continued to expand throughout the early 1900s as Americans became intrigued with new exotic flavors at an inexpensive price. Chinese restaurant-owners found ways to combine their traditional recipes with Western flavors in order to attract more American customers. Chop suey, which means “little pieces,” quickly became a culinary trend. A combination of familiar ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables, eggs, and sauce invited Americans to experience a new culture.
As more Chinese immigrants crossed the U.S. border around 1965, new recipes and flavors made their way into Chinese restaurant menus. Mixing old Cantonese-style cuisine with new dishes from the Szechuan and Hunan regions continued to spike American restaurant-goers interest in the food. Today, there are more than 41,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States.
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Display of neon signs from the 1976 Bicentennial exhibition, “A Nation of Nations.”
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I’m just trying to add this to our calendar. How long will this showcase last? (i.e., dates)
This exhibit is planned to be up for a year until March 2012. However, dates may change.
I am asian and very interested in getting information about asian american culture and art. I need more information in presenting or have a speaker about asian america cuture/art and beyond in our office in celebration of asian pacific celebration.
Please contact me anytime or refer me to someone who can help me.
I feel humbled and honored that some artifacts from my parent’s restaurant, Tasty Chop Suey, were selected to be included in Smithsonian Institute’s exhibit.
Aloha from Hawaii!
Thank you for the message! We are happy to have your family involved in this exhibition and being part of our program’s effort to promote APA history at the Smithsonian.
Fascinating article, chinese food has had an incredible impact on so much of world