Acculturation and the Composition of the Diet of Tucson's Overseas Chinese Gardeners at the Turn of the Century

Archaeological excavations in Tucson, Arizona, revealed portions of an overseas Chinese gardeners' household that was occupied between 1892 and 1905. Several features, including two water storage barrels, an outdoor hearth, an activity surface, and trash-filled pits provided an abundance of macrobotanical and faunal information, and fragments of food cooking, storage, and service vessels. Analyses of the data suggest that the occupants of the household maintained a traditionally diverse diet by preparing new foodstuffs in traditional ways. Some imported Chinese foods were purchased, despite their probable high costs, helping to recreate meals eaten in the gardeners' homeland.