Lately I’ve been browsing through a lot of vintage restaurant ads and menus, for both fun and research. Here’s one from 1968, for the China Clipper Cafe in Dallas, Texas. “The Chow is the Mein thing!” Adorable. This photo comes courtesy of Waffle Whiffer, whose Flickr collection is loaded with other great old food advertisements. [...]
Tag Archives | Culinary Culture
Chop Suey Casserole, California Ranch Edition
Recently, while visiting Jacob’s grandmother in California, I discovered a torn cookbook in her kitchen drawers. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “You found my bible!” Titled “Country Cookin’”, the book was published in the 1970s by the Monterey County Cowbelles, otherwise known as the wives of Monterey’s ranchers. Surprisingly, only a tenth of the book is devoted [...]
Chow Mein, an American Classic
(Photo by pointnshoot, CC) Ed. – Say you’re at your favorite Chinese take-out, feasting on moo goo gai pan and crab rangoon. “I bet they don’t really eat this stuff in China,” you think, recalling the Discovery Channel special on TV last month. You would be correct. But how did dishes like chow mein and [...]
Karaage! – Japanese-Chinese Fried Chicken
Now, America isn’t the only country that adores fried Chinese food. In Japan, diners go wild for karaage, Chinese-style fried chicken. According to Maki from Just Hungry, “the word kara refers to China, meaning that this method of preparing chicken originated in Chinese cooking (age means deep-fried)”. Like the Chinese, the Japanese also marinate their [...]
When Chinese Food was Glamorous in America
I came across this Edward Hopper painting today and, for a few minutes, tried to connect the image with the name. The painting is evocative of everything I associate with the 1920s: men in suits, chic flappers, and dim stylish interiors. Yet if you look closely, there is a terracotta teapot on the table. And [...]
Chinese Herbal Jelly
At first glance, anyone who didn’t grow up in an Asian culture might scrunch up her nose at herbal jelly. It’s black, it’s shiny, and it jiggles. But really, herbal jelly, or grass jelly, is like JELL-O, only naturally colored. Whole Foods is losing a big opportunity to market this as the next “it” health [...]
Top 5 Movies Starring Chinese Food
(Photo by Scott Waldron www.dslrninja.com , CC) Watch any of the following films with a carton of Chinese take-out instead of popcorn. Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) – This film, set in Taiwan, is an obvious favorite. It opens with the father, Chef Chu, plucking a live chicken from his backyard coop and minutes later [...]
Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: A Chinese-Caribbean Celebration
I seem to spend half my waking hours cooking up enormous amounts of Chinese food, and the other half blogging about such endeavors. Which was why I was excited to participate in month’s Foodbuzz “24 Hours, 24 Meals, 24 Blogs”, a live blogging event in which 24 foodies around the world host and blog an [...]
Appetite for China is all about fresh and simple Asian cooking. Welcome and bon appetit!
