I had occasion to mention to my son the other day that I never had a real egg roll with any "Chinese Food" I ate as a child in Philly. That my father having been a cook in the Army in WWII made his own American version of Chinese food that mirrored the La Choy canned version. Whether improvised or was following an old Army recipe I do not know and cannot verify as I do no longer speak to a mean spirited older sibling out West.
The "Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking " onion, celery and green pepper were julienne cut and cooked in chicken broth and sometimes bits of with chicken left over over the previous night's dinner. Served with rice and canned noodles and canned bean sprouts ( the secret ingredients ), another two, canned La Choy products.
People who lived through the Depression and or World War Two got nutrition out of a can and not a refrigerated supermarket case such as Orange Juice or Pineapple Juice or Grapefruit Juice. Great on the vitamin front on those steel can dispensers of joy.
That my first egg roll was as a back office Wall Street bank employee working overtime because the FED was down or had not yet settled passed it normal daily 6:30 PM closing time. That the bank fed us a dinner from a fast food Chinese place or the Greek restaurant across the street in which case it was not sweet and sour pork, fried rice and egg rolls but cheese burger and fries served up in a round aluminum dish with clear plastic dome covering.
And what is duck sauce in little plastic packets. And Chinese mustard, a weapon from the third world? Days of epiphany and divine enlightenment.
No Chinese dives, pizza (tomato pie) parlors in our old MAGA factory town working class in Harrowgate, Philly. Where George Wallace carried it by double digits in the 1968 election. A guy my PC parents voted for but would not admit to, to their PC kids.
First fast food before McDonalds in our factory town in Philly in the late sixties was Gino's. Those working their way East 50k franchise MickeyD's were something we saw on the national news but were yet to see many locally.
I am saying all this in case the Millennials have no clue of never not having anything in the marketing stream since day one of their existence. All there, choices, everywhere. Always.
No god or saint these days to worship and adore and be cult member of except your cell phone and or appropriate apps.
Amen? Whatever.
.
The "Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking " onion, celery and green pepper were julienne cut and cooked in chicken broth and sometimes bits of with chicken left over over the previous night's dinner. Served with rice and canned noodles and canned bean sprouts ( the secret ingredients ), another two, canned La Choy products.
People who lived through the Depression and or World War Two got nutrition out of a can and not a refrigerated supermarket case such as Orange Juice or Pineapple Juice or Grapefruit Juice. Great on the vitamin front on those steel can dispensers of joy.
That my first egg roll was as a back office Wall Street bank employee working overtime because the FED was down or had not yet settled passed it normal daily 6:30 PM closing time. That the bank fed us a dinner from a fast food Chinese place or the Greek restaurant across the street in which case it was not sweet and sour pork, fried rice and egg rolls but cheese burger and fries served up in a round aluminum dish with clear plastic dome covering.
And what is duck sauce in little plastic packets. And Chinese mustard, a weapon from the third world? Days of epiphany and divine enlightenment.
No Chinese dives, pizza (tomato pie) parlors in our old MAGA factory town working class in Harrowgate, Philly. Where George Wallace carried it by double digits in the 1968 election. A guy my PC parents voted for but would not admit to, to their PC kids.
First fast food before McDonalds in our factory town in Philly in the late sixties was Gino's. Those working their way East 50k franchise MickeyD's were something we saw on the national news but were yet to see many locally.
I am saying all this in case the Millennials have no clue of never not having anything in the marketing stream since day one of their existence. All there, choices, everywhere. Always.
No god or saint these days to worship and adore and be cult member of except your cell phone and or appropriate apps.
Amen? Whatever.
.
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