Egg Roll Research Articles

Chop suey: a cultural history of Chinese food in the United States

In 1784, passengers on the ship Empress of China became the first Americans to land in China, and the first to eat Chinese food. Today, the United States is home to more Chinese restaurants than any other ethnic cuisine. In this authoritative new history, author Andrew Coe traces the fascinating story of America's centuries-long encounter with Chinese food. CHOP SUEY tells how we went from believing that Chinese meals contained dogs and rats to making regular pilgrimages to the neighborhood chop suey parlor. From China, the book follows the story to the American West, where both Chinese and their food struggled against racism, and then to New York and that crucial moment when Chinese cuisine first crossed over to the larger population. Along this journey, Coe shows how the peasant food of an obscure part of China came to dominate Chinese-American restaurants; unravels the truth of chop suey's origin; illuminates why American Jews fell in love with egg rolls and chow mein; and shows how Nixon's 1972 trip to China opened our palates to a new world of cuisine; and explains why we still can't get dishes like restaurants serve in China. The book also shows how larger historical forces shape our tastes-the belief in Manifest Destiny, the American assertion of military might in the Pacific, and the country's post-WWII rise to superpower status. Written for both popular and academic audiences, CHOP SUEY reveals this story through prose that brings to life the characters, settings and meals that helped form this crucial component of American food culture.

MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY OF SELECTED STREET FOODS IN PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT The microbiological quality of selected ready‐to‐eat foods sold on the streets of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, was evaluated. Twenty to twenty‐eight samples each of 10 different types of foods were analyzed. About 50% of the foods were deep fat fried, 20% were baked, 10% each were either boiled, pasteurized and frozen, or fermented and chilled products. Methods of food preparation and handling practices influenced the shelf lives of the foods, and their implications on microbiological quality and safety are discussed. The heterotrophic counts were highest for yogurt and ice cream and lowest for chin‐chin and buns. Bacterial counts for pancake, moi moi, cake, meat pie and egg roll on McConkey agar gave comparable results with counts obtained on Deoxycholate agar. Eleven bacteria genera were isolated. Bacillus spp. and Klebsiella spp. occurred in most of the foods, followed by Staphylococcus spp. and Micrococcus spp., while other species exhibited a random distribution. Generally, the foods were microbiologically safe despite defective handling practices.

Fortune Cookies Put Safety First

The 2005 Gimmicks & Gadgets Contest Honorable Mention winner was Aimee Wilson for her gimmick of using fortune cookies to get co‐workers to attend safety meetings and while at the meeting, to keep their attention focused on safety. In place of showing another video on safety, she passed out fortune cookies at the meeting with safety‐related fortunes/messages inside. She also provided egg rolls and rice at the meeting to celebrate the Chinese New Year while everyone enjoyed reading their fortunes out loud. A recipe for baking the fortune cookies is provided.

Food, Culture, and Diabetes in the United States

W hat do people in the United States eat? Is it meat and potatoes? Things have changed in the United States as the population has grown to include many different ethnic and cultural groups, and this has resulted in diverse food preferences and eating habits. Asian Indians are one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the United States. African Americans are numerically the largest minority group, although the Latino population is expected to be larger than the African-American population by the middle of the next century.1 Culture is defined as the knowledge, beliefs, customs, and habits a group of people share. These are not inherited behaviors, but learned. Culture is passed on from generation to generation.1 Each ethnic group has its own culturally based foods and food habits. These traditions have been influenced and adapted through contact with the mainstream culture. Conversely, the foods of mainstream culture have been influenced by the presence of these ethnic cultures. Fast-food restaurants and other take-out restaurants now offer such wide-ranging selections as pizza, tacos, falafel, tandoori, egg rolls, and hamburgers.1 Thus, the American diet is a combination of many cultures and cuisines. To understand it, one must not only study the traditional foods and food habits of the many minority groups, but also the interaction between the majority culture and the cultures of these smaller groups. Seventeen million people in the United States have diabetes. Key to the increasing prevalence of diabetes is the rapid growth of the disease in high-risk populations such as African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. The growth in obesity, as well as an aging population, have also contributed to this increase.2,3 This article examines the ethnic and regional food practices of three larges segments of the U.S. population: African …

Tonsillopharyngitis caused by foodborne group A streptococcus: a prison-based outbreak.

An outbreak of tonsillopharyngitis due to Streptococcus pyogenes occurred among inmates of a rural correctional center in New South Wales, Australia. A total of 72 (28%) of 256 inmates became ill in December 1999. S. pyogenes type M-75, T-25, which was opacity factor positive, was isolated from throat swab specimens obtained from 5 of 57 inmates with primary cases and from 4 of 15 inmates with secondary cases, as well as from specimens obtained from the hand wounds and throat of one of the food handlers. The consumption of curried egg rolls (i.e., curried egg salad sandwiches) was the most likely association with this outbreak. The presumed source of the food contamination was the food handler who had infected hand wounds. There has been only one other outbreak of streptococcal pharyngitis reported from a prison. Other outbreaks have been reported from military bases, nursing homes, and community picnics.

Peanut and tree nut allergic reactions in restaurants and other food establishments

Background: The clinical features of food-allergic reactions in restaurants and other food establishments have not been studied. Of the registrants in the United States Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy Registry (PAR), 13.7% have reported reactions associated with such establishments. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the features of allergic reactions to peanut and tree nut in restaurant foods and foods purchased at other private establishments (eg, ice cream shops and bakeries). Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted through use of a structured questionnaire. Subjects/parental surrogates were randomly selected from among the 706 PAR registrants who reported a reaction in a restaurant or other food establishment. Results: Details were obtained for 156 episodes (29 first-time reactions) from 129 subjects/parental surrogates. Most reactions were caused by peanut (67%) or tree nut (24%); for some reactions (9%), the cause was a combination of peanut and another nut or was unknown. Symptoms began at a median of 5 minutes after exposure and were severe in 27% of reactions. Overall, 86% of reactions were treated (antihistamines, 86%; epinephrine, 40%). Establishments commonly cited were Asian food restaurants (19%), ice cream shops (14%), and bakeries/doughnut shops (13%). Among meal courses, desserts were a common cause (43%). Of 106 registrants with previously diagnosed allergy who ordered food specifically for ingestion by the allergic individual, only 45% gave prior notification about the allergy to the establishment. For 83 (78%) of these 106 reactions, someone in the establishment knew that the food contained peanut or tree nut as an ingredient; in 50% of these incidents, the food item was “hidden” (in sauces, dressings, egg rolls, etc), visual identification being prevented. In 23 (22%) of the 106 cases, exposures were reported from contamination caused primarily by shared cooking/serving supplies. In the remaining 21 subjects with previously diagnosed allergy, reactions resulted from ingestion of food not intended for them, ingestion of food selected from buffet/food bars, or skin contact/inhalation (residual food on tables, 2; peanut shells covering floors, 2; being within 2 feet of the cooking of the food, 1). Conclusions: Restaurants and other food establishments pose a number of dangers for peanut- and tree nut–allergic individuals, particularly with respect to cross-contamination and unexpected ingredients in desserts and Asian food. Failure to establish a clear line of communication between patron and establishment is a frequent cause of errors. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;108:867-70.)

Fetishising Flesh

Fetishising Flesh

Recurrent outbreaks of Salmonella Enteritidis infections in a Texas restaurant: phage type 4 arrives in the United States.

In recent years infection caused by Salmonella serotype Enteritidis (SE) phage type 4 has spread through Europe but has been uncommon in the USA. The first recognized outbreak of this strain in the USA occurred in a Chinese restaurant in EI Paso, Texas, in April 1993; no source was identified. In September 1993, a second outbreak caused by SE phage type 4 was associated with the same restaurant. To determine the cause of the second outbreak, we compared food exposures of the 19 patients with that of two control groups. Egg rolls were the only item significantly associated with illness in both analyses (first control group: odds ratio [OR] 8.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3-31.6; second control group: OR 13.1, 95% CI 2.1-97.0). Retrospective analysis of the April outbreak also implicated egg rolls (OR 32.4, 95% CI 9.1-126.6). Egg roll batter was made from pooled shell eggs and was left at room temperature throughout the day. These two outbreaks of SE phage type 4 likely could have been prevented by using pasteurized eggs and safe food preparation practices.

Anaphylactic deaths in asthmatic patients.

We reviewed seven documented deaths to peanuts and two near deaths. We excluded hearsay undocumented deaths to peanuts. Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies and probably the most common cause of death by food anaphylaxis in the United States. About one-third of peanut-sensitive patients have severe reactions to peanuts. Asthmatics with peanut sensitivity appear more likely to develop fatal reactions probably because of the exquisite sensitivity that asthamatics have to chemical mediators of anaphylaxis. Severe reactions occur within a few minutes of ingestion and these patients must carry preloaded epinephrine syringes, antihistamines, and medic-alert bracelets. Treatment should include repeated doses of epinephrine, antihistamines and corticosteroids as well as availability of oxygen, mechanical methods to open airways, vasopressors, and intravenous fluids. Hidden sources of peanuts such as chili, egg rolls, cookies, candy, and pastry should be recognized and identified. Scratch/prick test to peanuts are highly diagnostic. Peanut is one of the most sensitive food allergens known requiring only a few milligrams to cause a reaction. In some individuals, even contact of peanut with unbroken skin can cause an immediate local reaction. Unfortunately, peanut reaction is not outgrown and remains a life-long threat.

Chinese Foods: Relationship Between Hygiene and Bacterial Flora

One hundred and sixteen samples of prepared elements of Chinese-style meals were examined for pathogens and other microbiological indicators of poor sanitary preparation. Bacillus cereus was isolated from 9% of samples, while neither Salmonella nor Clostridium perfringens was found. Egg rolls were shown to be supporting high numbers of organisms; this and the potential hazards from the usual methods of preparation are discussed.An attempt to correlate the results from bacterial analyses for each restaurant kitchen with scores from a series of hygiene indices is presented. When the strengths-of-association (correlation coefficients) were ranked in order, the result was very close to the expected sequence. The strongest association was high aerobic plate count vs. temperature control.

The Cause of Discoloration of Hard Cooked Egg Rolls

SUMMARY: The brownish discoloration of coagulated albumen in hard cooked egg rolls by ultraviolet (UV) radiation involves the splitting and conformation changes of the peptide chain as suggested by an increase in the amount of nonprotein nitrogen and aromatic amino acids. The presence of water was essential in the development of discoloration, indicating that hydroperoxides and/or peroxides produced from water by the action of UV radiation could cause oxidation of tryptophan. The oxidative type of reaction was confirmed by the development of a similar brown color when coagulated albumen was heated in the presence of oxidizing agents. The discoloration could be prevented by reducing agents, however, once the color has been developed the agents become ineffective. Therefore, a two step mechanism was suggested for the UV discoloration of coagulated albumen: first, the peptide chain is hydrolyzed resulting in an increase in the amount of tryptophan available; second, the tryptophan molecule is oxidized producing a brown color.