The Chinese Restaurant Responsible For New England's Chow Mein Sandwich

Some dishes are steeped in so much history that their raison d'être goes beyond being a delicious bite. New England is home to some iconic foods and the chow mein sandwich is one of those dishes. Made rich not just by an interesting sequence of events, but through people from various ethnicities, it's a true reflection of America's melting plot. But there's one place that can be credited with playing a significant role in the popularity of this iconic sandwich – the Mee Sum Restaurant in Fall River, Massachusetts run by Regina and Kenneth Mark, the place made these sandwiches for the better part of a century by two generations of the same family. Sadly, the restaurant closed at the end of 2024, although it's slated to reopen in 2025 with new owners. 

Mee Sum opened in 1950 at the corner of Dwelly and South Main Streets and later moved to its current location in 1971. Regina and Kenneth took over the business around the same time. As epicureans across America started falling for this unexpected dish loaded with flavorful chow mein noodles and umami sauce and served with a hamburger bun, it started popping up on menus at other Chinese restaurants across New England.

Interestingly, slices of bread were initially paired with noodles to soak up the gravy. One fated day, the restaurant ran out of bread and replaced it with hamburger buns. The Marks chose to stick to the practice. But how did it turn into this delectable sandwich made wholesome with vegetables, shrimp, and pork filling? When the restaurant opened, Fall River was a post-industrial American city sprinkled with factories and immigrants from different countries, including Irish, Polish, French Canadian, and English communities. A Chinese community had already settled down in the area by then. According to food historian and anthropology professor Imogene Lim, who has published a paper on the chow mein sandwich, even though immigrant groups were not familiar with Chinese cuisine, they were likely to recognize a familiar dish like the sandwich. 

The portability of a sandwich was another reason behind it becoming the workers' favorite, as they didn't have the luxury of time and were looking for quick means to satiate their hunger. This is how this delightful sandwich was born at Mee Sum and gradually became all the rage. Around the 20th century, burger joints like McDonald's and Burger King started popping up across the country. Still, the popularity of Mee Sum remained intact primarily due to its affordability. Even today, the price of a chow mein sandwich at Mee Sum remains below $5. To learn more about iconic sandwiches hailing from the region, check out the history of the fluffernutter sandwich or the roast beef sandwich, another New England staple.