 |
 |
|
I S S U E 1 |
|
Spaghetti and meatballs is italiano, no? And Chinese food just wouldn’t be Chinese without chop suey and fortune cookies. Right? The fact is, all of these popular dishes originated in America. Many foods Americans have come to associate with certain cultures never existed in their supposed countries of origin. Other foreign dishes have become so "Americanized" they have little left in common with their countries’ traditional cuisine.
According to Carol Guber, professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, this Americanization of ethnic food is one way immigrants tried to adapt to their new home. Often times, they had to make the most of whatever ingredients they could find.
"When people come to the U.S., fitting in is a very important aspect. With each generation, even though they want to preserve their culture, there is pressure to assimilate – especially for the younger generations," says Guber. "That’s why food became different." |
They decided to hide messages inside moon cakes, traditionally used for celebrating the New Year. Apparently, the Mongols hated the taste of them. The moon cakes were passed out. The uprising was a success. And thus the Ming Dynasty was formed. Sending messages inside the cakes became a popular way of expressing goodwill on special occasions. The tradition was carried on by Chinese railway workers in America. During the Moon Festival, the workers didn't have real moon cakes. All they could do was put happy messages inside biscuits. The cookie idea caught on. By the 1960s, the Lotus Fortune Cookie Co. had invented a machine that could fold the cookies in half much faster than by hand or chopsticks. Finally, the plastic-wrapped fortune cookie as we know it was born. Source:
Michael J. Weiss, A Pleasant Surprise about Fortune Cookies.
|
