final blog: FCC

Final Blog: The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

In The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Jennifer 8. Lee goes on a phenomenal adventure that takes everyone on an informative journey throughout Chinese Food and it’s culture. Lee keeps a very informative tone throughout the book as well as adventurous and analytical. 

Throughout the chapters, we learn of Lee’s exploration through not only China (like the hometown to General Tso), but the states, too. In Chapter 8, Lee shows her adventurous and informative tone and in Chapter 14 as well. For instance, in Chapter 8, Lee states, “For the past two decades, the vast majority of Chinese restaurant workers in the U.S. have come from a Delaware-sized region in southeast China...” This is an informative quote about the immigrants and their stories.

The numerous tones that flow in this book, definitely keep the reader somewhat on their toes. Whether it’s an adventure or something we are

Endia Brown-Bey
Meg Reilly
College Writing
27 November 2013
 
                                                        The Fortune Cookie Chronicles

                 Jennifer 8. Lee takes the readers on a journey to discovering the traditions of the Chinese culture and finding the best Chinese restaurants in America. Lee is able to draw in her readers with her informal, informational, comedic tone,writing and structure throughout her novel.  In each chapter she gives the readers a history lesson on the Chinese culture and food. Jennifer starts by researching the history behind the restaurants she visits. In each discovery she figures out the reasons to why certain Chinese foods have a specific name like General Tso's chicken.
           You can sense the the informal tone, and see the informational and comedic structure in her novel as she talks about The Golden Venture in chapter 8.  The statement "and if you add children in, the number , that number is also tricky" shows her comedic and informal side (111).  She gives a lot of historical information on how the Golden Venture came about. On page (110) she states "The Golden Venture immigrants had fanned out from New York city along the cost and into the heart land". "Most of those people who washed onto the shore that day worked as cooks, delivery boys and waiters". (110)
     Jennifer 8. Lee's style of writing really helped develop her novel and make it interesting to the reader. I honestly would get bored reading her novel if she wrote in a more formal manner and continued to discuss the history of the Chinese culture. Giving us a brief story about her personal experience with food, the culture adds flavor to each chapter. Her humor, informal way of writing and imagery like "The lightly sweetened crispiness of General Tso's chicken nestled in a bed of flashed, cooked broccoli"(12) also helped as well.

Final BLog

In this novel The Fortune cookie chronicle Jennifer is exploring the huge culture of Chinese food. It all started when she was in investigating how all winners kept receiving identical numbers. From there, she enters into other interesting events in Chinese food history, such as the international soy sauce trade dispute and the question of who really invented chop suey. In her adventure She interviewed everyone from a Taipei chef who invented the original General Tso’s chicken, to an executive with the company that makes those trapezoidal Chinese take-out boxes. The book is loaded with interesting trivia for example (page 208-212) Chinese food is served on all seven continents and there are more Chinese food restaurants in the United States than McDonalds, Wendys and Burger Kings combined. I feel she is representing her thoughts this way because this how she likes to express herself which is digging deep to find out things about the different cultures. She seems to have a drive to want to learn more and more once she starts relearning for example when she was learning about the chicken, she began to start comparing all to others like the mcdonalds nuggets or the different sauces like the Chinese sauces were a Chinese version of the American sauces such as BBQ sauce, honey mustard, or even sweet and sour .shes been comparing and contrasting a lot through out the story.

FCC -- Alix Bloom

In The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Jennifer 8. Lee explores the unique cultural phenomenon of Chinese food, and explores other interesting aspects of Chinese food history, creating an episodic novel of exploring Chinese history, and culture. In Chapter 14, Lee expands her journey to find "The Greatest Chinese Restaurant in the World", outside of China.
Throughout the chapter, Jennifer 8. Lee's quest to find the greatest Chinese restaurant in the world took her across the globe for one whole year. At first, she thought she wouldn't be able to complete this task her editor gave her, "Chinese food s arguably the most persuasive cuisine on the planet… In order to understand Chinese food in America, you have to understand Chinese food around the world."(pg.209)  She traveled to 15 countries starting in Los Angeles, and finishing in New York, but traveled far, and wide in-between to Lima, Paris, London, Japan, Australia, Vancouver, and so on. When Lee completed her traveling she  "…landed home with lots of notes, dozens of interviews to transcribe, many ponderous food related thoughts, and a well-tended stomach."(pg.247) Now she just had to decide, which is the greatest Chinese restaurant?
In the end, Jennifer 8. Lee put all her notes, and information together to give us the final result, "The world's greatest Chinese restaurant outside Greater China as of the early twenty-first century is: Zen Fine Chinese Cuisine outside Vancouver…". (pg.249) Reading this, it was a shock to me, but you have to give it to them for their half-priced special of an eight-course gourmet meal with squab and half a lobster. A true "bang for your buck" is what always makes you wanna come back, but for Jennifer, it's what made the Greatest Chinese Restaurant in the World.

FCC 8- Simmone Johnson

In Chapter Eight of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, by Jennifer 8. Lee has a very analytical nonetheless informational tone that leads you through a journey of brightly used words to make her statements about “The Golden Venture: Restaurant Workers to Go.” This analytical tone is shown throughout the whole chapter. Jennifer focuses on how the Golden Venture immigrants made their way over to the United States. She talks about how they all were involved in the same things. This section gets very informational because she mentions “about 90 percent of the Golden Venture survivors were involved in the Chinese -restaurant business…a lucky few owned their own restaurants.”(110) this gives the reader more insight on how most of the Chinese culture are only involved with certain businesses.
 
As the chapter continues about the Golden venture immigrants and how they lend thousands of dollars to friends, family, neighbors, etc.  Their system of lending is different “…The word for “lend,” jie, is the same as the word borrow…a person who borrows one day may lend on another.”(121) this helps me to understand that the Chinese are very helpful and that if someone “borrows” money from you it’s not a huge deal for them to pay you back.

These immigrants are still being fully analyzed by Jennifer, as she is giving the background story of the trip they had to take. There was an interesting section about the Golden Venture “…food, water, light, and space were all scarce…men started relieving themselves off the deck of the boat.” (129) I couldn’t believe that these immigrants would go through so much just to get to the United States.

This informative yet analytical tone strengthens this chapter because it’s giving information about the Chinese culture of traveling to America to start their own businesses. This is the most direct way to present your thoughts to the reader with information that you can prove, and still keep your main focus without losing it.

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles Final Blog post - Due Posted by Wednesday

Looking at one main element of the writing, (structure, style, tone, texture, theme) create a blog post. This post should highlight one writerly technique, and make a statement about the function it has in the novel.

You should incorporate three quotes from FCC to back up your ideas about this writerly technique. Use the quotes as proof for your argument, and remember to analyze extensively. How does this element in the book strengthen it? Why do you think Jennifer 8. Lee presents her thoughts in this way?

Also, in you blog post's thesis identify one meaningful discovery you have made while reading the book, or identify one meaning realization that Jennifer 8. Lee has in the novel.

Example of thesis:

In the novel, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, Jennifer 8. Lee uses an informative, yet comedic tone to introduce her readers to the hidden traits of, and unknown facts regarding, Chinese American culture. 

MCA Art

During the self-guided MCA tour, there were many pieces of art that really spoke to me. However, the one I finally finalized on was Tacita Dean’s Death of a Priest from her “The Russian Ending” collection. Each piece from this collection were copies from old postcards the artist found in flea markets around Europe.

With Death of a Priest, I believe this one in particular had caught my attention at first because of the written notes (which each piece of the collection has). This one, though,  just held a certain something, as in a feeling of it showing the end and a new beginning at the same time. I think this photo connects to people on different levels, whether their excited about life, or down about death. It had me feeling both the excitement and the sadness. It had me thinking about decisions I've made and resentments. This piece it really is just a thoughtful work, something that makes you stop and think about life and then even death. 

Endia Brown-Bey

Meg Reily

Intro to Writing

                                                                        MCA Tour

     I actually enjoyed being at The Museum of Contemporary Art. I really liked the fact that all the exhibitions were different from one another. There were some I found interesting and some I thought were really weird. I didn’t like the wooden block exhibit with the artists face molded in them. The idea of having a human’s face inside of an object is creepy. On the second floor there was a carpet that had a really cool design on it. At first I thought the carpet was made with the funky pattern already on it, but instead I discovered that the artist actually hand painted the design on it; which is pretty cool.

     Throughout my tour there were a few more exhibits I found interesting and different, but the one that stood out the most was the exhibit "Cooper Heads" taken by Moyra Davey.  In this exhibition there were a row of large photos of pennies. In each photo you were able to see how different each penny was as it aged. The structure, color, and texture of each penny looked different from one another. This was the first thing I noticed about the picture.

    Then I noticed the more I observed the photo the more I began to judge it and also dislike it. Each photo also had neon colored tape stuck to it in a shape of a C. It also had a Medium sized mailing sticker on it. Also hearing about how the artist created this exhibit made me dislike it more. The artist actually mailed each photo back to herself, which explains why there was neon tape and a mailing sticker on each picture. I honestly don’t understand why she would mail her photos back to herself. I guess I found this exhibit interesting, because I was able to form different opinions about it. I liked it for one reason and I also disliked it for another reason. Overall I had a good experience at the MCA.

MCA -- Alix Bloom

       

      Walking around the MCA, capturing all the great art pieces in your mind before time is up, makes you appreciate all the love and hard work the artists put into their pieces. The one that stood out to me the most would be Jackie Frieze by Andy Warhol, a piece that you have to come back to, to fully grasp the feeling of the piece. It's a large piece with more than one black and gold silk print of Jackie Kennedy, in all the photos she looks very, sad except for two where she looks happy. 

Warhol's use of silk screen paintings on mass media images, always seems to capture something more about the person. In his prints, he's able to bring some sort of truth out of the subject just through the piece. I loved skimming back and forth over the Jackie Frieze piece, because her happy pictures were at each end, and in-between was sadness or confusion on her face.

I really loved that Marisol and Warhol's pieces were put together, for they were both independently revolutionary artists in the 1960s. Marisol and her elaborate wooden sculptures stand out, whereas Andy Warhol's pop out with all his vibrant pop-art colors. Their focused work works hand-in-hand and makes you view their similar yet different approaches to portraiture, both using repeating subjects, creating relatable pieces.

MCA Visit

Gioncarlo Faczek
Meg Reilly
11/15/2013

Chat-mobile

          Walking around the museum there were a lot of interesting art pieces. There was an art piece that had actual human teeth, that was pretty cool. But there was one room that stuck out to me on the second floor. The artist is called the Alexander Calder, the creator of the colorful and abstract images and shapes. But there was on image he created called cat mobile that drew me in. He creates painted sheet metal images and uses steel wire to connect everything together, so each piece can move in response to it's environment. 

          The reason why I really liked this artist and his artwork was every time you look at the artwork, the image changes. One person might see one thing, but another person might view it as a different image. The more time you spend observing Alexander Calder artwork, the images changed. At first I didn't recognize this pieces was a cat, at first it looked like a devil or something. After standing there for a couple of minutes it made sense to me. Art is not just one consistent image; art is whatever you make out of it. 

Art MCA

The art piece i chose was "Dunepark" , it was room full of tools somewhat like a garage. It was kind of mixed with an office type room.  The piece was created in 2009 when the artist was invited to create for an exhibition in Dutch seaside resort. it was suppose to be based off of world war 11. i see it as more than what he see's it as. when i first seen it popped out to me, with all the tools and office materials it looked to me as if those were to the tools to building your life. Im not saying it like building your house or something of that sort. Its more of a mental thought when you're  looking at the image. With the piece being in chicago, its like their telling you or more so showing you that you can build your life any type of way that you choose no matter what tools you have. whether its from from handy man to office supplies. i just feel as if the piece was there to make you think in depth thoughts on building with choices.

Art MCA - Simmone Johnson

The art piece Marisol in the Andy Warhol section grabbed my attention because it was uniquely designed and it popped out at me when I first entered the room. I loved the abstracted variation of the character throughout the piece. It had also captured my attention because I never seen wood shaped in such an artist way. The art work caused me to stand there and try to figure out the meaning without having to read the plaque. I feel Marisol is being presented in a Chicago museum because it is involved with pop art culture and it was inspired by Andy Warhol.  It’s always better to use something or someone that’s always at your reach. The artist uses her own face because it’s easier to get a hold of. This leads to all the little detail in the piece. She had less to worry about when her “model” was always there.

Marisol is a very unique creation it captures the identity of the artist. She uses wood, plaster, marker, paint, graphite, human teeth, gold, and plastic in this sculpture. There are seven faces in a row, these faces create distinct characters which make a multifaceted representation of herself. Each of the faces correspond to a different aspect of Marisol’s personality, or even different roles she played in her life. Such things like being a mother, daughter or a guy in a play. In her own words she said “The truth is, I use my own face because it’s easier. When I want to make a face or hands for one of my figures, I’m usually the only person around to use as a model.” This goes for her other creations in the museum. She uses herself as the foundation of each creation she has made. With Marisol’s artwork you have to be up close and personal to see each detail of the work, or you will miss a very unique piece.

Joyas Voladoras Analysis

Gioncarlo Faczek

Meg Riley ICW

11/4/2013

Joyas Voladoras Analysis

            In Joyas Voladoras, Brian Doyle did an excellent job explaining to us the difference between humming birds and blue whales. Also the way he wrote about each animal, the style of writing changed. When he was describing the humming bird, he used many descriptive verbs. While reading about the humming bird, I felt like one because Doyle combined sentences to one so the reader would have to read it all at once at a fast pace. Just like a humming bird. After reading Joyas Voladoras, the last paragraph made me rethink about this essay. The essay first appeared to be about creatures great and small suddenly turned into an essay about human nature. But thinking about this essay, it’s true we may be different shapes and sizes but we all have something in common.

            Throughout the essay Doyle touched on the hearts of humming birds and blue whales. But at the end he took a different turn with it. He talks about the human heart and the emotions it brings with. “We are utterly open with no on, in the end.” What this is saying is our hearts can take so much bruising and scarring. The meaning of the word heart changes throughout the reading. He talks about how the humming birds heart and how it has faster pace than us and even blue whales. With Blue whales their lifestyle is completely different from the humming bird. They live a slow pace lifestyle, but they have a humongous heart compared to the humming bird. But at the end the humming bird and the blue whale combined is equivalent to an human heart.