How American Chinese Food Became Delivery Food
05/20/21 • 30 min
1 Listener
On a cold November night in 1976, a New York City restaurateur named Misa Chang started sliding delivery menus under her neighbors’ doors for her Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Chang wasn’t the first to offer delivery, but when delivery gained traction in U.S. cities, Chinese restaurants were often the first to do it. As dishes like chop suey and General Tso's chicken became part of American food culture, Americans’ feelings toward the Chinese Americans who made the food (and delivered it) remained stuck in the past. And now, as demand for delivery increases, many American Chinese restaurants are closing. Is delivery the key to survival?
Read a transcript of this episode at dishcity.org.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @dishcity.
Leave us a tip at wamu.org/supportdishcity.
Email us your favorite delivery order at [email protected].
On a cold November night in 1976, a New York City restaurateur named Misa Chang started sliding delivery menus under her neighbors’ doors for her Chinese restaurant in Manhattan. Chang wasn’t the first to offer delivery, but when delivery gained traction in U.S. cities, Chinese restaurants were often the first to do it. As dishes like chop suey and General Tso's chicken became part of American food culture, Americans’ feelings toward the Chinese Americans who made the food (and delivered it) remained stuck in the past. And now, as demand for delivery increases, many American Chinese restaurants are closing. Is delivery the key to survival?
Read a transcript of this episode at dishcity.org.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @dishcity.
Leave us a tip at wamu.org/supportdishcity.
Email us your favorite delivery order at [email protected].
Previous Episode
Why Is Delivery A Thing?
When you really think about it, delivering food from restaurants to homes is kind of strange. Nothing about the process saves money and it doesn't make the food taste any better! And yet, platforms like DoorDash and Grubhub doubled their revenue during the pandemic. So, what's the history of this weird system? Welcome to the latest season of Dish City, where we unwrap the past, present and future of delivery. Read a transcript of this episode at dishcity.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @dishcity. Leave us a tip at wamu.org/supportdishcity. Email us your favorite delivery order at [email protected].
Next Episode
How Big Pizza And Big Tech Made Hot Delivery Possible
In the '60s, delivering pizzas meant wrapping hot pies in a blanket or driving them to customers over open flames. With those humble (and, uh, life-threatening) beginnings, how did we get to the quick and easy delivery everyone knows and loves today? From heatproof bags to rotating ovens, Patrick Fort and Ruth Tam investigate how 'big pizza' changed the delivery game forever.
Read a transcript of this episode at dishcity.org.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @dishcity.
Leave us a tip at wamu.org/supportdishcity.
Email us your favorite delivery order at [email protected].
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