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The History of the Chinese Takeaway

Back in the 19th century the assumption in the western world was that the Chinese people were “rat eaters” who ate nothing but revolting food.  There is a well known magazine cartoon from 1877 called "Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving Dinner" which depicts various immigrants tucking into their respective national dishes —a Frenchman, for example, can be seen eating frogs legs, and an American is eating a portion of turkey. This is repeated until you reach the Chinese representative who is shown about to eat a rodent!


Despite this early prejudice and stereotyping, the Chinese continued to introduce their dishes to the western palate, with many dishes being amalgamated with more familiar western dishes. One example, from an early menu, was "Fine Cut Chicken Chop Suey"
The Eastern European Jews, who perhaps recognized the prejudice as a familiar theme, frequently visited the newly introduced Chinese restaurants, particularly in America and the dishes developed into more authentic Chinese food. Many of the early menus featured the history and origins of the dishes on offer and this tradition has prevailed today – just take a look at your local Chinese takeaway and you will normally see this kind of explanation of the foods origins.


The regular influx of Chinese also led to the development of micro-Chinese communities, commonly called “Chinatown” and this provided yet more opportunity for the Chinese to present traditional dishes to their own without ridicule. The more adventurous often visited these communities and word quickly spread that, far from the early opinions, the food was actually some of the tastiest available anywhere and Chinese food grew in popularity.


This continued with the liberalization of immigration laws across many parts of the West and an increasing number of different regional dishes arrived from China. This increasing globalization of food cultures and the emergence of China as an important world power have further increased the availability of Chinese food and restaurants were quick to spot the potential of supplying food in takeaway style. This trend has been followed by the restaurants of many other countries, but the Chinese were one of the first.
The emergence of Chinese Takeaway food now provides a huge array of choice in many developed countries and it is the most popular type of food in the world. Even in the home of the hamburger, the United States, the popularity of Chinese takeaway food is such that the country has three times as many Chinese restaurants and takeaways than it has McDonalds!

Chinese Food Guide

Latest Reviews

Phoenix Palace

3-5 Glentworth Street , London, Other NW1 5PG
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
The best dimsum ever! - 2009-12-06 11:27:26

Review:
I chanced on this little gem a few years ago and now it has become an extension of my own home. At Phoenix Palace you are greeted with a genuine warm smile by members of staff who truly care. The restaurant is spacious and cosy and wth ample seating all round. Private parties or bookings are well catered for if booked in advance. The food is simply to die for. On offer is dimsum from mid-day and right upt o late in the afternoon. The dimsum is well prepared, tasty and fresh. Careful planning and time has gone into preparing the food and each dimsum portion retains its own characteristic and signature. You cannot go wrong with any of the food so go ahead and order anything you like and you will be pleasantly surprised. A la carte is available throughout the day but my personal preference is dimsum. Try the Vietnamese spring rolls, or prawn dumpligs. for the adventurous, chicken feet are a must. Phoenix Palace delivers locally and take away is available. If you are visiting London then Phoenix Palace is a must, go ahead and enjoy!

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