|
| The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing | 
 enlarge | Author: Grace Young
Creator: Alan Richardson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $30.00
Buy Used: $7.07
You Save: $22.93 (76%)
New (27) Used (29) Collectible (4) from $7.07
Avg. Customer Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 203479
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 7.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 0684847396
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5951
EAN: 9780684847399
ASIN: 0684847396
Publication Date: May 5, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Very Good - Free shipping confirmation & tracking. 100% of your purchase helps Goodwill create jobs and change lives. A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition (including dust cover, if applicable). All pages are intact with very limited markings or highlighting. Some copies may include "From the library of" labels. The spine remains undamaged. Limited usage wear with some reading creases and/or bent corners. If CD/DVD- A well-cared-for CD/DVD that has been listened/watched to, but remains in great condition. The item, box or jewel case may show limited signs of wear or markings, as may the liner notes.
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent Read and Reference book on Chinese Recipes January 2, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Grace Young's writing style is very thoughtful and a testament to her ability to embrace her Chinese Heritage and prescribe its finer aspects in cooking to a reader who has only a basic familiarity of that culture.
Her writing is reflective, beautiful, nostalgic, concise, thoughtful, and with an elusiveness that only a true philosopher could have that motivates the spirit in wanting to learn more not only about cooking, but about how everything in life is balanced together.
I've been reading this book while I've had a very bad flu and her sections on the medicinal values of ingredients in Chinese cooking has been a blessing to me.
The book is well organized with a vivid introduction of her life growing up in San Francisco Chinatown; her observations thru family anecdotes. Then she breaks down recipes with wonderful introductions in categories from rice, wok cooking, steam cooking, and two broader sections related to cooking and "The Art of Celebration" and "Achieving Ying Yang Harmony."
There are excellent instructions, pictures, and descriptions of key ingredients written in chinese with a photo so that while in a Chinese supermarket, you can find the ingredients.
There's also and excellent reference section in the back on the ingredients.
Little things such as eating congee (jook) when ill to aid the body in releasing toxins had an immediate effect on my health. Also, her recipe for "Dried Fig Apple Almond" soup immediately cured me of my coughing problems.
Her instructions on the recipe are very concise. If you follow her instructions academically, you will achieve the intent of the dish.
After reading this book, I look at eating more than just as a pleasure, but as a means of sustaining a longer and healthier life.
I only had one problem and that relates to the phonetics used in the pronunciation of some of the terms in chinese. People at the stores seldom understood what I was asking for, but fortunately, there were pictures.
Great read and a book that is a permanent reference guide.
 very specific to the author's own immigration background November 15, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
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.
Good source of info.... May 6, 2006
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The books consist of mainly comfort food that are simple and easy to cook. In my opinion, it's a good source of info for chinese who doesn't know how to read chinese. It does not have fancy recipes like restaurant style dishes. If you're looking for homestyle chinese cooking recipes, this is the book for you. I really enjoyed some of the dishes in this book. However, there were lots of dishes that I already knew how to cook(and I don't really know how to cook that well either). I bought this book for the dessert recipes like peanut soup, sesame balls, sesame soup....
If also has a good various of chinese herbal soup recipes. I've been wanting to make chinese wine soup and pickled Pig's feet for so long and wasn't able to locate the recipe anywhere. I'm glad I found this book.
Fabulous February 19, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Having been born in Hong Kong, and spoiled by my mother's cooking as well as the culinary delights available in HK - you can imagine my delight to find this cookbook gem. I have bugged my mom incessantly for the secrets to her recipes, sribbled them down, but just don't have the time to get them 'all'. I've searched high and low, but have only been mildly successful in finding that ultimate Chinese cookbook. THIS cookbook comes very close to what I grew up with, and I was very happy to try the recipes out.
This book is very authentic, very 'homestyle', very certain to please.
To comment on Singapore noodles and Mike Simms.... who cares about its 'authenticity' and their 'heritage'? Those who enjoy Singapore Noodles enjoy them because of how they taste, and most likely couldn't care less that they are not 'really' from Singapore. It's still comfort food for many of us who grew up in HK - and I look forward to testing this recipe out. I have no doubt that Grace will come very close.
Let us not get caught up on semantics and just enjoy the cookbook, it's fabulous authenticity and the great dishes it produces!
Authentic as it can get December 27, 2005
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I actually have this book and have made many dishes from it. I love the true ingrediants that are used. The food is absolutely delicious. I know that some people have complained that it wasn't true or real chinese flavor, but come on. These are dishes that are native where the author's families are from. For those who are Chinese and are complaining, I would suggest that you shouldn't bash this book just because your preferences are diferent from theirs. Every area or providence in China have their own technique, style, and flavor. Just because you don't agree with one or all of those does not mean this is not a good book. It is well written, directions are clear, nice pictures (not enough, but still good), and most of all this is not Chinese fast food. I would definitely suggest this book to my friends and families.
|
|
|
| |
