Mysteries
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles will answer some of the most enduring mysteries of Chinese food in America, and the web site will provide some of the clues, video and clippings to help. Check back here in a few months time to find out:
- Who is General Tso and why are we eating his chicken?
- What is the greatest Chinese restaurant in the world (outside Greater China)?
- Who really invented chop suey?
- Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas? (a.k.a. Why is chow mein the chosen food of the chosen people?)
- Who writes the little messages in the fortune cookies?
- Where do Chinese restaurant workers come from?
- What is the most romantic day in New York City’s Chinatown? (It’s not Valentines Day or New Year’s Eve)
- How do the fortune cookie makers get those Lucky Numbers?
- Why do people believe in their Lucky Numbers so much that they play them in the lottery?
- How do you submit fortunes to the fortune cookie manufacturers?
- Where the heck do those white takeout boxes come from?
- Who was the Chinese restauranteur that sparked the delivery revolution? (She’s still alive today)
- Do the Chinese really eat dog?
- Why are there so many Chinese restaurants in the world?
- Do Chinese people recognize the Chinese food in America?
- If our benchmark for Americanness is apple pie, how often do you eat Chinese food? How often do you eat apple pie?
- What is a chow mein sandwich?
- What is a Philly cheesesteak roll?
- Where can I try Sichuan alligator, sweet and sour crawfish and other Cajun Chinese dishes?
- and on and on and on (now available in bookstores!)