Fortune Cookie Chronicles

Happy AAPI month! My project for this month is trying to read as many of the Asian-authored books I have on my Kindle that I hadn't been able to get around to for the rest of the year. THE FORTUNE COOKIE CHRONICLES has been on my to-read list for the longest time because it's a collection of linked essays about the history of Chinese food in the United States.First, a caveat: this was published in 2008 so it comes across as a little dated. Some of the statistics about immigration and demographics are probably no longer accurate now, but that's because it's a product of its times and not bad writing. Second, it bounces around a lot from subject to subject as a lot of other readers have complained. I think that was pretty typical of nonfic at the time, because that meandering style was kind of popularized by Malcolm Gladwell, but it doesn't really work quite as well here.The hook for this story is about this year where there were 110 Powerball winners. When people looked into it, expecting fraud, they found out it was because the Powerball numbers were a match for the numbers on the back of a Chinese fortune cookie fortune. Everyone who played those numbers who got fortunes produced by that factory won. From there, the author does a deep dive into the history of American Chinese food, delving into the stories behind popular menu items like General Tso's Chicken, Chop Suey, Peking duck, fortune cookies, and even the takeout boxes themselves.My favorite part of the book was actually near the end, when the author goes to the most famous Chinese restaurant in a variety of countries (Brazil, South Korea, Mauritius, UAE, etc.) and talks a little about how the culture they are in influenced the take on Chinese. I also liked the chapter on Peking duck, which talks about kosher Chinese food and the relationship between Jewish people living in New York and Chinese cuisine. I was a little disappointed that chain restaurants that do Chinese, like Panda Express or Pick Up Stix, weren't talked about, as well as the ubiquitous but entirely inauthentic dish, orange chicken, but I guess in a book like this it's hard to cover everything. The book also covers Japanese history a bit, talking about how the Chinese fortune cookie is probably Japanese in origin.I think people who like nonfiction books about food will really enjoy this book. I certainly liked it a lot and thought that Lee was a great writer and had an engaging writing style. I just wish there had been a more uniform aspect to the book, though, as it jumped around a lot and some essays were better than others.3 to 3.5 out of 5 stars

I don't know why I decided to read this book, I really don't! But I'm glad I did!For the most part this was a really interesting book. It gave me insight into the history and running of Chinese restaurants. To save announcing a "spoiler alert". Let's just say the book answered many questions that I didn't realize lurked in my subconscious! I have a much better appreciation for the subject and families behind an institution I never gave much thought to. There were a couple "deep dives" that in the end brought the whole book to a very good close. So stick with it if you have too. I couldn't put the book down most of the time. I'm now hungry for more reading on the subject and Chinese Takeout!!!

I’ve been looking for quite some time for this book. Fun to read.

American Chinese food is, to me, a fascinating concept as it’s neither American nor Chinese – as the author found when she tried to trace General Tso in his home town and found the military hero, not the culinary genius. This book almost couldn’t have been written without the show and tell of digital photography where she used her camera to show various dishes as she tried to track them across China. This coming from a woman who spoke Mandarin was essential as I don’t think she’d have gotten half the stories she did without that tie.I loved the two-fold premise of the book, tracking the iconic fortune cookie from its creation in Japan, or maybe Korea, or possibly even California to the winning lottery tickets as well as the author’s own heritage. Her early chapters, and the final wrap including her father, who was “a PhD away from being a delivery man” being admonished not to leave menus when he brought food to a sick friend, reminded me a little of Steven Shaw’s Setting the Table as he was also a fan of Upper West Side Chinese. The book perfectly toed the line between memoirs and food & travel writing and is a fit for fans of both genres.I especially enjoyed her trip around the world to find the “best” Chinese food. Such a fun part of travel. Although I’m not personally a huge fan of Chinese food, I might have to sample more of it.

This book was a disappointment. I heard a review of it on a radio food programme. As a result I was expecting a book that described Chinatowns and restaurants from around the world. However the book is mostly about chinese-style catering in the United States and people smuggling from the east into the US. The anecdotes about how the migrants worked hard to open restaurants were sometimes interesting but rather repetitive. The overall picture was of chronic bastardisation of chinese recipes and techniques to meet American tastes. Dishes unheard of in the UK like General Tso's Chicken are, it seems, universal in the US. The author discovered that it is a chinese dish, but it became unrecognisable when cooked in the US. Unsurprisingly it is sweet and crisp there, rather than savoury. I was quite shocked, but probably not surprised, to discover that the soy sauce produced in the US is just a factory, chemical, fake product with no fermented soy in it at all. There is a section about restaurants around the world at the end but it gives little useful information. It is true that the fortune cookie is a theme that runs through the book and is an interesting story. Lee has followed up this and a few other threads systematically. It turns out that mass migration using people smugglers is not a new story, and the stories Lee tells about that are also interesting. That is why I have given three stars. Initially I had intended two.Of limited interest to UK readers.

Delivery spot on, book appears perfect. Just started reading and have to force myself to put it down.

This book is great for people who want to learn more about asian cuisine in America, mainly chinese, I give intriguing stories for the readers to view.

Really enjoyed the book!