New York Times Journalist tells how Chinese food shaped US

What is the origin of the fortune cookie? This is the question that inspired author Jennifer 8. Lee to write her book.

Speaking about “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food,” Lee spoke “amazingly,” said Mai-Ling Poon, graduate assistant for the Asian Culture Center.

Lee, who is also a reporter for The New York Times, said the idea for her book began when 110 people who won the power ball jackpot got their winning numbers from a fortune cookie. From that, Lee said, she started to wonder: How did Chinese food become so big in America? And where did the fortune cookie come from?

“The story of the fortune cookie told backwards is the story of Chinese restaurants in America told forwards,” Lee said.

It all started in the 1870s when Americans were angered by Chinese immigrants taking their jobs, Lee said. With businesses that employed Chinese citizens being boycotted, the Chinese were fired and had to take up other forms of employment, opening laundromats and Chinese restaurants because cooking and doing laundry were seen as jobs for women and therefore not threatening to men.

From her investigation, Lee said, she discovered famous Chinese such as  General Tso’s chicken and chop suey are not actually from China. She discussed a visit she made to the Chinese town in which Gen. Tso lived. She said she spoke with descendants of Tso and showed them pictures of the dish.

They had never heard of it.

“General Tso is like Colonel Sanders,” Lee said, “He is known for chicken.”

When looking for the origin of fortune cookies, Lee said she found a tin of fortune cookies more than 30 years old that were called not fortune cookies, but tea cakes. The Chinese do not eat cake with tea, Lee said, but the Japanese do.

From her travels in Japan, Lee said she discovered that the Japanese actually invented fortune cookies. Fortune cookies were made in Japan, made popular in China and eaten by Americans.

As for the fortunes in the cookies, Lee said her talk with one of the writers for those little slips of paper took her by surprise. Lee said she discovered the inspirations for the fortunes come from things like the Bible, Hallmark cards, TV shows and movies.
Concluding her speech, Lee said people should think about Chinese food in America as indigenous foreign cuisine. Lee also said to think twice about what it means to be an American.

Lee answered many of the audience’s questions after her speech, spanning topics such as her interview with Steve Colbert and her motivations for writing the book and becoming a journalist. Poon said Lee’s book and speech answered questions about which Poon always wondered, but never thought to ask.

“She was very interesting and witty,” Bloomington resident Beth Kirk said. “It was nice to get historically information in a humorous way.”

Shanti Knight, a freshman, said although she had to go to a speech for a class, she chose to attend Lee’s speech because she wanted to hear about how Chinese food in America was not really Chinese.

Lee said the Asian Culture Center was professional when working with her on coming to speak. The School of Journalism co-sponsored the lecture.

When choosing venues for her speeches, Lee said, she likes the people who put a lot of energy into working with her.

Lee also said that she always likes coming to universities.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for universities,” Lee said. “Students are always important to me.”