Synopses & Reviews
Award-winning food writer Fuchsia Dunlop went to live in China as a student in 1994, and from the very beginning she vowed to eat everything she was offered, no matter how alien and bizarre it seemed. In this extraordinary memoir, Fuchsia recalls her evolving relationship with China and its food, from her first rapturous encounter with the delicious cuisine of Sichuan Province to brushes with corruption, environmental degradation, and greed. In the course of her fascinating journey, Fuchsia undergoes an apprenticeship at China's premier Sichuan cooking school, where she is the only foreign student in a class of nearly fifty young Chinese men; attempts, hilariously, to persuade Chinese people that "Western food" is neither "simple" nor "bland"; and samples a multitude of exotic ingredients, including sea cucumber, civet cat, scorpion, rabbit-heads, and the ovarian fat of the snow frog. But is it possible for a Westerner to become a true convert to the Chinese way of eating? In an encounter with a caterpillar in an Oxford kitchen, Fuchsia is forced to put this to the test.
From the vibrant markets of Sichuan to the bleached landscape of northern Gansu Province, from the desert oases of Xinjiang to the enchanting old city of Yangzhou, this unique and evocative account of Chinese culinary culture is set to become the most talked-about travel narrative of the year.
Review
"An insightful, entertaining, scrupulously reported exploration of China's foodways and a swashbuckling memoir. . . . What makes it a distinguished contribution to the literature of gastronomy is its demonstration . . . that food is not a mere reflection of culture but a potent shaper of cultural identity." Dawn Drzal
Review
"I didn't realize what a self-satisfied, Western-hemisphere food snob I was until I read . . . . This is not just a smart memoir about cross-cultural eating but one of the most engaging books of any kind I've read in years." New York Times
Synopsis
When award-winning food writer Dunlop lived in China, she vowed to eat everything she was offered, no matter how alien and bizarre. From the vibrant markets of Sichuan to the bleached landscape of the Gansu Province, this work presents a unique and evocative account of Chinese culinary culture.
Synopsis
"Destined, I think, to become a classic of travel writing."--Paul Levy,
Synopsis
After fifteen years spent exploring China and its food, Fuchsia Dunlop finds herself in an English kitchen, deciding whether to eat a caterpillar she has accidentally cooked in some home-grown vegetables. How can something she has eaten readily in China seem grotesque in England? The question lingers over this "autobiographical food-and-travel classic" ().
Synopsis
'Destined, I think, to become a classic of travel writing."Paul Levy, The Observer
About the Author
Fuchsia Dunlopwrites for Gourmet, Saveur, the Financial Times, and Time Out. A graduate of Cambridge University and a fluent Mandarin speaker, she lives in London, where she consults for the city"s first authentic Sichuan restaurant, Bar Shu.