Retired tax attorney has shared his experiences eating at nearly 8,000 Chinese restaurants in the US.
David R Chan, 72, from Los Angeles has dined at 7,812 Chinese restaurants and counting, over four decades and has kept a spreadsheet detailing each one.
With a collection of thousands of restaurant business cards and menus, the third-generation Chinese American said the journey began as a ‘search for his identity’ but it also chronicles how the changing culture of Chinese immigrants in the US.
He first made the spreadsheet in the early 90s, when he bought his first home computer, and despite a palate for Asian cuisine he admits he still can’t use chopsticks and doesn’t class himself as foodie.
David R Chan (72), from Los Angeles, has eaten at 7,812 Chinese restaurants, counting over forty-years and a spreadsheet listing each one.
He explained to Menuism, “When I joined the workforce in 1970s, it coincided with what we consider authentic Chinese food in North America,”
“As such, I set out to visit each authentic Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles at least once.
He’s been to many restaurants across the United States, including New York City, San Francisco and Mississippi. He was a lawyer and often traveled to Canada and Asia to try new cuisines.
On his Instagram page he documents dishes he’s tried, including the likes of XO fish, fried tilipia, Cantonese sponge cake, Teppan tofu at, and sesame dumplings.
While he’s the grandchild of Chinese immigrants who moved from Guangdong to California, David didn’t eat Chinese food until he was an adult – with him being completely unimpressed the first time he ate the fare.
He spoke to BBC about the first Chinese meal he had in 1950s. Our food was basic. I would only eat rice and soy sauce.
He’s been to many restaurants across the United States, including New York City, San Francisco and Mississippi. Because of his work in law, he would frequently travel to Canada or Asia to taste more of their cuisine. Pictured: Buffet at Spring Shabu Shabu in El Monte, California with their prepared food selections, including marinated pigs feet.
At the time, there were very few Chinese immigrants in the US -j ust 0.08 per cent of the total population – with many from one town.
“It was almost as if every American in China came from 100 miles away from Los Angeles. Very underrepresented,’ he added, explaining early American-Chinese food became homogenised for the US palate.
However, there was a significant increase in Chinese immigrants to America from the 1960s. This led to a greater variety of food, including regional and ethnic cuisines.
At the same time, the US Civil Rights movement was growing which implored David – a student at the time – to explore his own heritage through food.
Bitro Na in Temple City, Temple City’s Okra signature dish. David praised it.
According to him, “At the start, it was just an identity search.” “My curiosity about the American history of Chinese immigrants led to me trying Chinese food, and seeing what it’s like to live in China.
Before he began trying it, he said that he was unaware of the variety in Chinese cuisine.
David feels that you can find authentic Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles’ San Gabriel Valley. This area is home to many Chinese communities.
The ‘The Classic” chicken ramen from Silverlake Ramen, Irvine, California is shown here
He added to the BBC that Dim Sum was the best place to dim sum, while he’s also had ‘unexpectedly good’ chow mein in Clarksdale, Mississippi, while his most disappointing meal was in Fargo, North Dakota.
He said that fried rice tasted like rice boiled in soy sauce.
Anhui is home to the Cantonese cuisine, Fujian (Cantonese), Fujian, Hunan. Jiangsu, Shandong. Szechuan.
China has many climates and agricultures that can cause these foods to vary greatly. Cantonese food features a lot of fresh seafood, due to Guangdong being costal, whie Fujian cuisine is influenced by its own mountainous terrain with popular ingredients used including bamboo shoots and woodland mushrooms.