Chinese restaurant facts for kids
A Chinese restaurant is a place that serves Chinese dishes. Many of these restaurants serve food in the Cantonese style. This is because many Chinese people who moved to other countries came from the Canton (Guangdong) region. The food is often changed a bit to fit local tastes, like in American Chinese cuisine or Canadian Chinese cuisine. For example, Chinese restaurants in the Netherlands often mix Cantonese and Indonesian dishes on their menus.
Chinese takeouts (in the United States and Canada) or Chinese takeaways (in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth) are terms for ordering food to eat somewhere else, like at home or work. You can get takeout from restaurants where you can also eat inside, or from places that only offer takeout.
Sometimes, people say that Chinese food outside of China is not "authentic." People who have visited or lived in China might say the food there tastes different or better. However, many Chinese restaurants in the U.S. are run by chefs from other countries, even if they say their food is authentic. A chain like Panda Express makes Chinese-inspired food, but some Chinese people might not see it as traditional Chinese food, even though there's evidence that it is.
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History of Chinese Restaurants
Chinese Restaurants in the United States
Chinese restaurants in the United States started during the California Gold Rush in the mid-1800s. Many immigrants came from the Canton (Guangdong) region of China to California. The first known Chinese restaurant opened in 1849. By 1850, San Francisco had five such restaurants. Soon, a lot of food was being brought from China to America's west coast.
This trend moved eastward as American railways grew, especially to New York City. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed, which limited Chinese immigration. However, it allowed merchants to enter the country. In 1915, restaurant owners were allowed to get merchant visas. This helped more Chinese restaurants open, as it was a way for Chinese immigrants to start their own businesses instead of working for others. As of 2015, the United States had about 46,700 Chinese restaurants. Many Chinese restaurant menus in the U.S. are printed in Chinatown, Manhattan.
Chinese Restaurants in the United Kingdom
In the early 1880s, Chinese food and eating places appeared in London and Liverpool. These were mostly visited by Chinese sailors and students. In 1884, Chinese food was even part of an exhibition in London.
The first recorded Chinese restaurant in London opened in 1907 or 1908. The number of Chinese restaurants in the UK really grew after the Second World War. This was partly because soldiers returning from British Hong Kong wanted Chinese food. Many of these restaurants were opened by people from Hong Kong who moved to the UK. One famous restaurant, Kuo Yuan, was the first to serve Peking duck in 1963.
In 2003, a British Chinese restaurant received a Michelin star, which is a high award for restaurants. In the 1980s, about 90% of Chinese immigrants in the UK worked in these businesses. Opening a restaurant or takeaway was a good way for Chinese families to start their own businesses without needing a lot of money. Many takeaways served a type of Chinese food that was changed to fit Western tastes.
In 2011, a project called the British Chinese Food Culture project started. It aimed to explore how Chinese food in the UK has changed over time. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic affected many Chinese restaurants in the UK. Many in London's Chinatown faced money problems because of lockdowns and social distancing.
Chinese Restaurants in Australia
By the early 2000s, Chinese restaurants had been in most Australian cities and towns for over 50 years, and in many places for over 150 years. They first appeared as businesses during the Victorian gold rush.
Most of the first Chinese immigrants came from Kwangtung Province in southern China. This greatly influenced the food style, which often included fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken, pork, rice, herbs, and spices. By 1890, one-third of all cooks in Australia were Chinese.
Chinese Restaurants in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has many Chinese restaurants, though their number has decreased in recent years. The first Chinese restaurant opened there in the 1920s. Chinese food in the Netherlands is often inspired by Indonesian cuisine. This is because the Netherlands used to colonize Indonesia.
In 2019, it was reported that the number of Chinese-Indonesian restaurants in the Netherlands had dropped by 22% in the previous decade. Researchers thought this might be because Chinese restaurants were not keeping up with "modern" customer desires, such as having older decorations or serving food seen as too fatty.
In 2020, some Chinese restaurants in places like Renesse and Maastricht started trying out service robots to help with serving.
Chinese Restaurants in Germany
In 1928, one of Germany's first Chinese restaurants opened in Berlin, a city known for its large Chinese community. By 1966, there were 100 Chinese restaurants across Germany. This number grew to over 3,000 by 1992.
Today, you can find Chinese restaurants all over Germany. In 2016, almost every German city with more than 15,000 people had at least one Chinese restaurant. The biggest number of them are in Berlin. Many students from China and Hong Kong who study in Germany also open Chinese restaurants.
Chinese Restaurants in Egypt
Most of Egypt's Chinese restaurants are in Cairo. In 2015, Slate magazine called Cairo "Shanghai on the Nile" because of its growing Chinese food scene. In 2000, a magazine called Flavor and Fortune reported that there were 7 to 8 Chinese restaurants in Cairo and about a dozen in the whole country, and the number was increasing.
In 2020, Egypt's Health Ministry started a campaign to check Chinese restaurants for food safety. This was in light of the COVID-19 situation. However, Egypt denied reports that restaurants were being raided.
Images for kids
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Inside the Shanghai Chinese Restaurant in Tampere, Finland.
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Max Orient Chinese restaurant on Camden High Street, London.
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The Feng Shang Princess, a floating Chinese restaurant in Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, London.
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