Lawmakers once tried to ban white women from frequenting Chinese restaurants

Unfair laws and prejudice nearly wiped out Chinese restaurants in Chicago 100 years ago.

China Town in ChicagoAdam Alexander courtesy of Choose Chicago

(CHICAGO) As popular as Chinese food has become in America, there was once a time in our history when Chinese-American restaurants were under attack.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, where we celebrate the histories of Americans from the Asian continent and the Pacific islands. And one way that Chinese-Americans have had a strong influence on America is through its cuisine.

However, there was a time in history when popular Chinese-American eateries faced prejudice and proposed legislation against their restaurants.

The Chinese food boom

Chinese restaurants grew increasingly popular in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s. In Chicago, one man distinguished himself from the many "chop suey" restaurants found around the city by creating a restaurant empire of lavish and expensive Chinese restaurants.

Chin Foin, the wealthiest restaurateur in Chinatown, opened King Yen Lo in 1902, King Joy Lo in 1906, and most famously, the Mandarin Inn in 1911.

Upscale Chinese restaurants attracted urban nightlife

Andrea Stamm, chair of Collections and Research at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, told the Atlas Obscura, "In Chicago, the Mandarin Inn and King Joy Lo restaurants set a new standard for Chinese restaurants." Stamm said Foin's restaurants inspired even more, "upscale Chinese eateries that catered to an urban nightlife crowd.”

Foin's restaurants were filled with opulence and featured orchestras, open kitchens (to emphasize cleanliness), and extravagant menus. They catered to a wealthy, mostly white crowd.

Americans began cooking Chinese food at home

Chin Foin is also credited with inspiring the first Asian-American cookbook. A Chicago journalist, Jessie Louise Nolton, published Chinese Cookery in the Home Kitchen with recipes reportedly from Foin. Although, he was not credited in the book.

This cookbook changed the way Americans thought of Chinese food and inspired the middle class to begin cooking unfamiliar foods.

The backlash

However, there was an anti-Chinese sentiment at the time and prejudice overall against immigrants. Gabriel "Jack" Chin, a law professor at the University of California Davis, wrote a study in 2017 called "The War Against Chinese Restaurants."

In Chin's study, he described a 1906 government proposal that would limit restaurant ownership to only U.S. citizens. This would have effectively prevented Chinese immigrants from owning restaurants as immigrants from China were not allowed to become American citizens until 1943.

The prejudice ran deep. In 1910, the Chicago Tribune printed in an article, "the laws of morality and health, police regulations, and practically all the other protective measures are being violated openly by many chop suey establishments.”

Many proposals cropped up against Chinese restaurants

In 1906, there was a proposal to restrict men under 21 and women under 18 from going into chop suey shops after 10 PM.

And in 1913, the American Federation of Labor proposed a law to make it illegal for white women to enter Chinese or Japanese-owned restaurants.

Other proposals included an ordinance to refuse construction permits to "Chinamen" near Wabash Avenue and 23rd Street and special licensing fees and additional taxes to chop suey restaurants.

Chinese immigrants overcame the challenges

Fortunately, in Chicago, these laws didn't get very far, as lawyers warned alderman they couldn't legally put special rules on only certain types of restaurants. Although the proposal restricting people of Chinese descent to obtain construction permits around Wabash and 23rd Street did pass City Council.

Entrepreneurs like Foin continued to break through the barriers, and Chinese restaurants experienced steady growth around Chicago and throughout the country. Today, you don't have to go far to find beef with broccoli or an orange chicken dish.

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If you're hankering for some Chinese food, you can check out this top 20 list from Chicago Eater for ideas of where to start.

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