I'm Ordering Chinese- What'll You Have?

The history of the fortune cookie
John-Bush,

The modern commercial fortune cookie in Chinese restaurants in the US is an American invention even if most Americans don't know that.

Some (for example James Trager's Food Chronology) credit it to David Jung in 1916 but that is inaccurate. It was Makoto Hagiwara selling them for consumtion at the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park who gets the nod.

It was based on a Japanese tradition called 'Tsuji ura sembei' and the taste was, indeed, sweetened for the American palate (notoriously sweet-toothed).

It became a tradition for westernized Chinese restaurants and has since invoked the Chinese moon cake legend (Chinese revolutionaries using the moon cakes to pass secret messages because the Mongols didn't like them) as its origins.

So don't be surprised when westerners ask you about them. By and large Americans and co think it's a Chinese food (similar to how they think the rest of the food in 'Chinese' restaurants is Chinese food).

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I love steamed yum cha - they always try to get the stupid westerners to have the fried....

We now have some fabulous "real" Chinese restaurants here - I know cos I worked in a Cantonese/western abomination as a student, and used to be invited to the "real" Chinese staff suppers. It is the best cuisine - except for the chicken feet and such.

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I confess I wouldn't really know the "real" thing if you smacked me in the face with it, but I have to assume that the restaurants around here are the real deal because as many Chinese people eat at them as those of European extraction. Maybe they just humour me though and give me the "westerners" menu. Laughing

Can't say I like the look of that sheep too much! I dislike having my food beheaded in front of me.

Never liked fortune cookies much. Never much liked being referred to as 'Cookie' either.

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Technically there is no word in either Chinese or Japanese for 'vegetarian'. There are, however, many expressions that approximate...

Quote:

Get the fluck out of my restuarant round-eye, flucking, white-devil blind-dlunk bastard!! You want wabbit-food? You go to gleen-glocer!! You get pissed, touch up waitress, course I ask you to leave m*****f****er! And, fluck you too!!!

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Re: The history of the fortune cookie

Craven de Kere wrote:

It became a tradition for westernized Chinese restaurants and has since invoked the Chinese moon cake legend (Chinese revolutionaries using the moon cakes to pass secret messages because the Mongols didn't like them) as its origins.

Hey I wonder why that you guys know so much about China!!! Very Happy

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John Bush, I'd be interested in a recipe for the roasted whole sheep. That must be a Northern dish. We don't get a lot of dishes like that here, but around Easter, I can always get baby lambs. I would like to try it.

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I'll just have the delivery boy, you all can have the food

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Are you serious, Cav? That's it, I'm not coming to your pub anymore!

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fortune wrote:

Are you serious, Cav? That's it, I'm not coming to your pub anymore!

But i will support him. Very Happy

It is culture, totally is culture. :wink:

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fortune, I'm a chef. Of course I'm interested. One of the top chefs in our city gets excited about his delivery of whole pigs because of all the possiblities...including head cheese, not my favourite, but an interesting project. Besides which, you're not really eating anything in a virtual pub anyway, and as you can virtually have whatever you want, I still would like the recipe. Laughing

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dlowan wrote:

I love steamed yum cha - they always try to get the stupid westerners to have the fried....

We now have some fabulous "real" Chinese restaurants here - I know cos I worked in a Cantonese/western abomination as a student, and used to be invited to the "real" Chinese staff suppers. It is the best cuisine - except for the chicken feet and such.

I love the chicken feet, but prefer the duck feet. I'm also a big fan of snake soup, which I only get when out with Chinese friends. Laughing

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Good son!

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Quote:

I'm also a big fan of snake soup, which I only get when out with Chinese friends.

Whaddya do? Stick your fingers down their throats??

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Ah, Cav. I'm afraid I wouldn't be much use to you in the pub anyway. Gus recetly behaded me, you see...

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Mr Stillwater wrote:

Quote:
I'm also a big fan of snake soup, which I only get when out with Chinese friends.

Whaddya do? Stick your fingers down their throats??

Amusing, but no. They just order. The best stuff on most Chinese menus are not offered to Westerners. It's all about knowing the language, and how to order it, and a few good connections don't hurt either.

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fortune, how do you type? I figured gus would make himself a nuisance.

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See,
The discrepancy between East and the West occured.

lolll Very Happy

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Hands up, who here besides JB and myself know what the best grades of shark fin and swallow's nest are? Laughing

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Urk! I've seen how hey kill those sharks! I don't really want to know any more.

And surprisingly the lack of a head is less of a hinderance than you'd think it'd be.

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good idea!

But actually i dont support shark fin-----too wasteful and give the sharks too many pains

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I'm Ordering Chinese- What'll You Have?

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