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The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food

Jennifer 8. Lee
Twelve (2008)
ISBN 9780446580076
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (2/08)

“There are nearly forty-thousand Chinese restaurants in the United States-- more than the number of McDonald’s, Burger Kings and KFC’s combined.”  On March 30, 2005 one hundred and ten people who had patronized these restaurants became Powerball lottery winners just from using numbers that were printed in their fortune cookies. This event marked the beginning point of Jennifer 8. Lee’s journey into exploring the world of Chinese food.  Having the advantage of speaking perfect Mandarin Chinese, American-born Lee travels around the country and throughout the world delving deep into the world of Chinese food, both past and present. 

Throughout her travels she researches many different aspects of Chinese culture and history and presents them to us in a very interesting and informative narrative that will hold your attention from start to finish.  Among some of the topics explored in the book are the origin of the fortune cookie, the history of General Tso’s chicken, and the immigration of the Chinese to America.  I found it very interesting that Chinese food in America is completely different than authentic Chinese food and that the foods were changed to be more pleasing to the palates of Americans.  Reading through some of the items that are “real Chinese” food, I am very happy that they were Americanized!

I think what surprised me most of all in the book were some of the differences between Chinese and American culture and our ways of thinking.   A lot of these immigrants to America gave up their families in order to work in these restaurants.  It was not uncommon for the children to stay back in their homeland with their relatives while their parents came to the United States to work.  Even some children born to their parents in America were sent back to family to live.  In one story in the book a woman was contemplating an abortion but after calculating that she would have to be away from the restaurant longer if she had an abortion than if she actually gave birth she decided to keep the child.   

“The Fortune Cookie Chronicles” was definitely an eye-opener for me and I learned an immense amount about the Chinese restaurant industry and Chinese history.  With my limited knowledge of Asian geography the only thing that would have added to the book for me would have been a map so that I could visualize where the different cities and towns were that were referenced in the book, particularly during the smuggling and immigration stories.   In my opinion “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles” should be required reading for any Chinese history or culture class.  This well-written book provided so many insights and did so in such an entertaining way that it was very hard to put down. 

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