Return to Answer

You are

a Hopper

I am the creator of five cent cigars,

Edward Hopper created the painting Nighthawks of a corner diner at the top of whose sign is advertised "Only 5¢ — PHILLIES" (cigars).

The creator of an American-Chinese dish.

Edward Hopper also created a painting called "Chop Suey".

I am a Navy Rear Admiral,

US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

the creator of a programming excuse.

Grace Hopper (yup, same one) created the first compiler, and compiling is a programming excuse as shown in xkcd.

But very simply, I am a container,
A funnel for everyday objects.

A hopper is a chute, box, or receptacle, usually funnel-shaped with an opening at the lower part

You are

a Hopper

I am the creator of five cent cigars,

Edward Hopper created the painting Nighthawks of a corner diner at the top of whose sign is advertised "Only 5¢ — PHILLIES" (cigars).

The creator of an American-Chinese dish.

Edward Hopper also created a painting called "Chop Suey".

I am a Navy Rear Admiral,

US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

the creator of a programming excuse.

Grace Hopper (yup, same one), per OP, "created the first compiler, and compiling is a programming excuse as shown in xkcd #303: Compiling." (She also popularized the term "bug" in the programming sense, my original answer here.)

But very simply, I am a container,
A funnel for everyday objects.

A hopper is a chute, box, or receptacle, usually funnel-shaped with an opening at the lower part

And, finally, the title

is itself, of course, a jumpy play on Hopper.

You are

a Hopper

I am the creator of five cent cigars,

Edward Hopper created the painting Nighthawks of a corner diner at the top of whose sign is advertised "Only 5¢ — PHILLIES" (cigars).

The creator of an American-Chinese dish.

Edward Hopper also created a painting called "Chop Suey".

I am a Navy Rear Admiral,

US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

the creator of a programming excuse.

Grace Hopper (yup, same one) coined the term bug in the computer programming sense.

But very simply, I am a container,
A funnel for everyday objects.

A hopper is a chute, box, or receptacle, usually funnel-shaped with an opening at the lower part

You are

a Hopper

I am the creator of five cent cigars,

Edward Hopper created the painting Nighthawks of a corner diner at the top of whose sign is advertised "Only 5¢ — PHILLIES" (cigars).

The creator of an American-Chinese dish.

Edward Hopper also created a painting called "Chop Suey".

I am a Navy Rear Admiral,

US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

the creator of a programming excuse.

Grace Hopper (yup, same one) created the first compiler, and compiling is a programming excuse as shown in xkcd.

But very simply, I am a container,
A funnel for everyday objects.

A hopper is a chute, box, or receptacle, usually funnel-shaped with an opening at the lower part

You are

a Hopper

I am the creator of five cent cigars,

The creator of an American-Chinese dish.

Edward Hopper created a painting called "Chop Suey". I assume this is what we're going for.

I am a Navy Rear Admiral,

US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

the creator of a programming excuse.

Grace Hopper (yup, same one) coined the term bug in the computer programming sense.

But very simply, I am a container,
A funnel for everyday objects.

A hopper is a chute, box, or receptacle, usually funnel-shaped with an opening at the lower part

You are

a Hopper

I am the creator of five cent cigars,

Edward Hopper created the painting Nighthawks of a corner diner at the top of whose sign is advertised "Only 5¢ — PHILLIES" (cigars).

The creator of an American-Chinese dish.

Edward Hopper also created a painting called "Chop Suey".

I am a Navy Rear Admiral,

US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

the creator of a programming excuse.

Grace Hopper (yup, same one) coined the term bug in the computer programming sense.

But very simply, I am a container,
A funnel for everyday objects.

A hopper is a chute, box, or receptacle, usually funnel-shaped with an opening at the lower part