Chinese Restaurants in the Early 1980’s
When the world became a smaller space thanks to soy sauce…
I had a flashback in a supermarket yesterday, thankfully I wasn’t arrested but this particular one was so vivid it was as if I had travelled back in time to circa 1982/83 when my brother returned home one evening extolling the virtues of Jimmy Wong’s Chinese Takeaway.
I had no idea what Chinese food was like, soy sauce, sweet and sour, chow mein were all new to me but I remember my first taste of soy sauce and how fascinated I was by it. I don’t know why but that taste sensation has stayed with me to this day and yesterday I tried to remember the brand of soy sauce in an attempt to recreate that first encounter. I remember the plastic cups of sweet and sour sauce with chunks of pineapple in it, egg fried rice and chicken curry and the excitement of it all.
My father was sceptical to say the least at this ‘new’ cuisine. He would complain about the smell of it in the house and regularly tell us that the local cat and dog population had decreased since the introduction of these foreign cusines, he vented his spleen far more liberally when the effects of beer and Indian takeaways on my brother and I took their natural migratory paths through our systems and to this day he’s never eaten one.
We take this sort of thing for granted now but back then Hong Kong was a million miles away, we had a shop with Cantonese writing on it stood next to the fish and chip shop and everyone wondered who would do best, England or China. In the end of course it is China who have proved the more successful and Chinese cuisine has become a staple part of most household’s diets but I still think back to those early days and I cannot help but wonder if that was a defining moment in my fledgling food career.
Can you remember your first time (at a takeaway) ?
Miles,
This one really got me thinking and I sincerely cannot recall my first takeaway of any flavour. What’s puzzling me is that I’m from a meat-and-two-veg household so it surely must have been different and special. One thing that will stay with me forever is going to a very good Chinese restaurant with a close Cantonese* friend, ditching the Western menu and going native. I felt very special that day. (Although your considerable experiences in Asia will top that ten-fold)
GDave
* I say Cantonese, she’s actually from Merseyside so ignore her Guang charm and keep a damn good eye on your alloys.
July 20, 2009 @ 11:40 pm
GDave,
Strange how we recall certain things with more clarity than others I suppose. Love the alloys comment
Miles
July 21, 2009 @ 8:52 am
I suppose my first ‘takeaway’ would have been as a child in Germany and it was a Macdonalds burger and fries type of thing.
It wasn’t actually a Macdonalds but that American style and soemthing I’d never seen when at home in England - I can still remember it and the woman who used to take us there.
Egg fried rice, curry sauce and chips from the Cromwell Road Chinese, had a few of them.
Fish n Chips of course
No Indian takeaway normally but tons in actual restaurants.
Nowadays the nearest thing to takeaway food would be Subway or every now and then Macdonalds.
Cheers
Rod
July 21, 2009 @ 8:55 am
Miles,
Like GDave I was trying to think back. I guess my first encounter was the famous german Bratwurst in a bread roll with plenty of mustard on it after coming out from the cinnema. In my younger days it was frowned upon to eat in the street. However, thiese were always exceptions and I recall this huge lady in the square behind a big grill awaiting the cinnama crowd. It was great to walk home with whilst discussing the latest film.
It remains a firm favourite on fairgrounds and festivals.
Other than that it was half of a small chicken from a spit roast with chips that were hugely popular in Germany during the Seventies/Eighties.
Anne
July 21, 2009 @ 2:30 pm
In my hometown there was a spaghetti restaurant called Vince’s. Everyone in town knew this place and it was always jumping with the crowds. It didn’t open until 1600, and closed at 2100, so, as you can see, they only served dinner. At some point, they began serving large take-out (as we call your take aways) dinners suitable for serving a family. Vince’s spaghetti (I always had mine with just butter and parmesan cheese–still do) served in our kitchen is the first take-out I remember. This place has served essentially the same menu for nearly 60 years, and it still packs them in!
Annie
July 21, 2009 @ 6:09 pm
All,
Nice one! Great memories by the sound of it, takeaway’s are often decried but we’ve all had them at one time or another.
Great stuff.
Miles
July 21, 2009 @ 9:20 pm
Miles,
I think Annie has given me an idea…. perhaps I could be the Vince of the Shire and serve home made spaghetti? Hats off to any establishment that ‘packs them in’, especially these days when so many places have trouble covering wages let alone making a decent profit.
I lived in Singapore as a very young child but probably didn’t eat take away foods… perhaps the odd street market dish. My memories of take aways back here in the UK are sketchy and unremarkable…. but I do remember my first yoghurt at age seven! Most of my experiences since then with Chinese food have been unpleasant, increasingly so if last week was anything to go by. My host had insisted she wanted to treat her guests to what must have cost a small fortune and was, for the main part, chewy and bland. Time for a good recipe for a fried rice perhaps?
Cid
July 22, 2009 @ 6:20 pm
Cid,
I had photographed a recent fried prawn rice dish that I had cooked but realised I had already done a very similar blog post on it already
Miles
July 22, 2009 @ 7:28 pm