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Article: The Chinese Food Diaspora
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- April 9, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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THE FORTUNE COOKIE CHRONICLES
Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
By Jennifer 8. Lee
Twelve. 307 pp. $24.99
When the Chinese greet their friends, it's rarely with a simple
"hello" or "how are you?" Instead, their first words are: "Ni chi
fan le ma?" or, "Have you eaten yet?" In Chinese culture, food
doesn't exist merely for physical nourishment; it's fundamental to
social interactions and relationships. In other words, food is
necessary for the body and for the soul.
It's a maxim that Jennifer 8. Lee, author of "The Fortune Cookie
Chronicles," knows well. (Her middle "number," by the way, connotes
prosperity to the Chinese.) "The vocabulary words that Chinese-
American kids . . . ...