Book Log 2009 #11: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee
I'll admit to never really considering where fortune cookies came from, but it's just that question that gets Lee started down a path to find out how Chinese food became such a hit in the US and around the world. Along the way she visits the hometown of General Tso/Gao, documents New York's menu wars and DC's kosher duck scandal, and tries to find the best Chinese restaurant (outside of China) in the world.
There's a lot to like about this book, from the historical research into Chinese food origins (including a discovery about the genesis of the fortune cookie that I imagine would rankle the Chinese) to Lee's personal reflections about balancing American and Chinese cultures. The chapters dealing with the struggles to run restaurants and the shadow work force that travels the country to staff them are eye-opening, and provide thoughtful contrast to the less serious stuff. Definitely recommended.
24 April 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
For want of anything better to post, here's a breakdown of if I've been to the most populous 100 cities in the US, and if so for how...
-
As you may have heard, there's a new question facing all of us in Red Sox Nation. Now what? It's a valid question. Citizensh...
-
And finally, U!P!N! THE NEW UPN created a new Thursday night of comedies, and seems very proud of being the only network with a full two hou...
-
A couple of months ago I went on new insurance. For the first time ever, I was asked to get prior authorization from a doctor to get a presc...
No comments:
Post a Comment