I found this article incredibly interesting. Is that odd?
What's really 'Chinese' about fortune cookies?
By ERIC PRIDEAUX
Try this for fun next time you're in New York City: Walk into any sushi bar, eat your fill and then ask for a fortune cookie.
"Would that be a Chinese fortune cookie?" the waiter will likely respond a little loftily. "Sorry, but this is a Japanese restaurant."
"Exactly!" you might vouchsafe -- then launch into
telling him how the so-called "Chinese" fortune cookie, that ubiquitous
American snack that accompanies every order of General Tso's Chicken or
Egg Foo Young, most probably came from . . . Japan, where
near-identical tidbits called tsujiura sembei (crossroads-fortune crackers) have been enjoyed for generations.
Keep reading here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20060416x3.html
By ERIC PRIDEAUX
Try this for fun next time you're in New York City: Walk into any sushi bar, eat your fill and then ask for a fortune cookie.
"Would that be a Chinese fortune cookie?" the waiter will likely respond a little loftily. "Sorry, but this is a Japanese restaurant."
"Exactly!" you might vouchsafe -- then launch into
telling him how the so-called "Chinese" fortune cookie, that ubiquitous
American snack that accompanies every order of General Tso's Chicken or
Egg Foo Young, most probably came from . . . Japan, where
near-identical tidbits called tsujiura sembei (crossroads-fortune crackers) have been enjoyed for generations.
Keep reading here: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20060416x3.html