Chow is a Mandarin Chinese word meaning to cook or fry, while in Cantonese, chow means food.
The chow chow is a breed of dog that was in fact originally bred by the Chinese to be eaten.
In the early days of North American settlement, Chinese immigrants were often put to work cooking for the labor gangs because of their culinary talents.
These gangs then picked up the phrase “chow time” as meaning it’s time to eat.
