Lena's review
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
by Jennifer 8 Lee (Goodreads author!)
Lena's review
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8 Lee (Goodreads author!)
Lena's review
rating:
bookshelves:
non-fiction
This is a very tasty book.
Jennifer 8 Lee is a first generation Chinese-American who became obsessed with the interface between Chinese restaurants and American culture after learning that over 100 people had gotten five out of six winning Powerball numbers by playing the lucky numbers that came with their fortune cookies. Her obsession has resulted in a delightful cultural history with a tiny bit of personal memoir thrown in.
Before reading this book, I had no idea that there are twice as many Chinese restaurants in America as McDonald's, that chop suey is a wholly American dish, and there are serious claims that the Japanese actually invented the fortune cookie. In chapters with titles like "The Greatest Culinary Joke Played by One Culture On Another," and "The Kosher Duck Scandal of 1989," Lee offers up a fascinating buffet of information about the widespread cultural impact of this ubiquitous industry.
Though much of this book is lighthearted in to...more
Jennifer 8 Lee is a first generation Chinese-American who became obsessed with the interface between Chinese restaurants and American culture after learning that over 100 people had gotten five out of six winning Powerball numbers by playing the lucky numbers that came with their fortune cookies. Her obsession has resulted in a delightful cultural history with a tiny bit of personal memoir thrown in.
Before reading this book, I had no idea that there are twice as many Chinese restaurants in America as McDonald's, that chop suey is a wholly American dish, and there are serious claims that the Japanese actually invented the fortune cookie. In chapters with titles like "The Greatest Culinary Joke Played by One Culture On Another," and "The Kosher Duck Scandal of 1989," Lee offers up a fascinating buffet of information about the widespread cultural impact of this ubiquitous industry.
Though much of this book is lighthearted in to...more
