Background Story
I go to Bucknell University, which is located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. In this small town, there are two Japanese restaurants owned by Chinese. The menus are a mix of Chinese and Japanese food. The distinctiveness between the two becomes ambiguous nowadays. It seems that Japanese and Chinese restaurants emerge into one “brand” under the influence of the American culture. I am curious to find out how Asian food adapts to American culture. My project will mainly focus on the evolution of Chinese food in U.S.
Chinese people came to America because of the California gold rush in the 1850s. It was when Chinese food first introduced to the United States. The Americans thought of Chinese foods as scary, because they regarded the Chinese as competitions. In 1882, the “exclusion act” forced Chinese out of labor. In order to survive, Chinese have to be self-employed. Opening up restaurants and providing food is one way out. To make more money, Chinese restaurant owners adapted simple dishes to American taste and changed their menus according to the demands of the people around them.
The foreign yet familiar dish “Chop Suey” was created during the 1900s. It was the beginning of American Chinese cuisine. Chinese started to move from California to other states to find employment in a way that did not compete with other Chinese. American Chinese cuisine spread out across the US. In the 1940s, as U.S enters world war, China became an ally of the United States. Chinese gain social acceptance and cultural acceptance in the US.
By 1943, the Congress abrogated the Chinese Exclusion Act. Chinese food became more diverse because the hostility towards Chinese people was declining. As a result, the Americans became more willing to try authentic dishes. In all, Chinese food has always been linked with international relations between China and the United States.
About The Project
My project is about how Chinese food is affected by the political environment of American society. My goal is to generate more thoughts on how one culture adapts to another through looking at the evolution of Chinese restaurants in the United States.
There are three components in this project. The first part is a timeline of historical events from 1850 to present, indicating how the political environment is related to the development of Chinese restaurants. The second part is an interactive visualization of historical restaurant menu analysis. The third part of the project is a collection of local stories of four restaurant owners in Lewisburg: Pandaly, Sushihanna, Fuji Steakhouse, and Yung Ting. They will share stories about their own restaurants and how they adapt to the community.
Sources
“Amazon.Com: Watch The Search for General Tso | Prime Video.” Accessed May 30, 2019. https://www.amazon.com/Search-General-Tso-Jennifer-Lee/dp/B00ROVGDXG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tso&qid=1559246004&s=gateway&sr=8-3.
“The Man Who Has Dined at More than 7,300 Chinese Restaurants in the US.” South China Morning Post, October 20, 2018. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/2169154/man-who-has-eaten-more-7300-chinese-restaurants.