John Koon and the 20th Century’s Tastiest Invention
The history of Chinese take-out
When I was a tiny kid, and my parents had a bit of extra cash, Dad would hop in the car and fetch us some Chinese take-out.
I loved opening the plastic containers and breathing in the stir-fried, soy sauce-laden aromas. I marvelled at the carrots cut into intricate shapes, a contradictory mix of sweet and sour flavours, and the almost radioactive colour of the battered pork and chicken.
Australians love to order in a “noice Choinese”, as do many other folks around the world. Whichever country I’ve lived in (three), Chinese food has always been a take-out staple.
One thing I never thought about was the history of the Chinese take-out. And I bet you didn’t either.
Until now.
A brief history of Chinese food in the West
In mid-19th century California and south-eastern Australia, gold was found to be in “them thar hills”. Along with others, Chinese gold miners flocked to those areas to seek their fortune. To feed the hungry miners, Chinese restaurants/holes-in-the-wall popped up around the gold fields. For those miners who couldn’t get away from their mining, Chinese cookhouses and groceries provided delivery services.
