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A photo of Spicy Ants Climbing Up a Tree.
Chinese children and their mothers on an outing with Grace and Frank Newton.
Arianne Wing is the co-author of “Noodles Through Escargots” and co-owner of the L.T. Sue Tea Room and Emporium, benefiting the restoration and preservation of China Alley.
Arianne Wing is the co-author of “Noodles Through Escargots” and co-owner of the L.T. Sue Tea Room and Emporium, benefiting the restoration and preservation of China Alley.
A photo of Spicy Ants Climbing Up a Tree.
Chinese children and their mothers on an outing with Grace and Frank Newton.
In my last column I wrote about Frank and Grace Newton, their relationship to Hanford’s Chinatown and how they created the Chinese girls drill team and the boys drum and bugle corps.
As I wrote then, prior to the 1920s, the children growing up in Hanford’s Chinatown knew little else but family, work, school, and China Alley. Then the Newtons, a devout Christian couple, and the Chinese girls drill team and the boys drum and bugle corps introduced them to a completely different world.
Four years prior to the formation of the girls drill team and the boys drum and bugle corps, the Newtons started a Sunday school program for Chinese children. In a vacant building on Visalia Street, on what is now the old Imperial Dynasty parking lot, the Newtons established their gospel mission.
Grace Newton had worked with some Japanese children previously, teaching them about Christianity with the help of other community religious-minded women, who believed it was their duty to convert the “Orientals to Western ways.”
By the 1920s, the Newtons decided the Chinese needed their own facility. The other day I was sorting through yet more of Mom’s paperwork (yes, I still have many boxes to sift through). In a metal recipe box, I found a few sheets of paper paperclipped together and folded in quarters to fit into the box.
I unfolded the papers and I found was reading Mom’s handwritten notes from interviews with Auntie Harriet, Auntie Emma, and Irene Dunn Ching taken on Aug. 22, 1991.
During the interviews, the Newtons and The Mission were discussed. The following is what I was able to glean from Mom’s notes. Some sentences confounded me until I realized that she had written some of her notes in French.
“The Mission” had a kitchen and a small room for Sunday school classes. In the beginning the Sunday school was sparse, but over time its popularity grew. By the time the drill team and the drum and bugle corps began, its acceptance was widespread through Chinatown.
On occasion, a Mrs. Dutra (her full name isn’t written and it isn’t clear specifically how she was involved with the Newtons and The Mission) took her small Sunday school class to visit her country home off Grangeville Boulevard.
Her students were Auntie Harriet, Lillie Lee Lew, Robert Dunn, Nellie Gong Lum, and Ono Gong. Each child was given an English name that was also the name of a flower, such as Peony, Tulip, and Pansy. Lunch was bread and butter, served with milk.
The first year the students were not allowed to use the indoor bathroom, but rather had to use the outhouse. Later they were allowed to use the indoor facilities.
The Newtons took the children, and often their mothers as well, on outings. They went to Kings Canyon, the Sequoias, to the mountains for Easter sunrise services, to the countryside for picnics, and to the Kings River for weenie roasts. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Newtons cooked turkey dinners for the students and their families.
During one outing in the Sequoias, Mr. Newton saved the lives of Auntie Harriet and Lillie Lee Lew. The girls were crossing a stream and fell into the swift running water. They couldn’t get themselves out of the water because of the slippery rocks. Mr. Newton jumped in, clothes and all, to save them.
Several evenings a week in the early 1930s, classes were held at the Mission to teach the Chinese to speak English. My maternal grandfather, Thomas Chan and his Caucasian wife, Jomac Potter Chan, were the teachers. Grandmother Chan also taught a deportment and elocution class to the young girls so they could learn the Occidental cultural norms for ladylike demeanor: the proper way to walk, to sit up straight, to exhibit good manners, and to speak with distinction.
Piano lessons were also given.
Eventually, the Newtons and Mrs. Dutra came to a parting of the ways. The Mission building was sold, and the Newtons moved their Sunday school to a house located farther east on Visalia Street.
Here, Mom’s notes end.
I’m sure I’ll find other handwritten notes citing personal details and stories from China Alley. I remember when the Chinatown children became the China Alley elders, when their remembrances of the Newtons were spoken with reverence.
The Newtons helped the Chinese children to feel comfortable in the world outside of their Chinatown lives, and yet, the Newtons also loved Chinatown, the Chinese customs, and celebrations. Mr. Newton, who worked for the Hanford Sentinel for many years, wrote in a February 1958 column about Chinatown, that he “ha(d) ‘lived’ and participated in most events described since coming here in 1911.”
I’m sure the Newtons also loved the food in Chinatown, and were most likely the recipients of many home-style dishes. In a very early column, I shared a homestyle dish called Ants Climbing Up a Tree. Ground meat represents the ants climbing up the trees (noodles), and the green onions symbolize the leaves on the tree.
Here, in this version, I’ve spiced things up a bit and added some broccoli for more foliage and nutritional representation. Enjoy!
8 oz. dry cellophane bean noodles (also known glass or mung bean noodles)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy fermented bean paste (Lee Kum Kee brand is one I usually use. Sambal Oelek or Chili Crisp may be substituted)
8 oz. ground pork (ground chicken or turkey, or tofu crumbles maybe used)
Soak the dry noodles in hot water for 15 minutes, or until they become translucent looking. Drain and set aside.
In a wok over medium heat, add the oil, then add the minced ginger and minced garlic. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic for 1 minute, and add the bean sauce. Cook for another minute and add the ground meat to the wok. Stir-fry until the meat is cooked through.
Add chicken stock, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Bring everything to a simmer.
Once simmering, add the cellophane noodles, the broccoli florets, and green onions. Stir everything together 2–3 minutes, or until the broccoli is crisp tender.
Arianne Wing is the co-author of “Noodles Through Escargots,” and co-operator of the L.T. Sue Tea Room and Emporium, benefiting the restoration and preservation of China Alley. She may be reached at ariannewing@gmail.com
Arianne Wing is the co-author of “Noodles Through Escargots” and co-owner of the L.T. Sue Tea Room and Emporium, benefiting the restoration and preservation of China Alley.
A few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
In a shallow pan (a pie plate works great) mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
Pat the fish fillets dry with a paper towel.
Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the fillets. Gently press the breadcrumb mixture on both sides of the mayonnaise coated fish.
Put a wire rack on a sheet pan. Place the fillets on the rack. Spray the fish with cooking spray. This will help them to brown.
Place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
Garnish with lemon and serve.
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