What surprised me the most out of learning about Moon Pie was how the snack I grew up eating was influenced by an American creation

What surprised me the most out of learning about Moon Pie was how the snack I grew up eating was influenced by an American creation

student 1:

Chow Mein Sandwich: How The Chow Mein Sandwich Claimed A Small Slice Of New England History

Summary

The article I have read focuses on the history of a Chinese-American food called Chow Mein Sandwich that is served in Chinese restaurants in Fall River, Massachusetts. The article mainly discusses how the chow mein sandwich becomes popular in Fall River and the story behind it. By interviewing Regina Mark, the co-owner of Mee Sum Restaurant, Sarah Mizes-Tan who is the writer of this article introduces the history of chow mein sandwich and how it is made.

(https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2019/06/24/732028721/how-the-chow-mein-sandwich-claimed-a-small-slice-of-new-england-history (Links to an external site.))

Commodity Chain

Frederick Wong, the owner of the Oriental Chow Mein Company, created a chow mein sandwich, which is originated in Fall River, Massachusetts in the 1930s or 1940s. Typical chow mein sandwich consists of a brown gravy-based chow mein mixture placed under a hamburger-style bun. Not only can it be served in restaurants, but it also comes packaged and is sold in stores. For this assignment, I’ll introduce the commodity chain of the packaged version of the chow mein sandwich.

Crispy noodles (originated in Thailand), powered gravy mix (produced by Oriental Chow Mein Company)

Chopped onions (originated in China and later in India), celery (originated in the Mediterranean area), and bean sprouts (grown in East Asia).

Chicken (originated in Southeast Asia)

Hamburger-style bun (originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma)

Packaged by Oriental Chow Mein Company

Sent into stores in Fall River, MA.

Sold under the Hoo-Mee brand name.

Cultural Significance

Immigration was an essential factor for the rising popularity of chow mein sandwich. Chinese immigrants first arrived in Fall River in the late 1800s. Many of them were coming from the West Coast after having worked on the country’s Transcontinental Railroad. However, the federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the immigration of all Chinese laborers so they had to come to cities on the East Coast like Fall River, looking for job opportunities. According to anthropology professor Imogene Lim, many of them opened up laundries since it didn’t require a lot of language expertise. And then they started the tea shops business. At last, there started getting restaurants and making chow mein sandwich.

The popularity of the chow mein sandwich was also fueled by the rising population of Fall River’s factory workers. Since Fall River was skyrocketing with factories and textile industry, there were a lot of French Canadian, Polish, and Irish workers, which means that Fall River was actually a mixture of a variety of cultures, causing a cultural change. They didn’t know anything about chow mein and Chinese food, so Frederick Wong added a hamburger-style bun on top to make it more like a combination of the culture of America and China. He also noticed New Englanders were particularly fond of gravies, so he produced a sandwich that mixed his own signature Chow Mein noodles with meat, a thick layer of gravy, and a hamburger bun. I think it was smart of Frederick Wong to have such a great idea and to make a change. He knew the city well and to whom the chow mein sandwich was sold.

Chow mein sandwich’s cheap price, easy-to-make procedure, and health benefits were what made it popular. It may benefit heart health, help control blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support digestion. Besides, bean sprouts are richer in protein, folate, and vitamins C and K which are very nutritious. In my opinion, living in such a city where was dominantly working-class people, being able to buy a dish at a very cheap price plus having plenty of healthy nutrition was absolutely a good deal. Therefore, chow mein sandwiches were especially popular among workers.

Reflection

I was growing up in China. The first time when I came here to the US, my host family took me to a Chinese restaurant and I was telling them that I’d never heard and tried most of the food on the menu because it wasn’t the “real” Chinese food that we would eat in my country. However, after completing this assignment, my attitude towards American-Chinese food has changed. Food is a combination of cultures. It actually symbolizes the global connection between countries and cultures. I think it is amazing to have food that is mixed with various cultures and generally becomes globally popular.

student 2:

MoonPies

Summary:

The food I chose for our third discussion is the MoonPie. The article I read is called “Even After 100 Years, People Are Still Reaching For The Moon(Pie)” written by Melanie Peeple. She provides a short summary of how MoonPies were popular amongst coal-miners which eventually became the “cultural icon” of the south. The original maker of this popular snack was Sam Camplell IV, an enterprising salesman. He attempted to sell some products from his bakery to coal miners who “wante[ed] something that’s big and round and filled up with marshmallow and it needs to be covered in chocolate. [. . .] It needs to be as big as the moon!” The coal miners are really the ones to thank for this creation.

Commodity Chain:

The MoonPie is a southern snack originated in 1917. It is made with two graham crackers with marshmallow filling and a coating of chocolate. The MoonPies are put on a factory belt and are go through a chocolate waterfall as the final step to completing the snack. It is almost like an inside out s’more! MoonPies are produced by Chattanooga Bakery in Chattanooga, TN but are sold nationwide by the millions everyday. The article states how “The Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee has been owned by the Campbell family for five generations. More than a million MoonPies can be made per day here.” If you don’t live in Tennessee but would like to try a MoonPie, you can get it by the box-load at your local grocery store or Walmart, Walgreens, or CVS. A traditional pie is 4 inches in diameter and can consist of five different flavors: chocolate, vanilla, banana, strawberry, and salted caramel. ‘Choco Pies’, found in Korean stores, are also similar to MoonPies. You should try it out!

Cultural Significance:

Health: The three simple ingredients—graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate—may not sound astounding for many, but all it takes is one bite to change people’s minds. It literally did for the millions. However these kinds of guilty pleasure snacks don’t present consumers with the prettiest nutrition labels. The MoonPie contains 20 grams of sugar which is just two grams shy for the recommended intake a woman should eat in a day. Back then, people used to eat MoonPies with Coke to wash it down. More sugar will lead to complications such as diabetes, high blood pressure, risk for heart attack and stroke. Although there is an absence of trans fat in the snack, MoonPies can be addicting so be careful not to eat too many at once.

War: According to https://moonpie.com/about (Links to an external site.), MoonPie was “the comfort food the nation turned to” during World War II. When soldiers went to war, they relied on receiving care-packages of food which always almost consisted of MoonPie. US military soldiers were given plain, three course meals on the daily and the only dessert they were given was a bar of chocolate. But of course the food in the military were designed to last for a long time. Thankfully MoonPies were a delectable, affordable, and a snack which never expired.

Globalization: As I came across the MoonPie, I realized that I grew up with this same snack but with a Korean version. After researching more, Korea’s snack called “Choco Pie” was inspired from the original Campbell MoonPie. Choco Pie in South Korea is very similar as the Moonpie; it consists of two soft bread-like cookies, marshmallow stuffing, and a coat of chocolate. Surprisingly enough, the factory that makes Choco Pie, called Kaesong Industrial Complex, lies near the DMZ between North and South Korea so these pies became a popular commodity in North Korea. For a country that does not allow any external influences and products to enter the country, North Korea gave in for the MoonPies. In the UK, Paul Hollywood created “Wagon Wheels Biscuits” which consists of two plain biscuits, marshmallow, and a coating of chocolate. Lastly, Japan has a very similar snack like the Choco Pies. They sell flower shaped cookies with marshmallow fillings and a coating of chocolate called “Angel Pie”. Not only was the MoonPie a revolutionary snack in the U.S. but for the rest of the world as well.

Reflection:

What surprised me the most out of learning about Moon Pie was how the snack I grew up eating was influenced by an American creation. I never heard of the MoonPie growing up and I am glad I learned more about the original pie. Moreover, I learned how food can be such a serotonin booster. The reason why certain foods make us feel so good is because of the sensory taste that naturally excites us which becomes part of our childhood, culture, and traditions. For the soldier who fought hard throughout the war and for the coalminers who worked hours on end, a small simple snack had brought them much joy. I find that very heartwarming.