The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

Haozhan in London: Modern Chinese with Flair

Jennifer 8. Lee — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:18:56 +0000

Haozhan was not open when I first went looking for the greatest Chinese restaurants in the world.

Here is a pdf copy of its menu. And a sampling of the dishes we orderd.

Portuguese egg tart, the predecessor of the Cantonese 蛋撻?

Jennifer 8. Lee — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:44:07 +0000

I was in Penang, Malaysia when I saw the Portugese egg tart, also known as pastel de nata, at a local dessert chain called Maxim’s. These are theorized to be an inspiration for the Cantonese egg tart, called dan ta (蛋撻), as they got to Hong Kong via Macau, a Portugese colony when the Portugese egg tarts are still served. So I was excited to try them finally — as you don’t come across a lot of Portugese egg tarts in New York City.

My verdict: It’s much more eggy and has a thicker richer crust than the dan ta. It’s definitely a “heavier experience.”

A Peek at the Menu at the New Majestic Restaurant in Singapore

Jennifer 8. Lee — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:57:44 +0000

I paid another visit to The New Majestic, one of the restaurants I visited in my quest for the greatest Chinese restaurant in the world. We went there with Don and Laura, freshly married folks. When I visited in 2006, it had just opened. It continues. Lots of high-end ingredients (shark fin, abalone etc.) and modern twists — wasabi, foie gras, etc.

Very pricey. But very good. Though is it 50x as good as your local hawker meal? Probably not. But different.

Soft shelled crab with a creamy wasabi lime sauce + mango.

Combination of crispy wasabi prawn, peking duck and
pan-seared foie gras.

Pork belly plus fried mantou.

Dried chilli shrimp.

And the Chinese obsession with the number 8 continues apace on the set menu prices (as seen below). $88 per person and $688 and $1288 for tables of 10.

Chinese Restaurants circa 1100 AD in the Khmer empire?

Jennifer 8. Lee — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:07:19 +0000

Chinese restaurants have a long history. And perhaps one of the earliest recorded instances are found on the walls of the Bayon Temple within the Angor Thom complex in Cambodia (It’s one of the complexes within the Angor Wat area). Bayon was built in the late 1100s or early 1200s century as the official state temple of the Mahayana Buddhist King Jayavarman VII. The carvings capture many elements of daily life of the Khmer empire around that era — including marketings, cock fighting, wrestling, and Chinese restaurants. Below is a market scene with a merchant who is selling fish.

The Chinese had a long history of being in Cambodia dating back to the 900s AD (the most famous account of Cambodian life is from Zhou Daguan, a Chinese emissary that went to Cambodia around 1296 and recorded his tale). The Chinese presence is captured in the carvings at Bayon.

The Chinese look distinctive from the Khmer in that they beards, short earlobes and thin lips. In contrast, the native Khmer are depicted with long earlobes, thick lips and no beards. Several scenes show Chinese warriors fighting alongside the Khmer against their mortal enemies, the Cham. (Tour guide said Chinese people always get excited when they see that). Below is a cockfighting scene, note the differences between the Khmer on the left and the Chinese on the right.

There are a number of places along the wall where the Chinese appear. Here is an example where they appear to be in battle.

But one of the scenes distinctly shows Chinese people cooking under a roof — a Chinese restaurant. You can see the Chinese faces cooking in pots and then other Chinese, customers presumably.

I had heard about these carvings in my research for the book, but had not seen them until now.

It’s funny listening to the tour guides go by talking about that scene in all different languages. “Restaurante Chino,” “Restaurant Chinois,” etc. and all the tourists nod in understanding because Chinese restaurants are everywhere.

Cambodia, History

Is there a connection between the Dutch and the Japanese fortune cookies?

Jennifer 8. Lee — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:56:44 +0000

I went to the National Museum of Singapore, and spotted these Dutch “pancake grills” that carry an incredibly strong resemblance to the Japanese kata that were used to make the original fortune cookies. It made me wonder if there was a Dutch influence to the original fortune cookies.

The cookies made here seemed to be flat (not curved into fortune cookie shape), though very ornate.

It was part of a larger display about all the cakes, cookies and confectionaries that were available in Singapore once upon a time in an ongoing food exhibit.

Lest you think the connection is a bit nutty, you should remember that tempura came to Japan via Portugal, the missionaries, in the 1500s or so.

Fried Rice Paradise, Coming to a Theatre Near You

Jennifer 8. Lee — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 12:33:51 +0000

Was in Singapore subway station when saw a poster for “Fried Rice Paradise,” a musical. Really. As the website blurbs itself:

Fried Rice Paradise is set invibrant Jalan Calamansi inhabited by colourful characters. There is Bee Lean whose father owns a coffeeshop selling fishball noodles. Together with her friends Girly Danker and Johan, she has great plans to transform her shop and attract more customers with her mother’s famous fried rice recipe. Unfortunately their plans are foiled by an evil father and son tag-team that have even greater plans to transform Jalan Calamansi into a thriving entertainment hub.

Filled with intense drama and humour, you will definitely be enthralled by this musical!

Egg Foo Young Really Does Exist. As Egg Fu Rong

Jennifer 8. Lee — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:43:54 +0000

I found this in Singapore. Unlike chop suey, egg foo young is based on a recognizable Chinese dish.

Oops. Wrong Cookie?

Jennifer 8. Lee — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:47:48 +0000

This fortune, which the host got during a taping of a PBS interview about my book, is one of the funnier fortunes I have gotten. It’s from Wonton Foods. Some fortune cookie writer had a sense of humor or was incredibly bored.

General Tso’s Potato Chips, Now Available at Target

Jennifer 8. Lee — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:05:01 +0000

My friend Ross Baird sent in a photo of General Tso’s Thick Cut Potato Chips from a Target in Atlanta. The general continues his product expansion.

Historic Fortune Cookie Grills Donated to the Smithsonian

Jennifer 8. Lee — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:59:33 +0000

Breaking news! Gary Ono, who is descended from one of the earliest fortune cookie manufacturers, is donating historic fortune cookie grills, known as kata, to the Smithsonian — thanks to a connection I made.

Armed with the contact information I gave the museum, research specialist Noriko Sanefuji went out to investigate and met Gary, who is one of two people I have met that is as obsessed with fortune cookies as I am. (The other is Yasuko Nakamachi, the scholar who found the proof of fortune cookies existing in Japan)

I’m super excited that this history is getting preserved. Gary’s grandfather, Suyeichi Okamura, an immigrant from Japan, is one of the claimants to the original fortune cookie in the U.S. He was a supplier of fortune cookies to Makoto Hagiwara, who ran the Japanese Tea Garden at the Golden Gate Park, and one of the legendary figures tied up with fortune cookie lore.

As I cover in my book, Gary discovered the kata while digging through family history in the garage. Although some of the katas were plain, others had engraved initials (M.H. for Makoto Hagiwara) or had logos for the Tea Garden (Mount Fuji with “Japan Tea”).

Gary is donating three katas to the Smithsonian. I know in a way, it’s a dream for him. His family history is being preserved as an official part of American history.