Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: Cragin Spring ()
Date: November 19, 2014 01:15AM

Looking at many old photos in the Loop pre 1930 in books and online there are many restaurants with big signs that say Chop Suey. These were obvious Asian but never marked as Chinese, Thai etc. Anyone know the reason?

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: WayOutWardell ()
Date: November 19, 2014 12:31PM

Chop suey was a huge fad in the '20s...it was exotic and pretty cheap as well. A lot of the cafes serving it weren't Chinese restaurants per se, they just had it on the menu because of those reasons.

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: rjmachon ()
Date: December 17, 2014 08:07PM

Does anyone recall the name of the website that has old Chicago photo on it? Not Craig's Lost Chicago but another one with the numbers 404 in the name maybe?

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: nordsider ()
Date: December 17, 2014 10:47PM

Photos with Chop Suey, 1905 to 1929 - enter the search words Chop Suey

http://chsmedia.org:8081/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1418866J5M8H8.1307&profile=public&source=~!horizon&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100046~!98683~!3&ri=6&aspect=subtab114&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=+Chop+Suey&index=.GW&uindex=&aspect=subtab114&menu=search&ri=6&return_results=true&return_results=true



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2014 10:50PM by nordsider.

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: Mr Downtown ()
Date: December 18, 2014 02:29AM

rjmachon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone recall the name of the website . . .with the numbers 404 in
> the name maybe?


You probably mean http://calumet412.com/

The blogger went on his honeymoon in October and has posted nothing since.

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: nordsider ()
Date: December 18, 2014 01:41PM

This may explain the location of Chop Suey restaurants in the Loop. My source: the book Chinese Chicago by Huping Ling.

http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Chicago-Transnational-Migration-Community-ebook/dp/B006L6TTG8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418920469&sr=1-1

When the Chinese first arrived in Chicago in the 1870s, they established a small downtown loop business district - in the old cable car service area - Chinese grocery stores, laundries and restaurants. However, because of anti-Chinese sediments prevalent in the country - Chinese exclusion acts since the 1880s - in the 1910s, downtown property owners raised rents, making it difficult for the Chinese businesses to survive and forced the majority to move to the city's South Side.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2014 11:14PM by nordsider.

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: rjmachon ()
Date: December 18, 2014 02:53PM

Thank you Mr. Downtown.

Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: Mornac ()
Date: December 21, 2014 01:18PM

Check out the ad on this 1941 photo somewhere on Wabash:




Re: Old Loop photo's. Chop Suey
Posted by: Mornac ()
Date: December 21, 2014 01:38PM

Chop Suey at Lincoln and Ashland in 1917. (See top of the building right under the Edelweiss sign)



Also, get a load of the shingle for the Hall Bros. Dentist across the street.

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