I think I remember reading (can\'t find it now) that Chow Chow - breed of dog - in chinese mean\'t a mixture of (like Mongrel in English).
Sailors at the time (I don\'t remember when), would call any food that they couldn\'t recognise, Chow, along with the belief that Chinese liked dog meat.
It is one of those words that I\'ve grown up with but never thought about.
ps. Happy belated Birthday Diana.x