Thousands of Chinese, some from China and some from the U.S., came to Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th century, mostly to build the railroads but also to work in mines and cotton fields. Despite a wave of anti-Chinese violence around 1910, many stayed here, and particularly in Mexico City, opened what were known as cafés de chinos (Chinese cafés), which served primarily Mexican food but also some American Chinatown specialties like chop suey, chow mein and fried rice. They were most popular for strong coffee and Mexican sweet rolls. When I came to live here in 1990, there were dozens of cafés de chinos, but now only a handful survive. This is partly because in the past ten or twenty years Mexico City has exploded as a haven for foodies, and there are so many choices available. Young Mexicans aren’t so excited about eating where their grandparents went, and of course most visitors don’t come here looking for chop suey.