Golden Pagoda

I found this 1950's menu from Los Angeles' Chinatown's "Golden Pagoda" restaurant among the travel brochures I found here.

There wasn't much information on Golden Pagoda online other than it was/is also known as Hop Louie.  The building appears to be the same.  I couldn't get any closer on Google Street View.

Beyond the price differences, I noticed the menu also differs in the lack of some of the items Americans have come to expect on a Chinese menu.  In my best Peppermint Patty voice, "Where's the General Tso's chicken?!  Where's the Egg Foo Young?!  Where's the Potstickers?! Where's the Crab Rangoon?!" And no Kung Pao, Szechuan, or Hunan style to be found here.

Don't bother looking under that yellow paper, it ain't there either! But you will find some dishes not found on today's menus such as Roast Pork Fried Rice, Pork Noodles, Chicken Woh Mein, Chinese Peas Chowyoke, Tomatoes Beef, and Lup Chong.

They also served a fairly wide variety of liquor.

Of course, what we Americans recognize as Chinese food differs greatly from authentic Chinese cuisine and in fact many dishes we've come to love were really born here in America.  While other traditional dishes such as Chop Suey (yes, it actually is based on a Chinese dish called tsap seui) and Chow Mein were brought here and modified for American tastes, other dishes sprung up right here in our own country.  Crab Rangoon appeared first at Trader Vic's in 1956 and  General Tso's Chicken appeared sometime in the 1970's (a few restaurants claim its creation).