Lo mein (1957)

[Benjamin Barrett]

A common-enough dish now, Google Books claims a citation in 1947, though the sentence is not given. The next citation appears to be 1957, and more citations begin to appear in the 1960s. Chinese restaurant menus would likely turn up more. Wikipedia has 撈麵/捞面 with lou1 min6 as the Cantonese pronunciation.

The AHD online has "a Chinese dish of thin noodles stir-fried with vegetables andusually meat or shrimp" though it claims 1970-75 as the date of origin.

Merriam-Webster.com has "a Chinese dish consisting of sliced vegetables, soft noodles, and usually meat or shrimp in bite-size pieces stir-fried in a seasoned sauce" with 1970 as the first known use.

The online OED does not list it.

1. 1947 - http://ow.ly/6fNs2

"Classic One-Dish Meals," Family Circle, Amo Press

2. 1957 - http://ow.ly/6fO5A

"Cue: the weekly magazine of New York life,"  Cue Publishing Co., page 23

-----
Such dishes as lo mein and lobster yak soong are on the menu and there are family dinners.
-----

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org