I was a waiter at ChinaCamp in San Diego in the early 80'. What an amazing place to work. The food was reasonably priced and creative. The Fat's were super nice to work for. And with Fat City on the opposite side, the two restaurants rocked especially on the weekends.
Very fun video. I love seeing stuff about the interplay between immigrant communities, the later generations of those communities and the history of America.
Nice tidbit not included in the video that made me smile. “Eventually, though, she (Lina Fat) decided to take on Chinese cuisine as well, and so she turned to Chan Wing, a famous Chinese chef and cookbook author.” We covered Chan Wing before at th-cam.com/video/3-ofq5cDSnQ/w-d-xo.html, a hugely underrated influence to not just the restaurant industry in Hong Kong, but the overseas restaurants run by Cantonese immigrants.
In the early 80s, I remember going to China Camp at night for dancing in Old Sac. It was a very popular and crowded disco club at night. My college roommate had a boyfriend who was raised in Sacramento and a bunch of us went up to visit and hang out with them for the weekend. I remember sitting in an updtairs balcony looking down at the packed dance floor. I never got to eat a meal there though. Then in the early 90's I was in San Diego for a wedding and got to eat a Fat City/China Camp for a late dinner. I'm not exactly sure which one it actually was since both names were on the building. It was on the north edge of downtown on the way to the airport; long gone now. I remember the newspaper like menu and I thought the decor was interesting and fitting for the theme. Nostalgic type places, especially asian styles, are cool and welcoming imo. The food was actually delicious, especially the spicy eggplant dish. I wish there were still places like this. Maybe someone with the capital and vision will bring something like this back, only with different musicof course. It could prove profitable! Here's another possible place for a video project, Wong's Golden Palace in La Mesa CA. I have not eaten there yet but as the saying goes, "If walls could talk". It's a big stand alone building and has a fairly big dedicated parking lot. This suggests to me that it must have been a very successful and popular business at some point. What draws my interest to the place is the architecture. It is definitely Chinese with the upturned roof gables. I don't know enough of Chinese architectural styles to give and exact era though. It looks dated outside and probably inside as well from the pictures on yelp. Although it is still somewhat popular with the locals to be able to stay open in today's economic environment. I'm curious about the people that started it. Why did they choose to set up in La Mesa. Where did they come from originally, and just what is their diaspora story? What do they envision for the future of their business and family? Oh, lots more questions come to mind. I'm always curious about Asian history in America. Perhaps you might try checking out the reviews and profile on yelp to see if it's worth your time pursuing. If you do decide to visit in person, I will be happy to explore it with you. I am glad the TH-cam algorithms put your video on my feed. You have a new subscriber here. Thanks for your efforts!
If the menu you had looked like a newspaper, you were at China Camp! I just checked out Wong's Golden Palace, wow, the exterior sure is cool. They are the longest standing Chinese restaurant in San Diego County with the same owner and same location according to their website: www.wongsgoldenpalacelamesa.com/history. I will check it out next time I go to SD (I just went two months ago though!) Thanks for subscribing. 😍
To me, that's a purchase of the century! The menus come from a serious collector in New York called Harley Spiller. He'd been collecting for decades and sold the entire collection for like $60k. The beginning of this video of mine covers some online collections: th-cam.com/video/FVCZHU-nLbs/w-d-xo.html
And now I'm just curious if there's a chance that the actual term "Chicken Nuggets" may have actually been coined there, as a reference to gold nuggets. It would be amazing to find out that the Western staple, "Chicken Nuggets" has at least gained it's name from a theme restaurant from an immigrant family. I'm guessing that similar dishes were served in the west in the past, but, there is that chance that this place was where the common parlance was gained. McDonalds looks like they only added McNuggets to the menu in the early 80s... and I was way too young or not around to know if the frequency of the term before then.
Haha, you got me all excited. Weaver (still alive and kicking) started selling chicken nuggets in supermarkets in the 1940s. (www.newspapers.com/image/26734521/?match=1&clipping_id=155648871 ) Chicken nuggets also got very popular in the 60s for housewives with all sorts of breading, i.e. pancake mix, breadcrumbs, tempura.
Absolutely gagged at this concept!! The full name being fat city/china camp, dishes called "Immigrant's Beef"/"Skinny Miner"/"Claim Jumper's Beef" just 😭😂 I do wish I could have seen the professionally interior designed restaurant in person, the kitsch seems off the rails if you will. Thanks for sharing and excellent video as always!
there is a Frank Fat collection over in CSU Sacramento that is open for research oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt4q2nf19f/entire_text/. They seem to have some photos of the interior of China Camp. I am very tempted to make a drive there. 😂
I ate at Frank Fat's and the food was good too. I think they definitely focused on quality. I read on the newspaper China Camp even served you hot towel and a slice of lemon when you first sat down? This is what legit old school Cantonese restaurants did back home.
@@AmericanChineseFoodShow If you lived in Sacramento now, you would know that Frank Fat's is still around and is still regarded as one of the best restaurants in the city.
Definitely debated with myself whether to include it or not but decided it would be too distracting. Yes, dog was a delicacy in some Cantonese regional cuisines. It only became frowned upon in the recent decades. But it's a silly claim early Chinese immigrants were serving dogs to white patrons without them knowing. Dogs were seen as valued ingredient, we don't serve that easily unless we consider you a great friend. 🙃
I was a waiter at ChinaCamp in San Diego in the early 80'. What an amazing place to work. The food was reasonably priced and creative. The Fat's were super nice to work for. And with Fat City on the opposite side, the two restaurants rocked especially on the weekends.
Sounds awesome! What led to its downfall?
This is amazing. Any stories to share? Photos?
Thank you TH-cam algorithm! Great content, as a NorCal native this fills in history blanks. Hit the sub button!
Yay, thank you YT algorithm! Let me know if you have anything you want me to cover.
Very fun video. I love seeing stuff about the interplay between immigrant communities, the later generations of those communities and the history of America.
I used to drive by this place all the time before they removed it , very interesting looking building
The one in San Diego? It's now a Hilton, but they kept the Art Deco façade.
What a neat theme. This is one of the restaurants I'd go to if I had a time machine 😊
Nice tidbit not included in the video that made me smile. “Eventually, though, she (Lina Fat) decided to take on Chinese cuisine as well, and so she turned to Chan Wing, a famous Chinese chef and cookbook author.” We covered Chan Wing before at th-cam.com/video/3-ofq5cDSnQ/w-d-xo.html, a hugely underrated influence to not just the restaurant industry in Hong Kong, but the overseas restaurants run by Cantonese immigrants.
In the early 80s, I remember going to China Camp at night for dancing in Old Sac. It was a very popular and crowded disco club at night. My college roommate had a boyfriend who was raised in Sacramento and a bunch of us went up to visit and hang out with them for the weekend. I remember sitting in an updtairs balcony looking down at the packed dance floor. I never got to eat a meal there though.
Then in the early 90's I was in San Diego for a wedding and got to eat a Fat City/China Camp for a late dinner. I'm not exactly sure which one it actually was since both names were on the building. It was on the north edge of downtown on the way to the airport; long gone now. I remember the newspaper like menu and I thought the decor was interesting and fitting for the theme. Nostalgic type places, especially asian styles, are cool and welcoming imo. The food was actually delicious, especially the spicy eggplant dish.
I wish there were still places like this. Maybe someone with the capital and vision will bring something like this back, only with different musicof course. It could prove profitable!
Here's another possible place for a video project, Wong's Golden Palace in La Mesa CA. I have not eaten there yet but as the saying goes, "If walls could talk". It's a big stand alone building and has a fairly big dedicated parking lot. This suggests to me that it must have been a very successful and popular business at some point.
What draws my interest to the place is the architecture. It is definitely Chinese with the upturned roof gables. I don't know enough of Chinese architectural styles to give and exact era though. It looks dated outside and probably inside as well from the pictures on yelp. Although it is still somewhat popular with the locals to be able to stay open in today's economic environment.
I'm curious about the people that started it. Why did they choose to set up in La Mesa. Where did they come from originally, and just what is their diaspora story? What do they envision for the future of their business and family? Oh, lots more questions come to mind. I'm always curious about Asian history in America.
Perhaps you might try checking out the reviews and profile on yelp to see if it's worth your time pursuing. If you do decide to visit in person, I will be happy to explore it with you.
I am glad the TH-cam algorithms put your video on my feed. You have a new subscriber here. Thanks for your efforts!
If the menu you had looked like a newspaper, you were at China Camp!
I just checked out Wong's Golden Palace, wow, the exterior sure is cool. They are the longest standing Chinese restaurant in San Diego County with the same owner and same location according to their website: www.wongsgoldenpalacelamesa.com/history. I will check it out next time I go to SD (I just went two months ago though!)
Thanks for subscribing. 😍
Interesting! More interesting was the fact that U of T (University of Toronto) has a digitized menu collection.
To me, that's a purchase of the century! The menus come from a serious collector in New York called Harley Spiller. He'd been collecting for decades and sold the entire collection for like $60k. The beginning of this video of mine covers some online collections: th-cam.com/video/FVCZHU-nLbs/w-d-xo.html
And now I'm just curious if there's a chance that the actual term "Chicken Nuggets" may have actually been coined there, as a reference to gold nuggets.
It would be amazing to find out that the Western staple, "Chicken Nuggets" has at least gained it's name from a theme restaurant from an immigrant family. I'm guessing that similar dishes were served in the west in the past, but, there is that chance that this place was where the common parlance was gained.
McDonalds looks like they only added McNuggets to the menu in the early 80s... and I was way too young or not around to know if the frequency of the term before then.
Haha, you got me all excited. Weaver (still alive and kicking) started selling chicken nuggets in supermarkets in the 1940s. (www.newspapers.com/image/26734521/?match=1&clipping_id=155648871 ) Chicken nuggets also got very popular in the 60s for housewives with all sorts of breading, i.e. pancake mix, breadcrumbs, tempura.
I ate there long ago, when I lived in San Diego. I don't think I really twigged the labor aspect of it, but the food was good.
I am jealous! 😭 Do you remember Fry's Electronics? I imagine it's basically a Fry's with food.
@@AmericanChineseFoodShow Yes, I remember Fry's. Overwhelming place for shopping and that huge parking lot was crazy too.
Absolutely gagged at this concept!! The full name being fat city/china camp, dishes called "Immigrant's Beef"/"Skinny Miner"/"Claim Jumper's Beef" just 😭😂 I do wish I could have seen the professionally interior designed restaurant in person, the kitsch seems off the rails if you will. Thanks for sharing and excellent video as always!
there is a Frank Fat collection over in CSU Sacramento that is open for research oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt4q2nf19f/entire_text/. They seem to have some photos of the interior of China Camp. I am very tempted to make a drive there. 😂
I dined once at the Sacramento location. I thought the food was pretty good.
I ate at Frank Fat's and the food was good too. I think they definitely focused on quality. I read on the newspaper China Camp even served you hot towel and a slice of lemon when you first sat down? This is what legit old school Cantonese restaurants did back home.
@@AmericanChineseFoodShow If you lived in Sacramento now, you would know that Frank Fat's is still around and is still regarded as one of the best restaurants in the city.
China Camp sounds like a Dark Humour name.......🤣
🤣 It could've been worse I guess...
Is China Camp a chain restaurant?
You forgot to read the part where it said he will also eat dog provided it is not long past maturity
Definitely debated with myself whether to include it or not but decided it would be too distracting. Yes, dog was a delicacy in some Cantonese regional cuisines. It only became frowned upon in the recent decades. But it's a silly claim early Chinese immigrants were serving dogs to white patrons without them knowing. Dogs were seen as valued ingredient, we don't serve that easily unless we consider you a great friend. 🙃
Totally degrading