The Art and Secrets of Chinese Cookery

Detroit, Michigan: LA CHOY FOOD PRODUCTS, INC., 1932. Staplebound. Color illustrated wraps. Fine. 15 pages. 15 x 9 cm. This color illustrated 1932 pamphlet is highly stylized, featuring a gold, red, and black art deco design, with a round seal stating: LA CHOY / CHINESE SEAL OF PERFECTION. As Chinese cuisine became more mainstream, LaChoy Food Products brought hard to find ingredients into the home including bean sprouts, Chow Mein noodles, soy sauce, water chestnuts, etc. Each page features a recipe, color illustrations, and description of the dish. LaChoy capitalized on the Good Housekeeping Institutes Seal of Approval to provide assurance to the American public that the their products were sanitary. Another feature, which was most likely discontinued by the end of the 1930's, was once a symbol of good luck or spirituality in many cultures before the German Nazi party appropriated the image - a swastika. (Inventory #: 4532)