Book Review: Fortune Cookie Chronicles - Jennifer 8 Lee

To view my other reviews, please see my Goodreads account

Title: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
Author: Jennifer 8 Lee
Published: Hatchette Book Group, 2008
Pages: 320

I loved Jennifer Lee's storytelling style when I first saw her TED talk about chinese food in America. She gives some delightful anecdotes about Chinese food in other countries, the history of the fortune cookie, and comparisons between General Tso and Colonel Sanders (men both known for chicken rather than war). I thought it was interesting and wanted to see what else her book had to offer.

Though I liked "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" it read a little too much like the long version of the talk I enjoyed. The parts that weren't in the talk, I didn't particularly care much about anyway. Lets be honest, if I actually cared about immigration law, I would read a book about that, not a book about food. Other parts of the book gave some great history on fortune cookies and the original Japanese (Not Chinese!) cookies. It felt like a collection of really interesting essays rather than a connected non-fiction work with a coherent thesis.

I liked some sections more than others. I really enjoyed the parts about General Tso and the skill in writing fortune cookie fortunes. I liked the section about the proliferation of Chinese restaurants around the world, their differences, and which is the best for its influence and food. I did not like the fact that her Chinese food journey in San Francisco took her to Yank Sing. Real Chinese people don't eat a Yank Sing. It's way too far to the right of the costs/benefits bell curve. It's expensive dim sum designed for white people (which I suppose also has its place). She ignored the most amazing, most influential, creative place THAT DELIVERS AND DOES CARRY-OUT in San Francisco. I realize Mission Chinese Food was probably not around when she was visiting San Francisco to sample various Chinese restaurants, but reading this book made me want order after order of their Kung Pao Pastrami, the Thrice Cooked Bacon and Numbing Lamb Face with Hand Pulled Noodles (though they haven't had that on the menu in over a year). It made me want all the things that made Mission Chinese Food so unique and yet so completely and utterly Szechuan.

Of course, it was really a book about American Chinese food. It is authentic in its own right. It was what I grew up eating at our local Chinese restaurant that we called "The Pink Flamingo" because that was the picture on their logo, and we never bothered to learn the real  name.

After reading this book, we ordered takeout Chinese food for dinner. I made sure to order General Tso's chicken, and it was more delicious than remembered. Chicken+fried+sweet really is the key to success in America.

To view my other reviews, please see my Goodreads account

Title: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
Author: Jennifer 8 Lee
Published: Hatchette Book Group, 2008
Pages: 320

I loved Jennifer Lee's storytelling style when I first saw her TED talk about chinese food in America. She gives some delightful anecdotes about Chinese food in other countries, the history of the fortune cookie, and comparisons between General Tso and Colonel Sanders (men both known for chicken rather than war). I thought it was interesting and wanted to see what else her book had to offer.

Though I liked "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" it read a little too much like the long version of the talk I enjoyed. The parts that weren't in the talk, I didn't particularly care much about anyway. Lets be honest, if I actually cared about immigration law, I would read a book about that, not a book about food. Other parts of the book gave some great history on fortune cookies and the original Japanese (Not Chinese!) cookies. It felt like a collection of really interesting essays rather than a connected non-fiction work with a coherent thesis.

I liked some sections more than others. I really enjoyed the parts about General Tso and the skill in writing fortune cookie fortunes. I liked the section about the proliferation of Chinese restaurants around the world, their differences, and which is the best for its influence and food. I did not like the fact that her Chinese food journey in San Francisco took her to Yank Sing. Real Chinese people don't eat a Yank Sing. It's way too far to the right of the costs/benefits bell curve. It's expensive dim sum designed for white people (which I suppose also has its place). She ignored the most amazing, most influential, creative place THAT DELIVERS AND DOES CARRY-OUT in San Francisco. I realize Mission Chinese Food was probably not around when she was visiting San Francisco to sample various Chinese restaurants, but reading this book made me want order after order of their Kung Pao Pastrami, the Thrice Cooked Bacon and Numbing Lamb Face with Hand Pulled Noodles (though they haven't had that on the menu in over a year). It made me want all the things that made Mission Chinese Food so unique and yet so completely and utterly Szechuan.

Of course, it was really a book about American Chinese food. It is authentic in its own right. It was what I grew up eating at our local Chinese restaurant that we called "The Pink Flamingo" because that was the picture on their logo, and we never bothered to learn the real  name.

After reading this book, we ordered takeout Chinese food for dinner. I made sure to order General Tso's chicken, and it was more delicious than remembered. Chicken+fried+sweet really is the key to success in America.

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Infinite Zest Lemon Lime Cupcakes for the Infinite Jest Bookclub Potluck

After 4 months of putting off reading Infinite Jest, one month of slowly reading Infinite Jest, and 1 month of plowing through the last 800 pages of Infinite Jest, I finally finished it. Let me tell you, it was brilliant. It was so perfect and purposeful. It was 1100 pages but it was all super tight and wonderfully connected. I loved loved loved it. You can read my full review on Goodreads

Of course, when we discussed it at book club, I had to bring a thematically appropriate food. In the book, the only foods that appear are hash brownies and heroine. Even though those seemed thematically appropriate, they seemed questionably legal. I opted for cupcakes instead. I named them "Infinite Zest" because although I liked "The Year of the SuperMoist Betty Crocker Cake Mix" better, I did not think it would work for a from-scratch cake. (Note: if you read the book, you'd understand the years of subsidized time)

I got this recipe from Baking Bites but upped the amount of lemon.

These cupcakes have a delightful lemon lime flavor. They're not too sweet and I top them with a cooked flour frosting (because that's really the only kind of frosting I really like)

Infinite Zest Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• zest of 3 lemons
• zest of 2 limes
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Muddle together sugar, lemon and lime zest so the zest doesn't stick together.
2. Cream together butter and lemon-lime sugar until light and fully. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating fully in between
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the eggs and butter. Then half the milk. Alternate, ending with the dry ingredients
5. Fill muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 until done. Let cool completely before frosting

Ingredients for cooked flour frosting

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• vanilla or lemon extract (depending on how lemony you want the cake)
• yellow and green food coloring

Directions for frosting

1. Cook flour, milk and sugar on the stove until a very thick paste forms
2. Cool mixture completely in the refrigerator
3. Pour milk mixture into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until it emulsifies and makes a light, fluffy frosting. Add extracts as desired
4. Remove a little of the white frosting and set aside for the white lines on the tennis ball. Color the rest of the frosting as desired. (To make tennis ball green, it will probably take about 20 drops of yellow and like 3 drops of green)

After 4 months of putting off reading Infinite Jest, one month of slowly reading Infinite Jest, and 1 month of plowing through the last 800 pages of Infinite Jest, I finally finished it. Let me tell you, it was brilliant. It was so perfect and purposeful. It was 1100 pages but it was all super tight and wonderfully connected. I loved loved loved it. You can read my full review on Goodreads

Of course, when we discussed it at book club, I had to bring a thematically appropriate food. In the book, the only foods that appear are hash brownies and heroine. Even though those seemed thematically appropriate, they seemed questionably legal. I opted for cupcakes instead. I named them "Infinite Zest" because although I liked "The Year of the SuperMoist Betty Crocker Cake Mix" better, I did not think it would work for a from-scratch cake. (Note: if you read the book, you'd understand the years of subsidized time)

I got this recipe from Baking Bites but upped the amount of lemon.

These cupcakes have a delightful lemon lime flavor. They're not too sweet and I top them with a cooked flour frosting (because that's really the only kind of frosting I really like)

Infinite Zest Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• zest of 3 lemons
• zest of 2 limes
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Muddle together sugar, lemon and lime zest so the zest doesn't stick together.
2. Cream together butter and lemon-lime sugar until light and fully. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating fully in between
3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the eggs and butter. Then half the milk. Alternate, ending with the dry ingredients
5. Fill muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 until done. Let cool completely before frosting

Ingredients for cooked flour frosting

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
• vanilla or lemon extract (depending on how lemony you want the cake)
• yellow and green food coloring

Directions for frosting

1. Cook flour, milk and sugar on the stove until a very thick paste forms
2. Cool mixture completely in the refrigerator
3. Pour milk mixture into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed. Add butter one tablespoon at a time until it emulsifies and makes a light, fluffy frosting. Add extracts as desired
4. Remove a little of the white frosting and set aside for the white lines on the tennis ball. Color the rest of the frosting as desired. (To make tennis ball green, it will probably take about 20 drops of yellow and like 3 drops of green)

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Book Review: Salt a World History - Mark Kurlansky

To view all of my book reviews (not just the food related ones), please check out my Goodreads account

Title: Salt: A World History
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Published: Penguin Books, 2002
Pages: 484 pages


This book was really interesting. Salt is such a common substance and I only knew vaguely of its history. I knew of its food uses (originally out of necessity and now as a delicacy) and a large part of the book gave me a craving for salt cod and bacon. I learned some great things but it was just too long. It was interesting for the first 300 pages but the next 150 pages were just dull. It was simply a rehash of the same themes covered before. All societies use salt, it was very valuable before the discovery of its abundance, and here are a few cool anecdotes and some really old recipes for salted food.

I would have given it 4 stars if it had been shorter.

To view all of my book reviews (not just the food related ones), please check out my Goodreads account

Title: Salt: A World History
Author: Mark Kurlansky
Published: Penguin Books, 2002
Pages: 484 pages


This book was really interesting. Salt is such a common substance and I only knew vaguely of its history. I knew of its food uses (originally out of necessity and now as a delicacy) and a large part of the book gave me a craving for salt cod and bacon. I learned some great things but it was just too long. It was interesting for the first 300 pages but the next 150 pages were just dull. It was simply a rehash of the same themes covered before. All societies use salt, it was very valuable before the discovery of its abundance, and here are a few cool anecdotes and some really old recipes for salted food.

I would have given it 4 stars if it had been shorter.

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Book Review: How Italian Food Conquered the World - John F Mariani

Title: How Italian Food Conquered the World
Author: John F Mariani
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
Pages: 288


I went into this book expecting the brief history of Italian cooking in Italy and the proliferation in various forms throughout the world. Although a large part of the book dealt with the immigrant struggle and creation of "Italian-American" food, there did not appear to be a clear argument to tie the entire book together. 

I've never been a huge fan of Italian food. It was always too heavy with too many carbs, too much fat an too much of that ever present red sauce. Obviously, my first exposure to Italian food, like most Americans, was in places like The Old Spaghetti Factory and Olive Garden in my childhood. I've since eaten at wonderful restaurants like Quince and learned what Italian food can be (or rather, what it really is). 

i always knew that the heavy read sauces were never part of real Italian cooking. They came into being in the United States when the immigrant families began to slather meatballs and their Sunday "gravy" on everything because in the land of plenty, that was a possibility. I knew there was no such thing as "Italian" food until very recently because the variations between Naples, Sardinia, Rome, etc were so pronounced it was impossible to create a fully Italian identity. I knew there were supposed health benefits associated with Italian cooking that are all negated by portions of pasta and a single, beautiful slice of porchetta. 

Mariani does a good job of chronicling the history of Italian American cuisine, but the narration falters when discussing present day. He goes on tangents about the Sopranos and stereotypes associated with Italian Americans. Additionally, he discusses higher end restaurants like Marea in NYC but completely ignores places like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, which he gives on line to in a statement that it's not real Tuscan food (but what is?) I would have loved a whole chapter on Marea if he had been an eloquent writer of the most sensual food porn. If he had been able to make me salivate while reading, I would have been happy. However, as a nonfiction book, he left out one of the most crucial restaurants that changed the development and proliferation of Italian restaurants in present day. As much as I would love to eat at Marea, I can assure you that more people have dined at Olive Garden, and on a regular basis. It is the chain restaurants like that, and the inclusion of a pasta dish on every menu in every restaurant that really should be discussed. 

Title: How Italian Food Conquered the World
Author: John F Mariani
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
Pages: 288


I went into this book expecting the brief history of Italian cooking in Italy and the proliferation in various forms throughout the world. Although a large part of the book dealt with the immigrant struggle and creation of "Italian-American" food, there did not appear to be a clear argument to tie the entire book together. 

I've never been a huge fan of Italian food. It was always too heavy with too many carbs, too much fat an too much of that ever present red sauce. Obviously, my first exposure to Italian food, like most Americans, was in places like The Old Spaghetti Factory and Olive Garden in my childhood. I've since eaten at wonderful restaurants like Quince and learned what Italian food can be (or rather, what it really is). 

i always knew that the heavy read sauces were never part of real Italian cooking. They came into being in the United States when the immigrant families began to slather meatballs and their Sunday "gravy" on everything because in the land of plenty, that was a possibility. I knew there was no such thing as "Italian" food until very recently because the variations between Naples, Sardinia, Rome, etc were so pronounced it was impossible to create a fully Italian identity. I knew there were supposed health benefits associated with Italian cooking that are all negated by portions of pasta and a single, beautiful slice of porchetta. 

Mariani does a good job of chronicling the history of Italian American cuisine, but the narration falters when discussing present day. He goes on tangents about the Sopranos and stereotypes associated with Italian Americans. Additionally, he discusses higher end restaurants like Marea in NYC but completely ignores places like Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, which he gives on line to in a statement that it's not real Tuscan food (but what is?) I would have loved a whole chapter on Marea if he had been an eloquent writer of the most sensual food porn. If he had been able to make me salivate while reading, I would have been happy. However, as a nonfiction book, he left out one of the most crucial restaurants that changed the development and proliferation of Italian restaurants in present day. As much as I would love to eat at Marea, I can assure you that more people have dined at Olive Garden, and on a regular basis. It is the chain restaurants like that, and the inclusion of a pasta dish on every menu in every restaurant that really should be discussed. 

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Book Review - Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

Title: Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Publisher: Ecco, June 2010
Pages: 281


I first read Kitchen Confidential several years ago in the beginnings of my college years. I was an avid home cook, had never cooked in a real kitchen, and idealized the strage, dark world of restaurants he discussed. I was intensely interested and it seemed, to an extent, romantic. 

After some time I cooking in real restaurant kitchens, they are not as he described in Kitchen Confidential. You may have the maladjusted drug addicts, the over confident chefs, the unclean work areas and the incestuous relations between the cooks and the waitstaff and the most badass people in the universe, but you won't have them all in one place. More often than not (in my experience) the older chefs have reformed from the drug addled days of the 1980s and the younger chefs still treat the kitchen like their frat house. It's still a man's world but you're not expected the sear your hand on the planche to cauterize a bad cut mid-service. There will be a few of these moments, but they are not ubiquitous. 

While Bourdain seemed jaded yet energetic in his writings of Kitchen Confidential, he seemed both jaded and tired in Medium Raw. His fame has exhausted him and you can tell from his writing. You can almost hear him narrating each chapter during the commercial break of No Reservations. The chapters are disconnected and cover his life since writing Kitchen Confidential. His narrative style is still enjoyable, but it feels as if there is something missing. It can only be expected after years of writing, travel, television and the bullshit that goes along with it. It's good for what it is, but you'll be disappointed if you're looking for something with the original shock value of Kitchen Confidential.


Note: for further book reviews (food related and not). please see my goodreads account.

Title: Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Publisher: Ecco, June 2010
Pages: 281


I first read Kitchen Confidential several years ago in the beginnings of my college years. I was an avid home cook, had never cooked in a real kitchen, and idealized the strage, dark world of restaurants he discussed. I was intensely interested and it seemed, to an extent, romantic. 

After some time I cooking in real restaurant kitchens, they are not as he described in Kitchen Confidential. You may have the maladjusted drug addicts, the over confident chefs, the unclean work areas and the incestuous relations between the cooks and the waitstaff and the most badass people in the universe, but you won't have them all in one place. More often than not (in my experience) the older chefs have reformed from the drug addled days of the 1980s and the younger chefs still treat the kitchen like their frat house. It's still a man's world but you're not expected the sear your hand on the planche to cauterize a bad cut mid-service. There will be a few of these moments, but they are not ubiquitous. 

While Bourdain seemed jaded yet energetic in his writings of Kitchen Confidential, he seemed both jaded and tired in Medium Raw. His fame has exhausted him and you can tell from his writing. You can almost hear him narrating each chapter during the commercial break of No Reservations. The chapters are disconnected and cover his life since writing Kitchen Confidential. His narrative style is still enjoyable, but it feels as if there is something missing. It can only be expected after years of writing, travel, television and the bullshit that goes along with it. It's good for what it is, but you'll be disappointed if you're looking for something with the original shock value of Kitchen Confidential.


Note: for further book reviews (food related and not). please see my goodreads account.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad