Chinese Menu
The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods
-
- $13.99
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
The perfect gift book for anyone who loves good food—and an even better story!
Newbery and Caldecott honoree and New York Times bestselling author Grace Lin delivers a groundbreaking, lushly illustrated, and beautifully written full-color book that explores the whimsical myths and stories behind your favorite American Chinese food.
A New York Times bestseller!
An ALA Notable Book
A BookPage Best Book of the Year!
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023!
From fried dumplings to fortune cookies, here are the tales behind your favorite foods.
Do you know the stories behind delectable dishes—like the fun connection between scallion pancakes and pizza? Or how dumplings cured a village’s frostbitten ears? Or how wonton soup tells about the creation of the world?
Separated into courses like a Chinese menu, these tales—based in real history and folklore—are filled with squabbling dragons, magical fruits, and hungry monks. This book will bring you to far-off times and marvelous places, all while making your mouth water. And, along the way, you might just discover a deeper understanding of the resilience and triumph behind this food, and what makes it undeniably American.
Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin provides a visual and storytelling feast as she gives insight on the history, legends, and myths behind your favorite American Chinese dishes. Chinese Menu makes the perfect gift book for anyone who loves good food—and an even better story.
Don't miss:
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Starry River of the Sky
When the Sea Turned to Silver
The Year of the Dog
The Year of the Rat
Dumpling Days
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Via appetizing full-color gouache and pencil illustrations alongside lush, mouthwatering prose, Newbery and Caldecott Honoree Lin chronicles the origins of the most ubiquitous dishes in American Chinese restaurants. A table of contents, structured like a Chinese takeout menu, breaks down topics—such as soups, side orders, and chef's specials—into bite-size sections that describe the meals' sometimes mythical origins. By tracing the etymology of wonton soup, for example, the creator outlines how, when examining the dish name's Northern Chinese roots, "wonton" can refer to "primordial chaos or the Daoist creation story of the world." Lin allows common foods their time to shine, noting how the dumpling was created by a doctor more than 1,800 years ago to help villagers combat frostbite, and the fortune cookie has Japanese American beginnings. Other entries include dragon-filled tales of various teas, and the backstory and etiquette surrounding chopsticks. Each selection, often prefaced with a personal anecdote and historical or folkloric context, whisks readers back in time; some entries highlight ancient tales about magic fruits, while others address troubling periods of strife and discrimination. These foods—and their stories—find common ground in their deep-rooted connection to Chinese American culture, which is further anchored by an author's note that details the book's inspiration. A family recipe and endnotes conclude. Ages 8–12.
