I’m just finishing up The Fortune Cookie Chronicles book by Jennifer 8. Lee and enjoying pretty much every minute of it. This will probably go down as one of my favorite nonfiction books not just because of how well researched, thorough, and informative it is in correcting a lot of falsehoods about Chinese cuisine and culture, but also because it touches upon two of my greatest loves: food and culture.

One of my favorite chapters of this book is most definitely the “American Stir-fry” chapter. In it, Lee discusses how food is the easiest way that we can learn about other cultures. Chances are that three generations down the line after immigrating to the U.S., you may not be able to speak your mother/father tongue, but chances are high that you will still have your beloved grandmother’s or mom’s recipe for your favorite dumplings or soup, or in the very least, a deep and instilled appreciation for it. It also highlights what I’ve already believed for a long time: in general, if you are receptive to trying new foods of different cultures, you are also probably more curious and accepting about others’ cultures and people. “If you can eat the food of a country, it seems less foreign.” This has to be why I can’t stand meeting and spending time with picky eaters. 🙂

It ends by discussing the American “melting pot” analogy. I’ve never liked this analogy very much. My main qualm about it is that in a “melting pot,” what makes each ingredient unique melds together with the rest of the items that get dumped in the pot, and thus what makes each ingredient special is lost. Melding, blending, whatever you want to call it is great — but I don’t want to lose what makes each culture or nationality unique or interesting. Lee then proposes another analogy to replace this: why not a stir-fry? In a stir-fry, she says, “our ingredients remain distinct, but our flavors blend together in a sauce shared by all.” This definitely makes more sense; it would be a stretch for the average American to use in everyday discussion of what America stands for, but it ultimately embraces our “togetherness” while also celebrating what makes each culture special, which is important. In a day and age when white supremacists seem be regaining their “voice” with Trump’s presidential candidacy and the “Black Lives Matter” movement is getting stronger, we really need to keep concepts like Lee’s “stir-fry” in mind to truly appreciate this country for what it is — a country of immigrants and people of different backgrounds who have come together for what is supposed to be a better life for future generations.