The story
From chow mein + bun. Coined in the 1930s, having been invented in Massachusetts, and then spread throughout North America's Americanized Chinese cuisine culture, and Americanized Jewish culture.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
chow mein bun
Today it means: A Chinese-American food, a hamburger bun filled with chow mein and slathered with a brown sauce. Full definition →