According to a Food Marketing Institute survey, 63% of Americans obeyed this message found in their fortune cookies: "You Will Eat Chinese Food This Month!"

The survey also reported that more diners will eat Italian food (other than pizza) each month (85%). Chinese fare ranked with Mexican meals (also 63%) and with Italian, as the three most popular ethnic foods on the U.S. menu.

Although retail store shelves and frozen food cabinets are filled with extensive lines of Italian and Mexican products, until lately there has been a marked shortage of new Chinese items reaching the marketplace. Food manufacturers have neglected this important ethnic segment because it was difficult to match the convenience, price and quality of neighborhood Chinese restaurants.

One active sub-category has been Chinese/Oriental sauce and condiments. Hormel acquired the creative House of Tsang Co. last year and is now in the market with a line of House of Tsang Oriental Vegetables and Sauces. Consumers just add fresh poultry, meat or seafood, simmer and serve.

Four varieties are available in 24-oz. to 25.5-oz. glass jars: Szechuan hot & spicy, Tokyo teriyaki, Cantonese classic and Hong Kong sweet & sour. House of Tsang founder, David Tsang, is featured in introductory coupon ads.

Oriental flavors also are included in General Mills' Betty Crocker Recipe Sauce line (teriyaki, pepper steak and sweet & sour), Ragu's Chicken Tonight (sweet & sour, chicken Oriental), and Uncle Ben's Meal Makers (mild Szechuan). McCormick & Co. is marketing four McCormick/Schilling Oriental Seasoning/Sauce Blends.

Chun King, a Cambridge, Maine, firm, has expanded its dry grocery line with four "mouth-watering, alternatives to plain noodles"--a seasoned selection of traditional Chinese noodles combined with almonds, peanuts, sesame bits and garlic & ginger.

Many new Oriental-style condiments have appeared in gourmet and specialty food stores. Annie Chun's Gourmet Foods offers three new sauces that are combinations of Asian and Californian cuisines--Shiitake mushroom sauce, Thai peanut sauce and lemongrass herb. San Francisco's Maggie Gin has added five sauces suitable for hot or cold noodles: Light Teriyaki, Hunan Noodles, Canton Noodle, Marco Polo Noodle and Thai Noodle.