chinese food – Hillary Weller

Food for Thought: “The Fortune Cookie Chronicles” by Jennifer 8. Lee

Food for Thought is an occasional series covering creative works that are connected to a food issue or trend. See more.

Earlier in the summer, I read Jennifer 8. Lee’s The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food. Within the first few pages, I was floored by this sentiment:

“American Chinese food is predictable, familiar, and readily available. It has a broad appeal to the national palate. It is something nearly everyone nowadays has grown up with – both young and old…Our benchmark for Americanness is apple pie. But ask yourself: How often do you eat apple pie? How often do you eat Chinese food?”

Thought-provoking, right? I enjoyed reading about each segment of her quest to understand Chinese food in America, from historical anecdotes to more personal discoveries. A former New York Times reporter, Lee turns thorough, detailed research into engaging storytelling. Here are a few paraphrased tidbits from the book:

A Chinese restaurant on the Upper West Side of New York pioneered food delivery in the mid 1970’s
Origins of the fortune cookie are disputed, but likely point back to Japan instead of China
One time, 110 people across 29 states all won the Powerball just from playing numbers they found on a fortune cookie
Chop suey exploded as a “national addiction” around 1900, which was what started the proliferation of Chinese restaurants
General Tso’s chicken is a completely American dish
One company in New Jersey makes the vast majority of soy sauce packets, chopsticks, and white cartons distributed throughout the country
Lee’s search for the greatest Chinese restaurant outside China culminated at a Vancouver strip mall

You can find The Fortune Cookie Chronicles on Amazon, or watch Lee’s TED talk for her overview of the subject.

This week’s Best Bite: Potstickers, pickles, noodles & more, Fat Rice

Trio of pickles: ginger lime cauliflower, sichuan eggplant, and Charlie's peanuts — Trio of pickles: Charlie’s peanuts, sichuan eggplant, and ginger lime cauliflower

Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: I’d been anxious to try this restaurant for months now, totally intrigued by the idea of blending Portuguese, Macau, and other global street-food influences, and further convinced by the owners’ other ventures – much-lauded underground dinners and irresistibly delicious nuts that are beloved at my neighborhood farmers’ market. Perhaps predictably at this point, I was so blown away by the whole meal that I couldn’t pick just one best bite. I loved my cocktail, sweetened by vanilla and tamarind with a licorice kick from star anise. I loved the colorful trio of pickles, giving eggplant, peanuts, and cauliflower a new sweet-and-sour character. I loved the potstickers, with an eye-catching lattice of crispy dough still holding them together on the plate, and the silky, spicy pumpkin soup. There was enough going on in the fat noodles and Portuguese chicken to keep my palate constantly engaged, and the serradura dessert’s dreamy guava-banana layers made for spoonful after spoonful of happiness.

We did pass on the eponymous fat rice dish, which can be ordered as a prix-fixe meal with soup, vegetable, and dessert, so I already have a built-in excuse to go back. If you go, plan to arrive as close to the 6 p.m. opening time as possible (or even join the line that forms beforehand) to avoid long waits in the already crowded space.

Callan Club, with rum, tamarind, vanilla, and star anise

Pumpkin soup with tofu, mushrooms, fried bread, and calamansi pickle

Portuguese chicken with mussels, mild curry, parrano, coconut, and chorizo

Serradura dessert, with guava, banana, sweet cream, and cookie crumb

The details: Fat Rice, 2957 W Diversey Ave., Chicago.