Have you heard of Jennifer 8. Lee? I hadn’t but I saw her name on the list of guests for the Charlie Rose Show and with a name like that I knew I had to find out more about her. How curious that her middle name is a number! What must that mean?
Well, my curiosity was quickly quelled after a trip to Wikipedia where I learned, lo and behold, that she selected her own middle name. Hallelujah! I love it when I find other people who have chosen their own names! Jennifer 8. Lee is an American journalist who previously wrote for the NY Times. Lee’s parents didn’t give her a middle name and so when she was in her teens, she picked her own. With such a common first and last name, she decided she needed something to stand out a little. Having a number for her middle name has proven to be a point of curiosity to others and the number 8 in Chinese represents prosperity and good luck.
I went to Jennifer 8. Lee’s blog which shares the same name as her book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles where she discusses the prevalence and underlying meanings of Chinese food in America. She playfully asks readers, “If our benchmark for Americanness is apple pie, ask yourself, how often do you eat apple pie? Now, how often do you eat Chinese food?” Hmm, that’s a good point! Chinese food is more American than…apple pie?
She even appeared on The Colbert Report to promote her book which unravels the mysteries of legends like General Tso (he’s a real person?) and the origins of fortune cookies. She also traveled around the globe to find the world’s greatest Chinese restaurant. I could have saved her the trouble because I know where that is, don’t you?
Eight may be a lucky number in Chinese, but in America it’s great to be number one and Jennifer 8. Lee has achieved both in my book!