David is a retired tax lawyer
and third-generation Chinese-American from Los Angeles.
I met him seven years ago
on an online food forum called Chowhound
and asked him to meet me for lunch
when I noticed he knew an enormous amount
about Chinese restaurants in America.
He told me he had this massive list of restaurants
accumulated over the years—
And that he had a collection of menus to go with them.
And so I ended up writing an article on him,
and drew attention to his list.
But David’s spreadsheet
is much more than just a list of Chinese restaurants
across the United States.
It also sheds light on the evolution
of the Chinese food scene in Los Angeles.
The list is also a collection of David’s memories
and his road trips across America.
Now David isn’t your typical Chinese food enthusiast.
And he adheres to a strict diet.
And he doesn’t know how to use chopsticks.
So why did he create this enormous list of Chinese restaurants?
While David’s spreadsheet
includes restaurants from all over the United States,
the bulk of them are in Los Angeles County,
many of which he’s visited within their first year of opening.
His obsession has made it, perhaps,
the most comprehensive database
of Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles,
and offers insight
into the history of the Chinese-American diaspora.
A quick history lesson:
The first wave of Chinese immigrants in America
came from Toisan, or Taishan, to California
fleeing poverty and war.
They worked as laborers
were forced to settle in urban slums
now known as Chinatowns.
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act denied them citizenship
and prohibited even more immigration from China.
With the limited ingredients available to them,
they invented rustic comfort food dishes
like egg foo young and fried wontons.
In 1965, the Immigration and Naturalization Act
abolished exclusions previously set against Asian immigrants.
In 1972, a realtor named Fred Hsieh
began heavily advertising the San Gabriel Valley
in Hong Kong and Taiwanese newspapers.
He called it the Chinese Beverly Hills.
And in came a steady stream
of middle to upper class immigrants
from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
who were leaving Asia in droves.
These immigrants had more spending power
than their Toisan counterparts.
And the San Gabriel Valley,
a suburban enclave in Los Angeles County,
became home to one of the most robust
Chinese food scenes outside of Asia.
In the early 2000s, mainland China became wealthier,
bringing in a wave of immigrants to Los Angeles
with more refined, regional Chinese specialities.
Today in Los Angeles,
the diversity of regional Chinese cuisine is astounding.
Of the 34 provinces* in China,
over 21 of them are represented
in at least one Chinese restaurant.
David used to average 200 new Chinese restaurants a year.
But after retiring, he's been slowing down.
Still, David continues to be active in the online food world.
He updates his blog regularly
and also maintains an active Instagram feed.
And of course, I had to ask:
After three decades and 7,000-plus restaurants,
where is his favorite place to eat?
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