Everyone who knows me knows that I like to talk about and think about food (I also like to cook but baking is my REAL passion and I consider cookbooks “recreational” reading) but a lot of the foods we think of as Chinese are actually more American and virtually unknown in China: General Tso’s chicken, chop suey, egg rolls, broccoli beef (broccoli is originally an Italian vegetable) and the origins of the ubiquitous fortune cookie (I won’t ruin the surprise) that is now exported to China as American fortune cookies. If you’re going to the Olympics this year, note “Made in the U.S.A.” on the label and tell me I'm wrong.
What I like about the book "Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food" by Jennifer 8. Lee (the 8 symbolizes prosperity to the Chinese) is that it is an entertaining and well written narrative of a world most of us are familiar with but none of us really know. One chapter is devoted to everything you need to know about the distinctive shape of Chinese take-out containers in the U.S. ; another one on the soy sauce trade war of 2005 (bet you never heard of that one); and my favorite chapter covers who it is who writes the fortunes found inside each cookie. You'll be surprised!
The book delves into the dark side as well, highlighting statistics on how many Chinese deliverymen, many of whom barely speak English, are murdered in New York City simply for the cash and takeout meal they carry. The racism and discrimination faced by Chinese immigrants in America is also noted, where many Asians are invisible, including the Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, etc., and treated as if they are all the same.
In the first chapter, the author challenges the perception of apple pie as the ultimate in “Americanness." If that is your benchmark, ask yourself, how often do you eat apple pie? Now how often do you eat Chinese food? Great food for thought.
See, I told you I like to think about food.
So go support your local public library and check this book out.
1 comment:
Sounds like a wonderful book, I'll look for it.
I adore hot & sour soup. but not the way it's made in the buffet style Chinese restaurants that tend to dominate the landscape. My fantasy is that I like it made the proper way, but that may be simply my ego talking.
Thanks for your kind words about Sam - he's giving me more worry again toay.
Post a Comment