The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
I'm reading an advanced copy of this book. Check it out, Jennifer's middle name is the number 8, it's a very lucky number in Chinese. Her parents are freaks; her mom is, apparently, from Taiwan. I wonder what it was like having a number as a middle name. It must have been awkward in school. Doesn't it remind you of the Seinfeld episode where George wants to name his future kid 7? The author is really smart, she graduated from Harvard in 99, math and econ major. This is a nonfictional work about Chinese or "Chinese" food in America, and naturally fortune cookies play a huge role in the book. One thing that really struck me was when the author comments on the phrase "as American as apple pie" then asks the reader how often he eats apple pie and then asks how often he eats Chinese food. Perhaps "Chinese" food is actually more American than apple pie. Isn't that hilarious? I'm only reading the first and last chapter of this one.