What Did I Do on Xmas?
By Jennifer 8. Lee | December 27, 2008
Talked about why Jews love Chinese food, at a JCC in Tampa. Of course.
Topics: Appearances, Jews & Chinese Food | No Comments »
My Taste3 Talk is Up On Ted
By Jennifer 8. Lee | December 24, 2008
Went up today! Beautifully edited by Jason Wishnow.
Jennifer 8. Lee: Who was General Tso? and other mysteries of American Chinese food
Reporter Jennifer 8. Lee talks about her hunt for the origins of familiar Chinese-American dishes — exploring the hidden spots where these two cultures have (so tastily) combined to form a new cuisine.
Topics: Appearances, Video | No Comments »
LAT: They do eat cat in China…at least in Guangzhou
By Jennifer 8. Lee | December 23, 2008
Barbara Demick of The Los Angeles Times explores the selling of cats for food in China. Different parts of China will eat dog, but really only here do they eat cat. The Cantonese, it is said, will eat anything that walks, crawls, hops or flies.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
NYT Oped: “Pork Fried Abuse” by Steven A. Shaw
By Jennifer 8. Lee | December 22, 2008
I always meant to link to this opinion piece on delivery workers from back in October by Steven A. Shaw because it has one of the best headlines. Steven, Momofuku’s David Chang and I are supposed to be on a panel together on Jan. 11.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
Happy Thanksgiving! General Tso’s Turkey.
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 27, 2008
Here is a receipe for General Tso’s Turkey. Better than deep-frying it.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
A nominee for the 2008 Borders Original Voices Award…
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 24, 2008
This was unexpected:
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov 24, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — Borders today announced the nominees for the 2008 Original Voices Awards. Now in its 13th year, the Original Voices Awards recognize fresh, compelling and ambitious works from the new and emerging talents of 2008 in fiction, non-fiction, young adult/independent reader and children’s picture books. The winners in the four categories will each receive $5,000 in prize money from Borders, and their books will be featured in the company’s more than 500 superstores across the country.“Through our exclusive Original Voices program, we are able to share our employees’ passion for discovering and recommending unique books directly with our customers, and recognize the work of some of this year’s finest authors,” said Rob Gruen, executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing.Borders selects innovative and inspiring new books from first-time authors, as well as works that represent a new direction for established authors for the Original Voices program. Throughout the year, more than 100 contemporary authors and illustrators from around the world are highlighted to customers through in-store features that rotate on a monthly basis. Earlier this month, nominees for the Awards were chosen by both corporate and store employees via an online voting process. A committee of corporate staff members representing each of the four categories will read and discuss each finalist and select the winners, which will be announced in January and recognized at an awards ceremony this spring.The nominees for the 2008 Original Voices Awards are:
Fiction
— “Dear American Airlines,” by Jonathan Miles (Houghton Mifflin)
— “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” by Steven Galloway (Riverhead)
— “The Good Thief,” by Hannah Tinti (The Dial Press)
— “The Lace Reader,” by Brunonia Barry (William Morrow)
— “The Somnambulist,” by Jonathan Barnes (William Morrow)
— “The White Tiger,” by Aravind Adiga (Free Press)Non-Fiction
— “The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler,” by Thomas Hager (Harmony)
— “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food,” by Jennifer 8 Lee (Twelve)
— “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World,” by Eric Weiner (Twelve)
— “The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood,” by Helene Cooper (Simon & Schuster)
— “The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective,” by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Company)
— “We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives Forever,” by Benjamin Mee (Weinstein Books)
Two Twelve books! and I know Helene Cooper too. Yay.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
Baby meets Mexican Fortune Cookies, Dichos!
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 24, 2008
My college roommate, Amy, was served the Mexican fortune cookies called dichos, that I’ve written about before. She lives in Phoenix and was served them in Bisbee, just 5 miles from where they are made. Yes, it seems that Bisbee is in the middle of nowhere.
And their supercute son, Alex, loved them too. Or the wrappers anyway. So adorable.
Topics: Fortune Cookies, Quirky | No Comments »
We’re the Answer to this Week’s Sunday Magazine Puzzle
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 23, 2008
Fortune Cookie Chronicles as the Sunday New York Magazine Acrostic
So this week, I’m part of the solution to the Sunday Magazine puzzle (not the crossword, but the second one). It’s called an acrostic (otherwise known as an anacrostic) by famed puzzlers Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon. Which is very flattering.
As it explains. It’s some related somewhat to crossword puzzles, except it uses an acrostic form. It typically consists of two parts. The first part is a set of lettered clues, each of which has numbered blanks representing the letters of the answer. [This usually in the NYT is the last name of the author + the title of hte book.]
The second part is a long series of numbered blanks and spaces, representing a quotation or other text, into which the answers for the clues fit. [This is from my book!]
The Wordplay blog discusses how it came about.
This week’s quote from Jennifer 8. Lee was sent to us by a solver and correspondent named Marc McGarry, an avid reader and lover of puzzles (and also a Red Sox fan with whom we’ve exchanged sympathetic e-mail during the baseball playoffs). With no particular prompting, Marc sent us a number of excerpts from The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, saying only that the book seemed rife with acrostic-worthy quotes.
As it happened, we’d already been browsing happily in that book, and we’d earmarked a few passages — including the one Marc sent regarding chop suey’s etymology. Yielding to coincidence, we chose that passage for the puzzle.
Yay. Of course, solving this is beyond me, so my professor is sending me a filled in copy to keep. And here is someone who completed the puzzle.
Topics: Chinese Food, Media & Interviews | No Comments »
Philly Cheesesteak Roll! Like An Eggroll on the Outside…
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 20, 2008
So I decided, when I was in Philadelphia, to stop for my favorite Philly-Chinese snack — the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Roll, which basically looks like an egg roll on the outside….I headed to the Evergreen Chinese Restaurant (4726 Spruce St, Philadelphia), where you can see on their Menupages entry it is listed for $1.25 (quite a bargain).
Topics: Chinese Food, Quirky | No Comments »
Comparing Non-Profits to Chinese Restaurants
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 20, 2008
My friend Alex Tsai sent me this post on the scaling of non-profit giving from the Acumen Fund blog:
“We need to talk about how we get foundations to stop giving inefficiently,†said Aaron, who likened the multitude of nonprofits with similar missions to the hundreds of Chinese restaurants across New York City. “All the restaurants serve dumplings, lomeinâ€â€¦to be efficient, “they should all be one Panda Express.â€
Topics: Chinese Restaurants | No Comments »
Conversation with the Security Guard Downstairs
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 17, 2008
I asked my sister, Frances, to bring lunch to me at work in exchange for giving her a Nokia phone for her trip to Buenos Aires.
Me: Can you let her up?
Guard: No, I can’t.
Me: (Thinking he’s kidding, because they do this before). Ha ha.
Guard: She’s delivering food, right?
Me: Um. She’s my sister.
This is actually not the first time this happened. Last time it was an ABC friend (Math PhD from MIT) who was a guy, with a bike helmet. A little bit more understandable. But this is a woman.
As my sister has noted, she may be the only delivery person in New York City who does not know how to ride a bike.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
Onepot on Nov. 24 with Scott Emerick in Seattle
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 16, 2008
I forgot if I mentioned already (my head is confused with all the bronchiospasms). I also am doing a dinner next Monday in Seattle, November 24 with Onepot and Scott Emerick of Cremant. As Mike Hebberoy writes:
the last time we had jennifer (and her nytimes best selling book) at dinner I turned away over 150 requests – her insanely engaging book about chinese food in america made a huge splash in the emerald city – six months later we are lucky to get jennifer for a repeat performance – since her last visit her book has appeared everywhere and received endless praise.
we are lucky to have a return visit by the chef du jour scott emerick of cremant – expect some nw-franco-chinese versioning – and don’t be scared – jennifer will make it very clear that sampling and appropriation are core to chinese food.
jennifer gives an amazing multi-media presentation – expect to leave with a completely different perspective on chinese food, america, life. (thanks again to mrs. kim ricketts for making this one go…)
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
A Review Haiku by Emily Reads
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 16, 2008
I found this haiku reviewing The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
Lee uncovers the
sweet and sour history
of General Tso
Topics: Reviews | No Comments »
A Fortune Cookie Chronicles-Inspired Halloween Costume: Takeout Box
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 13, 2008
Jed Lam send me this photo of his Halloween costume, which was inspired by The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. Originally he wanted to go as a fortune cookie but that proved too difficult to make. But he happened to have a takeout box in the fridge. And using that as a model, he just cut up some poster board to match the shape.
He explained that other than getting the side folds just right, the hardest part was the lettering. Turns out there’s actually a font called “takeout” (who knew? I knew there were ones called chop suey). He slapped that on along with a requisite red dragon on the back (actually wanted a red pagoda but couldn’t find one) and voila! The handle is just PVC piping and it actually works.
One final note (maybe for angryasianman to ponder), he had to pause for a second while making it and ask his wife…”Is this racist???”
Topics: Reader Feedback | No Comments »
General Tso Kitty is Bringing Out His Inner Chicken
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 10, 2008
(Originally uploaded by ferrisnox)
I’m surprised how many cats there are out there named General Tso (including my friend’s mentioned previously). I still think the one up there, from Flickr, is the most amusing in that it shows a cat trying to don his inner chicken identity.
Topics: Chinese Food, General Tso | No Comments »
Fortune Cookie Chronicle Takeout Boxes
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 10, 2008
Fortune Cookie Chronicle Takeout Boxes
These were created and executed as the JCC of Greater Washington as part of my talk. I think they were absolutely adorable and I took one as a souvenir.
Topics: Appearances, Book Musings, Quirky, Takeout Boxes | No Comments »
I am meeting another Jennifer Lee!
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 9, 2008
Jennifer S. Lee
I am in Washington DC meeting another Jennifer Lee, Jennifer S. Lee. She is a medical doctor at The George Washington University Department of Emergency Medicine. The funny thing is, she says she will often get message from people who see an article I wrote and e-mail her “Oh I saw the piece you did on cupcakes.” (And she’s like “C’mon people, do you really think I have the time to write articles on the side?”
She is Korean American, but the “S” does not stand from Sooyun or anything like that. It stands for Stuart, which is a town in deep southwestern Virginia, where her father did a stint as a medical technician after immigrating from South Korea.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »
I’m not really speaking in Kyrgyzstan
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 6, 2008
I just discovered that due to a missing negative sign in my lat long coordinates, I had one of my appearances mapped to Kyrgyzstan instead of New York City.
It was 40.792239, 74.003563 vs. Park Avenue.
Which means the New York City is roughly equidistant from Greenwich as Kara Kuldza (the nearest town).
Topics: Blogging Musings | No Comments »
Denver AIWF Talk on Jan 25, 2009 @ 5 p.m.
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 6, 2008
Just get it onto my calendar. Lots of Denver. AIWF talk on Sunday Jan. 25, 2009. The Empress Seafood Restaurant on Alameda in Denver.
Topics: Appearances | No Comments »
Soft Tacos — the Chinese Kind
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 3, 2008
I was amused to see these steamed Chinese buns marketed as “soft tacos” in the Hong Kong supermarket in Flushing, New York City.
This reminds me of the Taiwanese grandmother who saw tortillas in the supermarket and decided to turn them into scallion pancakes. Or when they look at zongzi (ç²½å), the bamboo leaf-wrapped sticky rice, and call them “Chinese tamales”
And a blog reader write me:
I’ve encountered several Chinese restaurants in SF that serve mu shu with flour tortillas instead of rice pancakes. I’ve had them in a California-style place (Eric’s Chinese Restaurant), an Americanized place (Mandarin Villa), and a Hong Kong style place (Oriental Seafood). Oriental seafood folds them like rice pancakes, which causes them to split, unfortunately, but it is otherwise a structural improvement over rice pancakes. Whether it is a culinary improvement or a blot on mu shu is a decision best left to the individual eater.
Topics: Chinese Food, Quirky | No Comments »
University of Indiana Talk on April 2 at 7 p.m.
By Jennifer 8. Lee | November 3, 2008
It seems like I will be speaking at the University of Indiana at Bloomington at 7 p.m. on April 2 in the School of Journalism auditorium as part of Asian American Heritage Month.
Topics: Appearances | No Comments »
Hipster Jews and Chinese Food, Nov. 16
By Jennifer 8. Lee | October 31, 2008
Partnering with the SoHo Synagogue for a mouth watering Chinese Dinner Party at at beautiful downtown loft. (Love the musical effects on that page. These guys know presentation and events!)
MENU: Upon arriving you will find mini designer Chinese take-out containers stuffed with either Spicy Sesame Noodles or Chow-Mein Chicken Salad with Orange Segments and Almonds. You can then try our Crispy Dumpling Bar with your choice of Beef Filling mixed with Red Onions and Szechwan Peppers or Sweet and Sour Vegetable Filling with Shiitake Mushrooms and Pineapple. To keep you warm on a cold fall night we’re preparing a Simmered Soup Bar featuring Classic Egg Drop Soup, Rice Congee with Five Spice Turkey and Tender Baby Bok Choy, and Cantonese Style Barbecued Tofu in a Scallion Broth with a Chiffonade of Napa Cabbage. Delicious wines will be passed.
This was sent just two days ago and there are < 10 slots left out of 80. Impressive. My friend Michael Luo did an article on the synagogue in 2006 (plus video).
Topics: Appearances, Chinese Food, Jews & Chinese Food | No Comments »
Fortune Cookie Pendants, Some for $1,100.
By Jennifer 8. Lee | October 31, 2008
My friend’s mom bought me this fortune cookie pendant as a present, adding to my collection of fortune cookie trinkets. It even has a tiny fortune inside.
I’ve been surprised at the use of fortune cookies in jewelry. Out of curiosity, I Googled “fortune cookie pendant” and was surprised to find that you can find one at Nieman Marcus for $1,100. (that buys you 14-karat yellow gold and Pavé diamonds).
Topics: Chinese Food, Fortune Cookies | No Comments »
My Worlds Converge: Fortune Cookies meets City Room
By Jennifer 8. Lee | October 29, 2008
Fortune Cookies for the M.T.A.
This piece by Willie Neuman talks about fortune cookies (protesting the M.T.A.) on City Room. Some of the sayings (none by Confucius, as much as we can see)
- “If you cut transit service, this cookie will give you heartburn.â€
- “Raising transit fares will wreak havoc on your love life.â€
- “In a tough economy, it is wise to invest in transit.â€
- “Good luck in the new year: more aid from the state and city.â€
Down at the bottom of the bag of cookies was one spoofing a line that most subway riders will recognize: “There’s a fortune cookie right behind this one.†But it was the last cookie in the bag.
Topics: Blogging Musings, Chinese, Fortune Cookies | No Comments »
A Glimpse of My First Paperback
By Jennifer 8. Lee | October 29, 2008
I went to a talk out in Long Island last week at the Chinese Cultural Association of Long Island and was startled that someone asked me sign a paperback. I looked closely, because I thought it was a copy of my galley. Then I realized it must be the QPB paperback edition. It had a darker cover, and a slicker feel for the paper. Here it is, next to the hardcover.
Topics: Chinese Food | No Comments »