Hsiang Ju Lin

This is one of the loveliest food books I have read in the last few years.

Delicate, subtle, a pointilist impression of the immense wealth of Chinese food (literature). 43 chapters, starting with a literary quotation and discussing a subject.

Caveats;
Don't buy this book if you want an academic study of the development of Chinese cooking. This is the food of the rich and the leisure classes. The poor didn't write and so they get no space in this book. There are other books for that. Books I also read and enjoyed, but there is nothing to compare to this except of course Chinese Gastronomy written by MS Lin's mother and herself in 1955.

Also don't buy this book if you are like me and would love to read many of the books she quotes. Only to find that all her sources are in Chinese.

And certainly don't buy this book if typos drive you mad. The book is marred by the most horrible collection of typos I ever came across. We have here a masterpiece marred by numerous stains.

But nevertheless a masterpiece. Enjoy reading it!… (más)

I bought this in 1986 and every few years I reread it and every time I read it it just keeps getting better and better. Maybe because I understand more about Chinese food (you can always dream) but probably because I had this stupid preconception that newer books were better, what with the availability of ingredients and everything but it's just not true. These older books on Chinese food are much better. Exception made for Barbara Tropp and Fuchsia Dunlop.

Of course I don't usually buy just any book but most always follow recommendations. This book however I just picked up in a second hand store and it's falling to pieces, so I'll have to buy a new copy.

The title says it all. 206 pages on Chinese gastronomy with some lovely recipes. But NO pictures.… (más)