Synopses & Reviews
There are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonald's, Burger Kings, and Wendy's combined. Egg rolls are as American as apple pie, and for
New York Times reporter Jennifer 8. Lee, the story of the Chinese-American experience can be told through the lens of the food.
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles is for anyone who has ever wondered who General Tso was and why his chicken is so famous; why all Chinese restaurants use the same trapezoidal delivery cartons; and who invented the fortune cookie. Jennifer 8 Lee narrates her search for the world's best Chinese restaurant with a mix of in-depth research and entertaining personal anecdotes.
She describes the journey of immigrant restaurant workers who travel from China to America and their quest for a better life. She exposes the underbelly of businesses that produce Dim Sum, Lo Mein, and that mysterious sauce you dip steamed dumplings into. She explains the Jewish affinity for Chinese food through the remarkable story of the Great Kosher Duck Scandal of Atlanta.
And then, there are the fortune cookies, a source of prophecy and wisdom, and the key to the central mystery in Jennifer 8. Lee's delightful and sumptuous quest.
Review
"Thanks to Lee's journalistic chops, the text moves along energetically even in its more expository sections. Tasty morsels delivered quickly and reliably." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Those of us who eat Chinese food are lucky to have Jennifer Lee as a guide to the modern global migrations and individual ingenuity that have made it the world's favorite cuisine. In The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, she offers many expertly told stories in one: a footloose and witty travelogue, a fascinating piece of historical reportage, and a quiet but moving memoir of the immigrant experience. Lee pursues her parallel investigations with a hearty appetite for economic curiosities, little patience for myth, and above all an empathy for the people who make, prepare, and deliver the food we eat." Sasha Issenberg, author of The Sushi Economy
Review
"Jennifer 8. Lee has cracked the world of Chinese restaurants like a fortune cookie. Her book is an addictive dim-sum of fact, fun, quirkiness and pathos. It's Anthony Bourdain meets Calvin Trillin. Lee is the kind of reporter I can only dream of being: committed, compassionate, resourceful, and savvy. I devoured this book in two nights (in bed), and suggest you do the same." Mary Roach, author of Stiff and Spook
Synopsis
New York Times reporter Lee traces the history of the Chinese-American experience through the lens of Chinese food restaurants in America. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles speaks to the immigrant experience as a whole, and the way it has shaped this country.
Synopsis
Readers take an unexpected and entertaining journey through culinary, social, and cultural history in this delightful first book on the origins of the customary after-Chinese-dinner treat by "New York Times" reporter Lee.
Synopsis
If you think McDonald's is the most ubiquitous restaurant experience in America, consider that there are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendys combined. New York Times reporter and Chinese-American (or American-born Chinese). In her search, Jennifer 8 Lee traces the history of Chinese-American experience through the lens of the food. In a compelling blend of sociology and history, Jenny Lee exposes the indentured servitude Chinese restaurants expect from illegal immigrant chefs, investigates the relationship between Jews and Chinese food, and weaves a personal narrative about her own relationship with Chinese food. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles speaks to the immigrant experience as a whole, and the way it has shaped our country.
About the Author
Jennifer 8. Lee, the daughter of Chinese immigrants and a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese herself, grew up eating her mother's authentic Chinese food in her family's New York City kitchen before graduating from Harvard in 1999 with a degree in Applied Mathematics and economics and studying at Beijing University. At the age of 24, she was hired by the New York Times, where she is a metro reporter and has written a variety of stories on culture, poverty, and technology.