Chop Suey USA
Test your knowledge of Chinese food in America!
(quiz courtesy of Columbia University Press)
- 1.
What is the origin of chop suey?
- A.
A dish invented by Chinese immigrants in the United States.
- B.
A dish invented by a Japanese American in the United States.
- C.
An authentic Chinese dish.
- D.
Dishes in American Chinese restaurants prepared in a method similar to stir-fry.
Correct Answer
D. Dishes in American Chinese restaurants prepared in a method similar to stir-fry.Explanation
Chop suey is not just one dish but an extensive line of dishes served in America’s Chinese restaurants. They are stir-fried, which is an old and common method of cooking in China. Early cooks did make an effort to tailor their chop suey dishes to the tastes of non-Chinese customers.Rate this question:
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- 2.
Where did Chinese food first become available in restaurants?
- A.
Chicago.
- B.
San Francisco.
- C.
New York.
- D.
Los Angeles.
Correct Answer
B. San Francisco.Explanation
San Francisco was the most important entrance point for early Chinese immigrants, who started to come to the United States in large numbers after the discovery of gold in California. The city’s Chinatown remained Chinese America’s socioeconomic, cultural, and gastronomical center for a long time. Chinese restaurants appeared simultaneously with the emergence of Chinatown, serving primarily Chinese visitors and residents.Rate this question:
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- 3.
Why did Americans fall in love with Chinese food?
- A.
Because it was the best cuisine in the world.
- B.
Because it was different from Western food.
- C.
Because it was inexpensive and convenient.
- D.
Because it was almost as good as French food.
Correct Answer
C. Because it was inexpensive and convenient.Explanation
Mainstream American consumers disliked, even despised, Chinese food for half a century after its arrival in the United States. Around the turn of the twentieth century, when Americans began to frequent Chinese restaurants, they largely stayed away from the exquisite foods, such as shark’s fins and bird’s nest, that many Chinese and non-Chinese food connoisseurs regarded as representing the essence of Chinese cuisine. Instead, American restaurant-goers preferred such simple and inexpensive dishes as chop suey and chow mein. In other words, Chinese food rose in popularity not because of its gastronomic merits but because it met the swelling demand of the growing urban population for a better and more convenient lifestyle.Rate this question:
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- 4.
How many Chinese restaurants are there in the United States
- A.
2,500.
- B.
5,500.
- C.
15,000.
- D.
More than 30,000.
Correct Answer
D. More than 30,000.Explanation
According to some recent estimates, there are as many as 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States. Yong Chen’s systematic survey of 62 cities in 2007 clearly indicates that there are more than 30,000 Chinese restaurants in America.Rate this question:
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- 5.
What is the most popular food served in Chinese restaurants in the United States?
- A.
Chop suey.
- B.
Kung Pao.
- C.
Beef with broccoli.
- D.
Peking duck.
Correct Answer
B. Kung Pao.Explanation
A national survey of Chinese restaurant menus shows that the dishes that are named “Kung Pao” now far outnumber those that are called “chop suey.”Rate this question:
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- 6.
Which of the following groups frequented Chinese restaurants in American cities in the early twentieth century?
- A.
Jews.
- B.
African Americans.
- C.
Rebellious youth.
- D.
All of the above.
Correct Answer
D. All of the above.Explanation
A century ago, these groups formed an extremely important customer base for Chinese restaurants, which helps explain the significant historical role of Chinese food in extending the once-exclusive dining-out experience to all segments of society.Rate this question:
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- 7.
Which of the following combinations is the average American least likely to engage in?
- A.
Eating hot dogs during a baseball game.
- B.
Dining in a Chinese restaurant right before attending an opera.
- C.
Using dental floss on a daily basis.
- D.
Taking home left-overs from a restaurant.
Correct Answer
B. Dining in a Chinese restaurant right before attending an opera.Explanation
In spite of its long-standing popularity in the restaurant market across the nation, Chinese food has remained largely at the lower end of the hierarchy of mainstream American food consumption. This has much to do with the image of China as a source of inexpensive labor since the nineteenth century.Rate this question:
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- 8.
Where can people still find many chop suey restaurants?
- A.
New Orleans.
- B.
Chinatown in San Francisco.
- C.
Manhattan.
- D.
African American neighborhoods in St. Louis.
Correct Answer
D. African American neighborhoods in St. Louis.Explanation
In most major restaurant markets and in all Chinese American communities, chop suey has disappeared as a popular dish. But it has persisted in certain non-Chinese areas. Its continued popularity in restaurants in African American neighborhoods reminds us of the extensive connection between Chinese food and the African American community.Rate this question:
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- 9.
Why did Chinese immigrants open many Chinese restaurants about a century ago?
- A.
Because historically and naturally, the Chinese are endowed with Epicurean tendencies.
- B.
Because most of them had been trained as chefs before coming to the United States.
- C.
Because running a Chinese restaurant was an extremely lucrative business.
- D.
Because they had few other job opportunities.
Correct Answer
D. Because they had few other job opportunities.Explanation
By the early twentieth century, the Chinese had been driven out of, or banned from, most industries. The only job opportunities available to them were in service industries. As a result, working in the restaurant business was one of the two most important occupations for the Chinese (the other being the laundry business)Rate this question:
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- 10.
Which of the following emerged as the most popular ethnic cuisine in the United States in the 1980s?
- A.
Chinese.
- B.
Greek.
- C.
Italian.
- D.
Mexican.
Correct Answer
A. Chinese.Explanation
In order to create a steady lifeline for their socioeconomically marginalized and numerically small community, Chinese Americans made concerted efforts to promote Chinese food, turning it into the “first class of food” produced and consumed outside the home. As such, Chinese Americans played an important role as a democratizing force in the realm of public consumption.Rate this question:
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Mar 18, 2022Quiz Edited by
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Oct 24, 2014Quiz Created by
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