9781422277416

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C onn ect i ng C u ltu r es T hrough F am i ly and F ood

to enquire as to the ingredients.” Eventually, Chinese men established a reputation as excellent chefs. Many learned how to prepare European dishes and found work as servants cooking for white Americans. Facing Racism D espite the success that some Chinese people found, they regularly faced prejudice and racism. As early as the 1850s, some white Amer- icans began to spread hateful messages about the Chinese. They viewed them as an inferior race. “They are not of our people and never will be… They do not mix with our people, and it is undesirable that they should,”

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, anti-immigrant feelings grew, including a desire to expel Chinese workers and block future immigration.