Get your chopsticks ready! National Chop Suey Day recognizes this American Chinese culinary cuisine each year on August 29.
Chop suey, which means assorted pieces, is a dish in American Chinese cuisine. The main ingredients include meat (chicken, fish, beef, prawns or pork) and eggs. As the meat cooks over high heat, add vegetables (usually bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery). The dish is bound in a starch-thickened sauce. Typically, rice accompanies the flavorful dish.
According to food historian Alan Davidson, chop suey is “A prime example of culinary mythology.” These food myths happen with popular foods. Illustrated below, several colorful and conflicting stories tell of chop suey’s possible origin.
Chop Suey Stories
Some believe chop suey was invented in America by Chinese Americans. However, anthropologist E.N. Anderson finds another conclusion. According to Anderson, the word tsap seui means miscellaneous leftovers and hails from Taishan, a district of Guangdong Province. Many early Chinese immigrants traveled from their home in Taishan to the United States.
Another account claims Chinese American cooks who were working on the transcontinental railroad invented chop suey in the 19th century.
A prime example of culinary mythology. ~ Alan Davidson on the origin of chop suey.
One tale stemming from the Quing Dynasty connects to premier Li Hongzhang’s visit in 1896. According to the story, his chef wanted to create a meal suitable for both the Chinese and American palates. Another version of the story tells that Li wandered to a local Chinese restaurant after the hotel kitchen closed. Even though the chef was embarrassed because he had nothing prepared to offer, he made a dish for Li. Comprised of leftover scraps, the chef created the new “chop suey” dish.
Still another myth tells of an 1860s Chinese restaurant cook in San Francisco. After hours, the chef was forced to serve something to the drunken miners. He had nothing fresh to offer. However, to avoid a beating, he threw leftovers in a wok, providing a makeshift meal to the miners. The miners loved the dish, asking him for the name of the dish. To which the chef replied, “Chopped Sui.”
Traveling to the United States in 1903, Liang Oichao, a Guangdong native, wrote that there existed a food item called chop suey. While regularly served by Chinese restaurateurs, the local Chinese people did not eat this dish.
On August 24, we usher in the 7th state to join the Union with National Maryland Day. Maryland’s coastal location brings with it a deeply rooted maritime heritage that includes an ocean battle defending the city of Baltimore at Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. One witness to the action became so inspired, Francis Scott Key penned the words that later became our National Anthem.
Just over 200 years before these traditions flourished, Captian John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay and the Nanticoke River. He kept a record of his travels, documenting the Native American people. Smith wrote about their cultures, the abundant animal, and plant life. Since this vast watershed is the largest estuary in the United States, the complex ecosystem thrives with diverse plant and wildlife.
Spending a weekend or a vacation at Ocean City with friends or family is a highlight of any Maryland trip. The boardwalk and beaches provide plenty of relaxation, adventure, and fun in the sun. The Eastern Shore offers scenic views, site seeing, peaceful accommodations, festivals and events for everyone.
Civil War History
Head west to Antitiem and Maryland will take you into another era. Here, the battlefields and Antietam National Cemetery hold a solemn reminder of the bloodiest singled day battle of the Civil War that occurred on September 17, 1862. Five days later, President Lincoln issued a Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Although Maryland was a southern state as defined by the Mason-Dixon line, it never seceded from the Union. While many families throughout the war fought on opposing sides, for Maryland families, it was a reoccurring theme.
Industry
Being located close to Washington D.C. makes Maryland ideal for aerospace, defense, and federal cybersecurity jobs. The state’s fishing industry thrives and is the largest producer of blue crabs in the state. The Oldline State is also home to McCormick & Company, Perdue Farms, Lockheed Martin, Black & Decker and Underarmor.
Official Maryland
State Capital – Annapolis State Nickname – The Old Line State State Motto – Fatti maschs parole femine State Bird – Baltimore Oriole State Flower – Black-eyed Susan State Folk Dance – Square Dance State Fish – Rockfish State Dessert – Smith Island Cake State Fossil – Ecphora gardnerae State Tree – White Oak State Song – Maryland, My Maryland State Gemstone – Patuxent River Stone State Insect – Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly
Milk Cream of Crab Soup Fisher’s popcorn Stuffed Ham Crab dip Berger Cookies Steamed Crab Crab Cakes Thrashers Fries
Marylanders know their crab. It’s a big deal. Crab cakes, crab dip, steamed crab or a good old fashioned crab boil. However, they serve it up, they serve it deliciously and with pride. They know their seafood, but they know their crab. Don’t forget the Old Bay, either.
Follow that with Thrashers Fries and Fisher’s Popcorn from Ocean City’s boardwalk. It’s a required stop.
Stuffed ham gains a favored place on the table in Maryland. Seasoned cabbage, kale, and onions are stuffed into a boneless ham, boiled and served cold.
For dessert, Marylanders like peach pot pie and the official state dessert, Smith Island Cake. Peach pot pie is similar to a cobbler with a sweet biscuit crust. As August 24th is also Peach Pie Day, it could be that this is how the tradition got started. The eight layers of the Smith Island Cake features fudge and moist yellow cake.
But, let’s remember crabs, in whole or part, are outstanding in Maryland.
This beautiful state spans mountains and oceans, countryside and metropolis. Celebrate Maryland’s people and their history on August 24. Use #NationalMarylandDay to share on social media.
Each year on National Chopsticks Day, people worldwide celebrate the humble and ancient utensils on February 6th.
Around 1200 B.C., Chinese cooks began using chopsticks to prepare food. These tools were likely long enough to reach into hot cooking pots. Then about 400 B.C., when fuels for cooking became scarce, food was prepared in smaller pieces reducing the number of resources needed to cook it. At the same time, the need for sharp eating utensils faded, and shorter chopsticks entered the scene.
Once these handy eating tools found their way to the dinner table, they spread around the world. Portable and elegant in their design, they also vary in style from region to region.
Today chopsticks may be made from wood such as bamboo or aspen. Elaborately carved chopsticks may be cut from jade, ivory, or wood, and artisans may ornately paint some chopsticks with miniature scenes.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalChopsticksDay
Use chopsticks to eat your meals. Practice using chopsticks or teach someone how to use them. Share your favorite set of chopsticks or your favorite meal to eat with chopsticks. Visit your favorite restaurant where chopsticks are provided. Make sure you give them a shoutout, too! Of course, you should invite someone to celebrate with you, also! Maybe ask them to join you in a chopstick competition to see who is the most proficient using them. Be sure to use #NationalChopsticksDay to share on social media.
Roll out the red carpet for one of the country’s ultimate comfort foods. National Egg Roll Day on June 10th delivers one American Dream story and satisfies a craving (you’re craving one now, you know it) at the same time.
The egg roll began as a Chinese-American tradition that extended to Vietnamese immigrants reaching for the American Dream. These traditions grew from the unfailing dedication of families in chop suey palaces serving hungry workers. Restaurants across the country perfected their own versions of the egg roll with a variety of finely chopped ingredients – pork, shrimp, cabbage, onions, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and seasonings, all rolled up in a thin pastry wrap and deep fried.
Not only is the egg roll a satisfying snack or an exciting part of a meal at home or away, but it’s played an essential role in making dreams come true for several generations of immigrants in the United States. And it continues to be in many ways.
Our ability to celebrate the egg roll is as close as our freezer, telephone, restaurant, or even our own recipe. The egg roll is versatile, too. Our love of the egg roll has evolved it to meet strict diets, exotic flavors, and so much more! What more could we ask for a celebration?
HISTORY
Van’s Kitchen founded National Egg Roll Day in 2019 to honor the company’s founding in June of 1986. Van and Kim Nguyen, two deserving Vietnamese immigrants, made their ultimate American Dream come to life with their passion for creating authentic egg rolls. Like many immigrant families who came before them, Van and Kim Nguyen came from Vietnam and established a home and family business in Dallas, Texas. They diligently hired hard-working employees, filled out paperwork in a language that was not their own, and created a business model based solely on their greatest strength: making authentic egg rolls for those they love. Using only fresh, whole ingredients and crafting the egg rolls in artisan batches, Van’s Kitchen sets themselves apart by maintaining their decades-long commitment to making every bite the best one.
Celebrate the hard-working history of the egg roll. Pick up a pack of Van’s Kitchen’s artisan batch egg rolls found in hundreds of grocers and convenience stores across the country on your way home and enjoy them with your favorite someone. Use #NationalEggRollDay to share on social media.
