Cecilia Chiang has died at 100.
"But Xmastime", you say in the voice of Craig “Ironhead” Heyward from those soap commercials (RIP), “who the hell is Cecilia Chiang"
Sigh. Oh faithful readers, she (checks note) brought real Chinese food to America:
Born in Shanghai in 1920, Chiang escaped to the U.S. as a refugee alongside her sister. In the late-1950s, Chiang visited her sister in San Francisco and was appalled by the low-quality takeout options passing as Chinese food, Eater wrote.
Chiang responded by opening The Mandarin, which featured more than 300 dishes, none of which were chow mein or chop suey. In catering to a more refined Chinese palate, The Mandarin became a cultural phenomenon, eventually expanding to a 300-seat location in the city’s Ghirardelli Square.
I for one have no idea if I've ever had "real" Chinese food, but I do have plenty of Chinese food memories:
Why Chinese people are such bad drivers
RIP China Taste, my first Brooklyn Chinese love (but not my last!)
Getting yelled at by the Chinese delivery guy for not wearing pants
The funniest Photoshop job of my generation
The time I made a Saint Paul sandwich
Of course now I'm craving me some egg foo young, motherscratchers.
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