In Defense of the Chinese Menu

Office jargon is a fact of corporate life. But what happens when jargon becomes culturally charged? In this episode, host Lionel explores the history of Chinese food in America in order to understand the origin of some strange office shorthand.

Episode Transcript

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) - Prologue

(00:02:19) - The Chinese Menu Collection

(00:10:19) - Class and Chinese Cuisine

(00:19:40) - Is This Offensive?

(00:29:49) - Conclusion

(00:32:10) - Outtakes

References and Further Reading:

1. Mumford, Tracy. (April 28, 2016). “Inside the world's largest collection of Chinese menus.” MPR News.  

2. University of Toronto Scarborough Library - Digital Scholarship Unit. (n.d.) Menus Collection. Retrieved May 15, 2023 from https://digital.utsc.utoronto.ca/collections/menus-collection

3. Lee, Jennifer 8. (2008). The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food (First Trade Edition). Twelve. 

4. Ray, Krishnendu. (2016). The Ethnic Restaurateur. Bloomsbury Academic.