For anyone who has ever gone to a Chinese restaurant or had Chinese Take-Out, regardless of the entrée that is ordered, one thing is for certain, there more than likely will be a fortune cookie either at the table with the check or in the Take-Out bag. But one thing that you may not know is the fortune cookie is not Chinese. In fact, the fortune cookie has roots to none other than San Francisco! While there is some dispute over the exact origins, it is mostly agreed they are not Chinese!
I’ve been on a quest to find good authentic Chinese food over the last few months, and unfortunately, I haven’t been too successful. I’m not a fan of the “American” Chinese and I can’t say I know what New York Style Chinese is, but I do know one thing, that little white box, with the pagodas on it that you see in the movies serving up Chinese food is very elusive. I have ordered Take-Out Chinese in many different places and I have to say I’ve NEVER had my Take-Out served in such a box. Usually it is a tinfoil type container or just a plain plastic container. I want the Chinese food container that I see in the movie. A part of me, no matter how mundane it seems, believes that unless the food is served in such a box, it is not real Chinese food. So my quest continues, to find good Chinese food that is served in a proper Chinese Take-Out box.
By the way, did you know that Take-Out box doubles as a plate? It does which means for those eating the Chinese food out of the box in the movies, the ones I long to be like, are all eating it wrong! You see them trying to dig in the box, to pull out the last bite or two and it usually doesn’t work out too well. If they had opened the box like a plate, as intended, it wouldn’t be a problem!
