Lo Fat

Lo Fat is a cousin of Hopalong Singh. He owns a laundry in New York City.
==Background==
He was actually born in Newark, New Jersey and doesn't speak Chinese, but maintains a Chinese flavor for his laundry as a commercial gig. 
Some 40 years later (in 1926), he is still, the proprietor of Lo Fat's Chinese Laundry. His daughter reads Pippin Longstocking. Once his bicycle was stolen and reported it to the 14th precinct but the police didn't help him.
He reads Newark Bee newspaper. He gives 2 dollars every year to Leyendecker Museum and actually some of the employees there are his customers. He has an arrangement with Yvette Delacroix and he does her laundry for free.
In 1924, he put a coupon for free pressıng in the newspapers for advertisement but nobody used it. Only one woman had left a night gown but didn't claim it back for 2 years, until Laura Bow found that coupon.
== Behind the scenes ==
His name is a reference to Hop Sing from the classic 1950-70s western Bonanza, as well as "Hopalong Cassidy" another early 20th century western character. The name Singh might indicate he's actually Sikh (making him very similar to the background to Srini), and not necessarily Chinese. As his cousin is said to be second or third generation Chinese-American in Laurra Bow II, its possible that he's 'married' into Lo Fat's family, or that he has ancestral heritage back to near-China nation such as Nepal where variations of the name exist. In China proper the variant should actually be Shīzi (狮子). Then again Pippen Carter indicates that even Lo Fat isn't 'Chinese", but possibly even an racist imposter "He runs one of the local Chinese laundries. Pretends to be Chinese so he can get more business, but he has a terrible accent." However, its not clear if this means he's not of Chinese heritage (perhaps representing 'yellowface' acting which was popular between 1850's and 1920s in American history, from another Asian culture (perhaps Japanese see below), and acting Chinese because its more 'popular'), or that as a 2nd-3rd generation Chinese-American, and that he's not really traditionally/indigenous "Chinese". 
Furthermore, during a conversation when Hop leaves Coarsegold, he breaks up his 'act' and starts saying goodbye in a number of different languages including Japanese (Sayonara), Italian (arrivederci), Spanish (adios, hasta la vista), etc. Freddy is clueless and just think these terms are 'Chinese", and says Goodbye instead, to which Hop also responds Goodbye as well. There are other times when he 'breaks character' too and starts using words from other cultures and languages for example speaking yiddish term and calling Freddy, "Big Mensch Of Coarsegold!". Perhaps suggesting that he too is 'yellowface' actor representing the time period when such types of racism existed. 
Additionally its possible that Hopalong Singh isn't even his real name, but his 'character' name he portrays as Mom's cook. Hopalong itself seems more of a 'nickname', and Singh might be a mispelling if he doesn't even know actual spelling of the Chinese surname (assuming he is white 'yellowface' actor.)Category:Characters (FP1)