Last Wednesday I got sick with a really bad cold (sore throat and fever) and have been taking it easy ever since. I'm still not 100% better. Danny got me some wonton soup from a Chinese restaurant and crumbled plain white rice in the broth to help me feel better. I never tried that before and it was really good as well as soothing!
Ironically, the same day I'm almost cured by Chinese food, I get an email from the library telling me a book I ordered, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles was in! I ordered that book 3 months ago after reading a review in The Plain Dealer's Sunday book section. Once I was well enough to get the book in my possession, I spent the entire weekend reading it and could not put it down! Each chapter is a little vignette explaining the mysteries of American Chinese food because of the author's extensive research. Jennifer 8. Lee (she added the numeral 8 as her middle name because it is similar to the Chinese symbol for prosperity and good luck) speaks fluent Mandarin and was able to go to the town where General Tso hails from, recalls the history of chinese takeout boxes, and even goes into subjects as deep as human smuggling of Chinese immigrants. Each time I got to a new chapter I was pleasantly surprised by what I learned about how Americanized Chinese food really is. Also, you gotta love an author with a blog.
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