Review: The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young

This Book Is About

My Thoughts On This Book

Both the anthropologist and the fan of Chinese food in me love this book. I discovered it when I worked in the shipping and receiving department of a bookstore. I opened the box with Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen and realized I had to have the book; I purchased it before it ever had a chance to hit the shelves.

What I love is that this really isn’t just a cook book. Not only are each of the sections divided by themes like The Meaning of Rice and New Years Foods and Traditions, but each individual recipe itself has cultural information.

For instance, the description for “Tender Beef on Rice” talks about the memories that the author’s uncle has about his mother making the dish. And “Chicken Porridge” has the various Chinese names for it and what meals it was eaten for.

One of my favorite stories in Wisdom is from the Meaning of Rice chapter. The author talks about the importance of rice in Chinese culture and then tells the story about her parents coming to visit her in her little apartment in San Francisco and how dismayed they are when they find that all of her rice fits into a large coffee can. They thought their daughter had a good job and here she is, with less rice than a pauper. It’s a cute family story that illustrates the author’s point about rice’s place in Chinese culture better than twenty pages of exposition could.

The recipe instructions themselves are really great, mainly because they describe unfamiliar ingredients and how to buy them. They’re also written as if the author is talking to you instead of the brief, cold steps 1-7 you get in most cook books.

This year I had a Chinese New Year tea party and made Nom Yu Peanuts using the recipe in this book. I also bought a New Year Cake for the party and, thanks to the recipe for it in this book, I knew how to cut it the Chinese way.

Chapter List
Introduction Notes to the Reader Remember Shina, Nan Chung Mastering the Fundamentals The meaning of rice The breath of a wok The art of steaming Shred of ginger like blades of grass Going to market with Mama Cooking as Meditation	The Art of Celebration The good omen of a fighting fish New Year’s foods and traditions A day lived as if in China Dutiful daughter returns home
Achieving Yin-yang Harmony Cooking as a healing art Baba’s Mama’s Dong Quai and restorative foods	Shopping Like a Sleuth Glossary Index

Rating & Levels For This Book

I Give This Book 4 Vikings out of five	Violence Level 0 Burning Huts out of five	Romance Level 0 Hearts out of five
# of actual vikings in book: 0 What do these levels mean? »	Humor Level 1 Smiles out of five	Lust Level 0 Kisses out of five

Author and Publishing Information For This Book

Author & Book Details Title: The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing Author(s): Grace Young ISBN#: 9780684847399 Genre(s): Chinese cook book Edition Reviewed: First Illustrations: 16 color photograph pages plus two b&w photos Page Count: 304 Part of a Series: No

Publishing & Copyright Details Publisher(s): Simon & Schuster Copyright: 1999 In Print: Yes Original Language: English Published in Other Languages: No Find a Local Book Store »

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