The bestselling author of Lost in Translation "unlocks the deepest mysteries of legendary Chinese culinary arts to produce a feast for the human heart" (David Henry Hwang, author of M. Butterfly).
This alluring novel of friendship, love, and cuisine brings the bestselling author of Lost in Translation and A Cup of Light to one of the great Chinese subjects: food. As in her previous novels, Mones's captivating story also brings into focus a changing Chinaâ??this time the hidden world of high culinary culture.
When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, learns of a Chinese paternity claim against her late husband's estate, she has to go immediately to Beijing. She asks her magazine for time off, but her editor counters with an assignment: to profile the rising culinary star Sam Liang.
In China, Maggie unties the knots of her husband's past, finding out more than she expected about him and about herself. With Sam as her guide, she is also drawn deep into a world of food rooted in centuries of history and philosophy. To her surprise she begins to be transformed by the cuisine, by Sam's familyâ??a querulous but loving pack of cooks and dinersâ??and most of all by Sam himself. The Last Chinese Chef is the exhilarating story of a woman regaining her soul in the most unexpected of places and "a stunning picture of a country caught between tradition and modern life" (Entertainment Weekly).
World Gourmand Award Winner
"I don't think there's ever been anything quite like this. It's a love story, it's a mystery, and it's also the most thorough explanation of Chinese food that I've ever read in the English language."â??Ruth… (más)
rabck from Asian bookbox; a book in a book. I'd advise reading the excerpts by themselves in one swoop before or after the meat of the book. Widow Maggie finds that her husband who worked some of the time in China, has a paternity claim filed against his estate. She's a magazine food writer & her editor sends to her profile a new culinary star, Sam Liang, while she unties the knots in China about her husband's past. The interview/profile she gathers about Sam is quite good, as he explains and cooks all sorts of things in the true old Chinese way, along with new twists to make them bright and new. ( )
Not a lot of surprises in the story, but the Chinese culture and history was interesting. Sent me on a search for authentic Chinese food in the Triangle. ( )
In this novel, the main character is a young widow and food writer who finds herself in China for both food-writing work and for personal reasons.
The basic plot was somewhat predictable, but I really enjoyed the descriptions of authentic Chinese cuisine and its intertwinings with the culture there. ( )
Apprentices have asked me, what is the most exalted peak of cuisine? Is it the freshest ingredients, the most complex flavors? Is it the rustic, or the rare? It is none of these. The peak is neither eating nor cooking, but the giving and sharing of food. Great food should never be taken alone. What pleasure can a man take in fine cuisine unless he invites cherished friends, counts the days until the banquet, and composes and anticipatory poem for his letter of invitation? - Liang Wei, The Last Chinese Chef, pub. Peking, 1925
The bestselling author of Lost in Translation "unlocks the deepest mysteries of legendary Chinese culinary arts to produce a feast for the human heart" (David Henry Hwang, author of M. Butterfly).
This alluring novel of friendship, love, and cuisine brings the bestselling author of Lost in Translation and A Cup of Light to one of the great Chinese subjects: food. As in her previous novels, Mones's captivating story also brings into focus a changing Chinaâ??this time the hidden world of high culinary culture.
When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, learns of a Chinese paternity claim against her late husband's estate, she has to go immediately to Beijing. She asks her magazine for time off, but her editor counters with an assignment: to profile the rising culinary star Sam Liang.
In China, Maggie unties the knots of her husband's past, finding out more than she expected about him and about herself. With Sam as her guide, she is also drawn deep into a world of food rooted in centuries of history and philosophy. To her surprise she begins to be transformed by the cuisine, by Sam's familyâ??a querulous but loving pack of cooks and dinersâ??and most of all by Sam himself. The Last Chinese Chef is the exhilarating story of a woman regaining her soul in the most unexpected of places and "a stunning picture of a country caught between tradition and modern life" (Entertainment Weekly).
World Gourmand Award Winner
"I don't think there's ever been anything quite like this. It's a love story, it's a mystery, and it's also the most thorough explanation of Chinese food that I've ever read in the English language."â??Ruth
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