The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, fifth edition (2010) offers the following definitions and etymological notes on chop-chop and chop suey:Ĭhop-chop adv. Indeed, bits and pieces! Under the terror of gun and knife, a new dish was born. Though still shaking in their pants from fear, the cousins managed to say, " Chop chop suey suey." "Ooh this is good!" the burly miners exclaimed. In a flash, they dumped a generous portion of the garbage in a wok, made a sauce, and served the dish piping hot. As they rummaged through the shelves, cupboards and storage places for edibles, they came to the day's garbage, which they had been too tired to throw out before retiring. What to do? There was nothing they could serve. In the dim moonlight, they saw two big, mean looking miners had barged in and were pointing a gun and knife at them. Before they could respond, the door was kicked open. In the middle of the night they were awakened by loud pounding and voices demanding food. Late one night they had locked up and gone to bed dog-tired after every scrap of food was sold. To survive such a lawless foreign land, the pragmatic and resourceful one opened eateries and laundries instead.Īmong the successful restaurateurs were two cousins Ah Ying and Ah Sing. When they found gold, they were invariably killed by claim jumpers. Many Chinese joined the 1849 California Gold Rush. Your father is not the only person now on record as having used the expression "chop chop suey suey." From " Chop Suey" in Katherine Chew, The Magical Dumplings and Other Chinese Fables (2008): This evolved into "chop-chop" and was quickly picked up by the Englishmen who traveled the Asian seas. In Mandarin, the word is jí, and in Malay it's chepat. In an 1838 article, "Chinese English," the magazine defined "chop-chop" as "the sooner the better," but made no mention of the phase being rude or curt.Īccording to Hobson-Jobson: The Definitive Glossary of British India, the noted Anglo-Indian dictionary published in 1886, the phrase originates from the Cantonese word kap, or 急 (which means "make haste"). Two years later, it would also appear in The Penny Magazine, an illustrated English publication geared toward the working class. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first usage of "chop chop" in print to an 1834 article in the Canton (Ohio) Register. Several etymological dictionaries trace the origins of the word to a version of pidgin English used on ships (and later by Chinese servants and traders who regularly interacted with foreigners). Wikipedia and The Phrase Finder both talk about the etymology of chop chop, meaning "hurry up" or "quickly, quickly!" If WUSTL submits a demolition permit, it would go to CRO and the Preservation Board (perhaps by its May 23rd meeting), though WUSTL could attempt to get an emergency demolition citing it as a safety hazard.Perhaps your dad added the "suey suey" part on his own, maybe for humorous effect? The Skinker DeBaliviere Community Council is expected to consider its support at their meeting Monday May 9th, 7 pm. WUSTL plans to salvage the terra-cotta and cast iron features for future use. The building was built in 1911 and is in the Skinker-DeBaliviere-Catlin Tract-Parkview Historic District. Soon after acquiring the building in 2020 WUSTL built a wooden structure to help support the façade. I’d wager they decided it was too expensive to fix up the building. There was an occupancy permit application for a marijuana dispensary in 2019. There hasn’t been a tenant in the building in recent memory. In 2014 part of the façade collapsed, and was repaired that year. WUSTL acquired the building in early 2020 from Joe Edwards, who had owned it since 2007. They say it is very unstable and is prohibitively expensive to save. Washington University is seeking to raze 6030 Delmar, the Rosedale Building, in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood.
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