Chop Suey (1886)...

[James A. Landau]

In a message dated 11/26/02 8:54:31 PM Eastern Standard Time, Bapopik at AOL.COM
writes:

>   From the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 5 October 1942, Pg. 10, col. 3:
>
>  _Fortune Cakes: A Threat to a Noble Art_
>  (...)  The wisecrack has invaded the folded-up "fortune cookies" that are
>  served with tea in the chop suey houses.  (...)

Nice hit.  The earliest I've been able to find was in the 1950's, Cyril M.
Kornbluth's short story "MS Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie".

They don't make chop suey like that any more!

>     From a letter sent to the WASHINGTON POST, 21 November 1948, pg. S11:
>
>     Regarding the question of N. L. on "trick or treat": I lived in
Washington
>  from 1817-1938 and since then, in Arlington.  Previously, I had lived in
> some  20 other towns and cities and I never saw nor heard of the begging
> practice  until about 1936.

Please tell me that you made an accurate transcription and the "1817" was in
the original.

>  WASHINGTON POST FOOD MISC.
>
>  HUISH PUPPY--The first hit is the late date of 24 March 1938, pg. X13.

MWCD10 gives "ca. 1918".  A proposed date in the FDR administration is
amusing, since (according to A. Merriman Smith _Thank You Mr. President_) FDR
ate exactly one hush puppy in his entire life.  That one was smuggled into
his residence despite the objections of his cook, who refused to let such
"peasant food" be served to the President.