My Encounter With China

I have only been enrolled and attending Folklore F-121 for a couple weeks, and already it is challenging me to truly get out there and experience cultures not similar to my own. The idea of an Encounter Project is to go out into the world around you and experience a new culture. I decided to try a new cuisine. Now you may not know, but I am a very picky eater, and I rarely venture to foods out of the ordinary. In my opinion, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And the food I eat has always been pleasing to me, so I rarely go out looking for something new. For this project, I decided to go to a true Chinese restaurant and get a dish representing their rich cuisine. The restaurant is called Fortune Cookies, and it is a small “mom and pop” Chinese restaurant that has a great atmosphere, and even better food. When I chose this place to eat, I wanted to eat true Chinese food and nothing like a “Super China Buffet” that serves very poor meat. I went to Fortune Cookies with two of my friends so we could all try different things. I ordered the Sweat and Sour Chicken with white rice. One of my friends ordered the Kung Pow Chicken, and unfortunately my other friend was picky and ordered the same thing I ate. The restaurant was brand new, but still it was very busy. This did not stop the waitress from being very professional and offering great service. The Sweat and Sour Chicken was amazing and the exotic music playing overhead only added to my wonderful experience with Chinese cuisine. My friend’s meal really put the “pow” in Kung Pow Chicken, and it was as good as it was hot. Upon the conclusion of my meal, I loosened up my belt buckle and talked to my friends as I awaited my check. Along with the check came a couple chocolate fortune cookies…which is a sign that the planets have aligned as far as I am concerned. We ate our “dessert”, left a well-deserved tip, and retired for the night. I strongly recommend eating at Fortune Cookies to anyone who either loves Chinese food, or has yet to try it. The food was delicious, and only made better by the service and atmosphere. This is a response to the Restaurant Visit Project for the first Encounter Project in my Folklore F-121 class.