LibGuides: The Development of Chinatown: Philadelphia & Beyond: Learning Through Culinary History

Videos

Blogger Perspectives
Academic Perspectives

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Ai Love Chinatown Live

PCDC (Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation) recently started a series. The episodes are short and sweet!

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► Heather Lee on Chinese restaurants, immigration, and labor history in the U.S. (2019)

Presented by Heather Lee, Assistant Professor of History at NYU Shanghai and Global Network Assistant Professor at NYU. This lecture was delivered at Brown University, and supported by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America. Lee weaves powerful narratives into her discussion, which ultimately comes back to the idea of marketing Chinese culture.

Recommended Books

From Canton Restaurant to Panda Express: A History of Chinese Food in the United States by Haiming Liu
ISBN: 0813574773
Publication Date: 2015-09-09
This is a good general read. One of the most interesting sections examines how dishes were created to appease local tastes. As Liu points out, these acts threw Chinese identity into question, even as entrepreneurs used consumer culture to create opportunities. The book touches on modern attitudes about authenticity and variety.
Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey by Anne Mendelson
ISBN: 9780231541299
Publication Date: 2016-11-29
Mendelson describes how the Chinese community used food to create power and visibility. The story is set against a backdrop of discrimination, deportation, and, at times, violence. As in Liu's book, discussions are raised about our contemporary interest in producing "ethnic" consumer goods that are also "authentic"--two qualities that seem difficult to define, especially as more non-Asian residents call Chinatown home.

Dissertations & Articles

There Used to Be Nowhere to Eat in This Town: Restaurant-led Development in Postindustrial Philadelphia
Author: Stephen E. Nepa, Jr. | Publication Date: May 2012

Nepa's dissertation ties in with several themes from the previous literature. Chinatown is mentioned numerous times.

Will a night market - a Chinese staple - open in Philadelphia's Chinatown?
Author: Jeff Gammage | Publication Date: 2010-11-02

This article was written almost ten years ago, so, the answer to this question is: "Yes." However, it took some time for Chinatown residents to come to a consensus.

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