Text 5419, 96 rader
Skriven 2008-04-13 21:42:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av CAROL SHENKENBERGER
Ärende: La Choy
===============
-=> Quoting Carol Shenkenberger to Ruth Hanschka <=-

 CS> Now, to make your eyeballs bleed <g>.
 CS> Title: Xxcarol's LaChoy fixer

 CS> Chow Mein cans!  Of all things to find in my kitchen!
 CS> Seriously, it's not at all bad with the additions.
                    
Like Dave's Banquet chicken pot pies, It's a nostalgia/comfort food
dish from the past. It's not that bad except the bean sprouts get
horribly overcooked in the canning process. I used to like it as a
kid before I knew what real Chinese food was or even what Cantonese-
Canadian greasy spoon food was. I almost bought a can recently, just
for the nostalgia factor.   

I grew up in the country and everyone was fifth generation Scottish
or fourth generation Irish. There was little ethnic diversity. Now
there was a nearby village with a small German population and
another one with a Polish population but after 100 years they had
assimilated completely. There was one Chinese restaurant in town
(there always is) but I was not allowed to go because he was also a
bootlegger in a dry community and had a rough clientele. (He sold
whisky by the coffee cup.)

I never tasted Chinese food of any kind until we moved to Ottawa
when I was 12 in 1962. Dad's office Christmas party had take out
Chinese food and he liked it. A month later the family went to the
restaurant that had catered the party. The menu was egg rolls,
wanton soup, six kinds of chop suey, six kinds of chow mein and six
other vaguely Cantonese style dishes, three of which were deep fried
and had sweet and sour sauce. It was completely new to me; I loved
it.

(It's still there and the menu hasn't changed much over the decades.
Lots of bland overcooked dishes and brown sauce. The clientele has
dropped off though; it was almost empty the last time I went five
years ago and the waiters (probably co-owners) were truly
ancient and still hadn't learned English very well. It was like
stepping into a time warp!)

Anyway, Mom started buying La Choy chow mein shortly thereafter and
we had it often for a couple of years. Eventually we started
ordering takeout from newer, better Chinese places and left the
Lucky Key Restaurant and Tavern and La Choy behind.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Woolworth's Lunch Counter Chop Suey Chow Mein (1950)
 Categories: Chinese, American, Pork, Noodles
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
      1 tb Lard or Crisco shortening
  1 1/2 lb Pork; cut in 1/2" cubes
           Salt, Pepper and Flour
      1 lg Spanish onion; diced
      3 c  Chopped celery
      3 tb Soy sauce; regular strength
      2 tb Molasses
      1 c  Liquid drained from canned
           -sprouts & canned mushrooms
      8 oz Canned mushrooms
     16 oz Canned bean sprouts and
           "oriental" vegetables
           steamed white rice
           Fried chow mein noodles
           Soy sauce
 
  Heat shortening in cooker.  Dust meat lightly with seasoned flour.
  Brown meat in batches in hot, smoky oil.  Add onion, celery, soy,
  molasses, and liquids from canned vegetables.  Cover.  Set rocker
  (pot only had one pressure setting).  Heat until you get a steady
  rocking and cook 10 minutes. Cool of its own accord. Stir in
  vegetables and heat through.

  Serve: chow mein noodles on bottom; 2 scoops of rice; 1 ladleful of
  chop suey;  extra soy sauce.  (And they always brought catsup.)
 
  Recipe by: Hanneman

MMMMM








Cheers

YK Jim


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