Chop suey likely began as Taishan leftovers, not the myths about its American origin

pop & funWikipedialate 1800s · Taishan, Guangdong, China

Chop suey likely began as Taishan leftovers, not the myths about its American origin

the gist

Chop suey is widely believed to be a Chinese American invention, but anthropologist E. N. Anderson traces it to tsap seui, a mix of miscellaneous leftovers common in Taishan in Guangdong, where many early immigrants came from. Historians say American Chinese restaurants collectively adopted the dish once they saw Americans would enjoy it. Popular origin stories, such as a railroad cook, a dish made for Li Hongzhang's 1896 visit, or a San Francisco cook feeding drunken miners, have no good evidence behind them. Early American newspapers described chop suey as a hash of chicken livers, tripe, bean sprouts and celery. Its popularity peaked in the early 20th century before it was seen as inauthentic.

so what

The dish is a good example of how a cuisine can be reshaped by immigrant restaurants serving local tastes. Its many myths show how food stories are often invented after the fact.

fun fact

Li Hongzhang brought three of his own chefs on his 1896 visit to the United States, so he would not have needed local restaurants to invent a meal.

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗