The Book Depository The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young
272 ratings
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Price: £31.28
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen : Hardback : Simon & Schuster : 9780684847399 : 0684847396 : 09 Sep 1999 : An assortment of 140 recipes for classic Cantonese family dishes is accompanied by an introduction to the philosophy and principles of Chinese cuisine, and advice on the techniques of Chinese cooking. The Book Depository The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9780684847399
MPN: 0684847396
GTIN: 9780684847399
Author: Momo
Rating: 5
Review: The sweet and sour recipe tastes exactly like the restaurants. A very well written recipe book with authentic recipes!
Author: Amazon Customer
Rating: 4
Review: The author was very generous in sharing her family recipes which I think are authentic because I am familiar with American Born Chinese with a similar ancestry. The pronunciation is not Cantonese but perhaps the author has generalized her specific dialect to make it easier for the lay person to understand that she is from a Southern immigrant background with strong ties to San Francisco's Chinatown pre1980's generations. I get the feeling that when the author refers to "The Chinese" that she is really referring to her own subgroup of Southern (Toisanese?) immigrants in America. The ingredients, the soup recipes and the beliefs while common in the South are interpreted in a specific visceral manner that is more oral history than official Chinese culinary rules. I am aware that there is disagreement over the handling of gingko nuts for example and that is not covered in this book. I found Grace Young's book interesting and actually delightful though I minded the presumption of speaking for The Chinese and a certain accompanying dogmatism but overall, I appreciate the author's willingness in sharing her private family history and recipes. I think this does represent the author's subgroup extremely well and that many Americanized Chinese with her background will find this book very useful. Plus if they like the tone of the Joy Luck Club, they will love the writing style in this book. The recipes are not complicated and you will find yourself with a simple but tasty vegetable soup in half an hour. Go for it! I urge anyone who has come across the book to also read My Shanghai: Through Tastes & Memories (Hardcover) by Sandy Lam which is also sold through Amazon. If you like Joy Luck Club and agree with the cultural proclamations in Grace Young's book, you will gain hopefully some perspective by reading Sandy Lam's book and if you disagree with the conceits in Joy Luck Club-type American Chinese of Chinatown of a certain intellectual background, then Sandy Lam's book will be something of a palate cleanser. Since this book is an anthropoligical treasure, I intend to order Breath of Wok as well. Also, I will order all of Eileen Yin Fei Lo's books because she is from Sun Tak which is also not Canton proper however the people of Sun Tak have a reputation for cooking talent and I have found their accent to be charming. Trivia: William Hung of American Idol fame is said to be of Sun Tak origin.
