Chinese-American Food Demystified

Did you know that fortune cookies were first made by Japanese bakers in Kyoto, but popularized in Chinese restaurants or that chop suey ends up translating into “odds and ends”? I didn’t, until I watched Jennifer 8. Lee’s presentation at the annual TED conference, which brings together thinkers and doers from the fields of technology, entertainment, design, and then some.

In her presentation, Jennifer 8. Lee, a reporter on culture and city life for the New York Times, shares her discoveries about how two cultures combined to form Chinese-American cuisine. She traveled the world, finding the people and the restaurants to give her answers to questions like “Who is General Tso and why are we eating his chicken?” and “Do Chinese people recognize the Chinese food in America?”. The results of Lee’s detective work can be read in the Fortune Cookie Chronicles, which demystifies the origins of Chinese-American food, along with a lot of other interesting facts and tid bits.

I think I’ll be adding Lee’s book to my reading list. I love food and knowing about it. I am also curious about her findings on why Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas. I always thought it’s because Chinese restaurants are one of the few places open that day, but it could be something else entirely. I guess I’ll have to read and find out.

~ by Mish on February 19, 2009.