That question intrigued me and I wasn't satisfied with the answer I found through some quick Googling. So, I engaged in my own intensive research seeking an answer, poring through thousands of old newspapers and books. As I delved into that rabbit hole, I uncovered so much fascinating information about the history of Chinatown and its restaurants. Eventually, I decided to write a five-part series of articles about what I found, as well as providing some answers to my original question. These articles contained an abundance of references, especially to many old newspapers.
Even after completing this initial series of articles, I continued my research as I kept finding new and interesting information. Eventually, I began expanding and revising my original articles as well as writing additional historical articles, on a variety of related topics, from the first Chinese restaurants outside Boston to a history of Dim Sum in the U.S. Many of these articles were completed and/or expanded/revised during the first third of 2020, and consist of over 100,000 words, the size of a book, so there's plenty to read if you're so inclined.
To help bring more visibility to all of these posts, and to make it easier to find these articles, I've compiled all of the links into this single post. It will be a repository for all of these articles, and I'll update it when I write a new article. This should be helpful to my readers who want to delve deeper into the fascinating stories of the history of Boston's Chinatown, its restaurants, and related matters.
In some respects, these articles can be considered works in progress, as I try to update them whenever I engage in new research. I've written some of the most extensive articles you'll find about the history of Chinatown and its restaurants, and I'm always trying to improve and expand them. Plus, I'm working on other historical topics for future articles. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear feedback.
Check out Part 1, covering the 18th & 19th centuries
Check out Part 2, covering the years 1901-1920
Check out Part 3, covering the 1920s.
Check out Part 4, covering 1930-1959
Check out Part 5, covering the 1960s
Check out Part 6, the tale of Ruby Foo.
Check out Part 7, the tale of Anita Chue
Check out Part 8, the tale of Mary Yick
Check out Part 9, a Deeper Look into Two Restaurants
Check out Part 6, the tale of Ruby Foo.
Check out Part 7, the tale of Anita Chue
Check out Part 8, the tale of Mary Yick
Check out Part 9, a Deeper Look into Two Restaurants
Check out Part 10: Sam Wah Kee: From Chinatown's Most Wealthy Merchant to Wanted Fugitive
Check out Part 11: An Early History of Chinese Herbalists in Boston
Check out Part 12: Dr. Ensang Chang: Boston's First Chinese Licensed Physician
Check out Part 13: A Historic Look at Chinese New Year in Boston (1870-1890)
Check out Part 14: An Early History of Christmas in Chinatown
Check out Part 15: Chinatown, Little Syria & Its Restaurants
Check out Part 16: The Chinese Shoe Makers of North Adams
The First Chinese Restaurants Outside Boston:
Check out Part 1-Cambridge & Fitchburg
Check out Part 2-Pittsfield & Malden
Check out Part 3-Springfield
Check out Part 4-Fall River
Check out Part 5-Lowell & Lynn
Check out Part 6-Quincy
Check out Part 7-North Adams & Brockton
The First Chinese Restaurants in Connecticut
Check out Part 1: New Haven
Check out Part 2: Hartford & Bridgeport
Check out Part 3: New Britain, New London, Stamford, and Waterbury
Assorted Articles
The Origins of American Chop Suey (Expanded/Revised)
Origins Of The Chop Suey Sandwich: A New England Invention?
What's A Chop Suey Sundae?
Origins Of The St. Paul Sandwich: A Missouri Invention?
Origins of Crab Rangoon
Blob Joints: A History of Dim Sum in the U.S.
Your Chinese restaurants of Boston and surrounds is fantastic! I'm sure the rest of your blog is also outstanding, thorough, and accurate, but my focus is on the detailed social history of the Boston Chinese restaurateurs. Job well done!
ReplyDeleteThanks very much!
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