I love Chinese food. Growing up in New York we would make monthly excursions to China town for memorable banquets. Living in San Francisco years later, I really started to learn about how incredible Chinese cusine is. I picked up this book a the IACP conference and have really enjoyed reading it. Written by Jennifer 8 Lee (and no that number 8 is not a typo but her given middle name), The Fortune Cookie Chronicles is a fascinating read on the story of Chinese restaurants and food in America.
As a reporter for the New York Times, she did an amazing job researching the topic, inlcuding traveling to remote places in China re-connecting with her roots and discovering the truth about General Tso’s Chicken – amoung other Chinese restaurant favorites. But this isn’t just about the food. As always food is tied to more than just eating. Lee chronicles the journeys people made in order to immigrate to the U.S. and work in American-Chinese restaurants. I highly recommend this book. You will learn a lot.
Click here for some excerpts.
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