Both the readers of this blog probably remember a previous discussion about fortune cookies. Well, I was out with some friends a few days ago and the subject came up again. Actually, the discussion started with someone referring to “American Chinese” food as opposed to “real” Chinese food.
Probably most “American Chinese” dishes were inspired by their counterparts from China. But, due to different cultures, tastes, and other things, the American versions of Chinese foods are usually more meat-centered and less dependent on vegetables than dishes that originate in the far East.
A lot of popular dishes like General Tso’s chicken, Sesame, chicken, Chinese chicken salad, chop suey, chow mien, crab rangoon, fried rice and Mongolian beef, to name a few, are items at Chinese restaurants that are essentially American derivatives.
And then there is the fortune cookie — indisputably American, even though it was probably created by a a Chinese immigrant in the United States.
Fortune cookies became synonymous with Chinese restaurants in the United States. The cookies were folded by hand and the fortunes were inserted using chopsticks until 1964.
Today fortune cookies are everywhere — even in….. China.
Fortune cookies only became available in Asia because American tourists kept asking for them…..
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