A wonton font (also known as Chinese, chopstick, chop suey, [1] or kung-fu) is a mimicry typeface with a visual style intended to express an East Asian, or more specifically, Chinese typographic sense of aestheticism.
Styled to mimic the brush strokes used in Chinese characters, wonton fonts often convey a sense of Orientalism. In modern times, they are sometimes viewed by those in the East Asian diaspora as culturally insensitive or offensive.
The first commercial typeface of this style was patented in 1883 by the Cleveland Type Foundry, [1] under the name "Chinese", [2] which became "Mandarin" in the 1950s. [2] Many variations of this style of font have been created by typeface designers since its inception. [1]
Some Asian Americans find wonton fonts amusing or humorous, while others find them offensive, insulting, or racist. [3] [4] The font's usage is often criticized when paired with caricatures that recall the Yellow Peril images of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 2002, the American clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch faced controversy when it produced a series of T-shirts with buck-toothed images and wonton font slogans. [5] The Chicago Cubs experienced backlash from the Asian American community after a similarly offensive T-shirt was produced by an independent clothing vendor in 2008. [6] The questionable use of such fonts was the subject of a 2012 article in the Wall Street Journal by cultural commentator and journalist Jeff Yang. [7] In 2018, the New Jersey Republican State Committee was criticized for sending out a political mailer describing Korean-American candidate Andy Kim as "real fishy" and printing his name in a wonton font. [8] [9] [10]
American Chinese cuisine is a cuisine derived from Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese Americans. The dishes served in many North American Chinese restaurants are adapted to American tastes and often differ significantly from those found in China.
A typeface is a design of letters, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size, weight, slope, width, and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font.
Chop suey is a dish from American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, generally consisting of meat and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery, and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. It is typically served with rice, but can become the Chinese-American form of chow mein with the substitution of stir-fried noodles for rice.
Chow mein is a dish of Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Over the centuries, variations of chǎomiàn were developed in many regions of China; there are several methods of frying the noodles and a range of toppings can be used. It was introduced in other countries by Chinese immigrants. The dish is popular throughout the Chinese diaspora and appears on the menus of most Chinese restaurants abroad. It is particularly popular in India, Nepal, the UK, and the US.
Ching chong, ching chang chong, and chung ching are ethnic slurs used to mock or imitate the Chinese language, people of Chinese ancestry, or other people of East Asian descent perceived to be Chinese. The term is a derogatory imitation of Mandarin and Cantonese phonology. The phrases have sometimes accompanied assaults or physical intimidation of East Asians, as have other racial slurs or imitation of Chinese.
Chopsocky is a colloquial term for martial arts films and kung fu films made primarily by Hong Kong action cinema between the late 1960s and early 1980s. The term was coined by the American motion picture trade magazine Variety following the explosion of films in the genre released in 1973 in the U.S. after the success of Five Fingers of Death. The word is a play on chop suey, combining "chop" and "sock".
Ginger beef is a Canadian Chinese dish made from beef, ginger, and a distinctive sweet sauce.
Canadian Chinese cuisine is a cuisine derived from Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese Canadians. It was the first form of commercially available Chinese food in Canada. This cooking style was invented by early Cantonese immigrants who adapted traditional Chinese recipes to Western tastes and the available ingredients, and developed in a similar process to American Chinese cuisine.
Indian Chinese cuisine, Chinese Indian cuisine, Sino-Indian cuisine, Chindian cuisine, Hakka Chinese or Desi-Chinese cuisine is a distinct style of Chinese cuisine adapted to Indian tastes, combining Chinese foods with Indian flavours and spices. Though Asian cuisines have mixed throughout history throughout Asia, the most popular origin story of the fusion food resides with Chinese labourers of Calcutta, who immigrated to British India looking for work. Opening restaurant businesses in the area, these early Chinese food sellers adapted their culinary styles to suit Indian tastes.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on contemporary clothing. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of February 2020, the company operated 854 stores across all its brands.
The Pedder Building, located at No. 12 Pedder Street, in Central, Hong Kong, is a historic commercial building built in the Beaux-Arts style. Built in 1923, it is the last surviving pre-World War II building in Pedder Street.
Chinese fried rice is a family of fried rice dishes popular in Greater China and around the world. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets, just before dessert.
Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine is a popular style of food exclusive to restaurants in Puerto Rico developed by its Chinese immigrants. The food is a variation of Cantonese cuisine with some elements of Puerto Rican cuisine. A typical dish consists of fried rice, a choice of meat, and French fries or tostones. The fried rice itself varies in every restaurant but can contain many ingredients such as ham, beef, shrimp, egg, lettuce, and onions. In 2020, there were an estimated 450 Chinese restaurants in Puerto Rico.
"Chinese Food" is a song performed by American singer Alison Gold. It was released on October 5, 2013, as her debut single with Patrice Wilson's label PMW Live. Wilson also wrote and produced the record. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 29, selling 1,000 downloads and being streamed on YouTube five million times for the week ending October 20, 2013. Despite this, it had been reported the same day as not playing on any public radio station in the United States. The accompanying music video was met with controversy regarding cultural insensitivity and has since been deleted from YouTube, although unofficial re-uploads on the site are still accessible.
A wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun in transliteration from Cantonese 雲吞 / 云吞 and wenden from Shanghainese 餛飩 / 馄饨. Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China, Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas.
Jiaozi are a type of Chinese dumpling. Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together. Jiaozi can be boiled (shuǐjiǎo), steamed (zhēngjiǎo), pan-fried (jiānjiǎo), or deep-fried (zhàjiǎo), and are traditionally served with a black vinegar and sesame oil dip. They can also be served in a soup. Jiaozi have great cultural significance within China. Jiaozi are one of the major dishes eaten during the Chinese New Year throughout northern China and eaten all year round in the northern provinces. Their resemblance to the gold and silver ingots (sycee) used in Imperial China has meant that they symbolize wealth and good fortune.
The Republic Cafe and Ming Lounge are a Chinese restaurant and bar in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown, in the United States. The restaurant is one of Portland's oldest, established in 1922, and continues to operate under the Mui family's ownership. Serving Chinese cuisine such as Mongolian beef, General Tso's chicken, chop suey, and egg foo young, the Republic Cafe has been described as a "staple" of the neighborhood and the city's Chinese American history. Celebrities have visited the restaurant which has also seen several longtime employees. Ming Lounge is among the city's oldest bars and has been characterized as "seedy".
Faux Hebrew is a Latin script typeface that mimics the calligraphic curves and large serif of Hebrew characters. The style is used for decorative purposes, such as in artwork, foreign branding advertisements, and antisemitic propaganda, often to evoke themes of Jewishness or represent Israel.
Jan-U-Wine was the first canned American Chinese food business in Los Angeles. The proprietor was Peter S. Hyun, a Korean born in 1903. Hyun’s ambition was to become the “Henry Ford of Chinese foods”, with chop suey and chow mein as familiar menu items on American tables as is pork and beans.
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