Talk:Chow (food)

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[edit] Questionable history

Can anyone find a source to verify that this history (removed from the chow page) is real? I am dubious.

t began as a United States Marine Corps bastardization from the time of the Boxer Rebellion in China. When the Marines with the legations "The Horse Marines" were hungry for something other than issued rations they would visit the city of Chow. Eating thus became "going to chow" or later eating just "chow". Now used regularly by the US Navy and other services as well.

Elf | Talk 18:31, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

I can find a source that claims otherwise, if that helps: http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorc.htm has the phrase being "of obscure origin" but dating from 1795 (105 years before the Boxer Rebellion) as "chow-chow" and from 1898 in the Philippines as "chow". Tonywalton  | Talk 18:34, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

Chambers 21st Century Dictionary has it as "19c, probably from Pidgin English" (so no mention of a city named "Chow").

Interestingly the The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition at http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/c/c0329800.html has the origin of "chow" as the breed of dog coming "[Possibly from Chinese (Cantonese) gu, dog.]" while "chow" as food comes from "[Possibly from Chinese (Cantonese) tsap, food, miscellany ; see chop suey.]". These seem plausible; more so than the stuff about a place called "Chow".

I wonder (and this is me wondering, not backed up by any evidence) whether the "food" usage came from the "dog" usage either as a humorous reference to the quality of military cooking or from direct observation of Chinese cooking involving dog. Tonywalton  | Talk 18:45, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Move to Wiktionary

This is really a dictionary entry. All the article says is that chow means food, and gives a purported etymology. I don't know the right tag to use, so maybe somebody else could do it. 83.70.78.142 18:48, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

The clue's in the question :-) {{Move to wiktionary}}. I've tagged it. Tonywalton  | Talk 18:53, 23 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ethiopian/Erythrean food

I've seen the word "chow" in recipes from Ethiopia and Erithrea. I have no idea what it refers to, though. Hugo Dufort 06:39, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

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