The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

I picked this book up in the "new" section of the library last week as I was looking for a good book to read on the plane. Somehow, I've been in foodie book mode the last little while, and this one did not disappoint. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, by Jennifer 8 Lee (yes, that is an eight and not a typo) is an extensive look at Chinese food in America- the history of it, the way it has been adapted to the U.S., the politics behind it, and the appeal to everyone. Lee talks about the way that Chinese food was first introduced in the U.S. by immigrants, how it became popular shortly after Nixon made his visit to China, and how Chinese food found in America is not the same as Chinese food found in China. There is extensive research presented on the origin of fortune cookies, the start of the "take-out" meal, the way that soy sauce is made, the challenges of staffing Chinese restaurants and the difficulties for many of those who came here (legally and illegally) to work. The book is written in a fun style, and I enjoyed reading about Lee's travels in her efforts to ferret out the origins of General Tso's chicken and the best Chinese restaurant in the world. I can recommend this book as a great read, with two thumbs up.

Here's a favorite quote, that sums up one of the main points of the book.

Trey Yuen's Szechuan alligator dish ended up being light-colored chunks of meat mixed with ginger, garlic, and crushed pepper. The alligator looked like cooked chicken but tasted surprisingly springy and tender. "I call it bayou veal," said Tommy Wong, the fourth of the five brothers, in a Texas twang. "Some people are squeamish about trying alligator, especially people from out of town," he said. Of course, he eventually does tell the people who dine on "bayou veal" the truth- "After they've eaten it."...

Could you get Szechuan alligator anywhere else in the world? Probably not in China, yet this dish in front of me was arguably- even recognizably- Chinese.

A driving force behind Chinese cooking is the desire to adapt and incorporate indigenous ingredients and utilize Chinese cooking techniques, Tommy explained. Chinese cooking is not a set of dishes. It is a philosophy that serves local tastes and ingredients.

That idea continued to reverberate with me as I encountered creations like cream cheese wontons (also called crab Rangoon) in the Midwest, Philly cheesesteak rolls (egg rolls on the outside, cheesesteak inside) in Philadelphia, and the chow mein sandwich in New England. Chinese food, perhaps, does not have to originate in China.