WHEN President Richard M. Nixon made his momentous trip to China in 1972, it followed years of diplomacy and advance work. When Michael Tong brought his interpretation of the visit to his Manhattan restaurant, Shun Lee Palace, it took less than 24 hours.

One night early in the trip, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai gave a formal dinner in Nixon’s honor. The meal, served in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, was broadcast live around the world and covered by a sizable press corps. Because of the time difference, it was still morning in Manhattan when Mr. Tong received a copy of the menu by Telex. He was sure he could duplicate the meal in his restaurant that same night, so he called Roger Grimsby and Bill Beutel, local newscasters at ABC, to ask whether they wanted to film it. And they did.

Mr. Tong served the menu for months afterward at the restaurant, on East 55th Street. for $25 a person. “It was huge news then,” he said. “The Chinese restaurant scene here exploded because of the Nixon trip.” By the summer, at least one other Manhattan restaurant was serving a version of the Nixon dinner menu, at $10 a person, and an article in The New York Times bore the headline, “Chinese Restaurants Flower Following Diplomatic Thaw.”