Chop Suey Nation: The Surprising History and Vibrant Present of Small-Town Chinese Restaurants from Victoria, BC to Fogo Island, NL

In this insightful culinary history and memoir, Globe & Mail journalist Hui tells the stories of “chop suey” restaurants and the immigrant families behind many of them. Born in British Columbia, Canada, to Chinese parents, Hui first encountered the cuisine (known for “crispy spring rolls, kung pao chicken and wonton soup”) as a school meal so different from her mom’s home cooking that she “barely recognized anything on the plate.” Challenging the popular notion that “fake” Chinese is “garish and lacking in refinement,” Hui sets off on a cross-country road trip asking purveyors in near-identical small-town restaurants: “How did you wind up here?” She reveals the origin stories of ubiquitous “made-in-North-America” dishes such as ginger beef, and, of course, chop suey or “dsop sooy”—literally “Assorted scraps. Bits and pieces. This and that.” When Hui learns her own parents started their lives in Canada running such a restaurant, she embarks on a mission to learn about their past. What she discovers—in kitchens across Canada and in her own home—is a pattern of “creativity, perseverance and resourcefulness” that proves chop suey may be “the most Chinese of all.” This thoughtful look at an often dismissed cuisine will enthrall foodies and history buffs alike. (Sept.)