The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

[KristiB]

I'm loving this book and now I need to go to China and eat!

It's about a recently widowed American food writer who travels to China to settle a paternity suit against her late husband and profile a Chinese/American chef living in China.

The chef, Sam, is a decendent of a famous Chinese chef and is translating his book and trying to open a restaurant in Bejing. He struggles because he cooks the old fashioned way while the popular chefs in Bejing are moving forward with fusion and innovation.

The descriptions of food make my mouth water, and the exerpts from Liang Wei's book, The Last Chinese Chef, are fascinating.

The author lived in China for 18 years and captures the meaning of food and the culinary arts there.

I've only had Chinese/American food and now I'm feeling deprived :( :)

[badunnin]

Sounds like a great read for my flight on the 13th - to Beijing!

[KristiB]

Lucky duck!

[badunnin]

Lucky duck!

Peking duck? ;)

[EllenL]

Thanks for the recommendation. I saw the title a few months ago and put it on my reading list. Considering it has 3000 titles, I may never have gotten to it, but on your recommendation, I'm moving it to the top. Sounds like it could make a good film too!

[KristiB]

3000? Wow I thought my list was long!

It would make a good movie. It's written by the same author who wrote Lost in Translation. I didn't read that book but I didn't like the movie so I almost discounted this book based on that opinion. I'm so glad I didn't.

I'm telling ya the descriptions are fantastic. The chef senses she's depressed so he makes her a healing chicken that sounds orgasmic and impossible to make unless you're a culinary genius! I can't even begin to describe it. I want a healing chicken!!

This is a true foodies novel.

[foodfiend]

KristiB-- when you described this, I thought you were talking about non-fiction! Well, I was intrigued enough to visit her website. And yes, it's a novel. And a tasty one at that. Nicole Mones has upcoming readings in the U.S. and one with an authentic Chinese banquet in San Franciscio. I'd love to be able to go that.
Here's a link if anyone is interested.
http://www.nicolemones.com/events.html

[KristiB]

Oh I'm definitely going to buy her book(I have a library copy) and have her sign it when she comes to Phoenix.

I'm also going to ask her if that grief healing chicken is real!

When you read the description you'll know why I'm so intrigued :)

[syzygy]

Kristi, is this (http://www.nicolemones.com/beggars-chicken.html) the dish?

[Canice]

Glad for the reco!
I've seen the book but don't usually enjoy novels - I'll have to give it another look. And thanks for the link, foodfiend - DBF is a sucker for a good Chinese banquet, so I sent him the info.

[KristiB]

Nope but that sounds great too.

The one I'm talking about has got to be impossible or require an amazing amount of skill. It's what looks like a whole chicken but it has actually been cut into bite sized pieces and reassembled and it was flavored with ginger chives and other things that weren't named. The description of the chicken is on pages 77-79.

Here's how she describes how it made her feel:

She plucked a morsel from the side of the bird, low on the breast where the moistness of the thigh came in, and tasted it. It was as soft as velvet, chicken times three, shot through with ginger and the note of onion....

"But it's perfect," she said. "All chicken should be cooked that way all the time. I may never have tasted anything so good."...

She bit into another piece, succulent, soft, perfected. It made her melt with comfort. It put a roof over her head and a patterned warmth around her so that even though all her anguish was still with her it became, for a moment, something she could bear. She closed her eyes in the bliss of relief.

Maybe it's just me but after reading that and the description of the chicken I want one. And I'd like to cook somehing emotional.

[foodfiend]

KristiB -- have you read Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl? It's a foodie memoir, and she has a section about her visit to China in the 1970's. It has good descriptions of the food and the culture.

[KristiB]

I've read all of Reichl's books :)