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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
More honest subtitle is “a white colonizer’s horrified account of Chinese food in the west”. Very racism and white supremacy neutral. But excellent examples of the history of white Americans’ othering of and implicit bias on Chinese (and Asians in general)
I learned so much about the history of Chinese food and about immigration history more generally.
This book is especially important right now when Chinese restaurants are struggling. Read this book, eat Chinese food, by Chinese ingredients, learn to cook authentic Chinese food.
This book is especially important right now when Chinese restaurants are struggling. Read this book, eat Chinese food, by Chinese ingredients, learn to cook authentic Chinese food.
Not what I expected - but still a solid read
Expected it to be more of a fact book on Chinese American food but this surprised me with a rich history of how Chinese cuisine has evolved throughout history. Well researched and informative!
Expected it to be more of a fact book on Chinese American food but this surprised me with a rich history of how Chinese cuisine has evolved throughout history. Well researched and informative!
Meh. Though I found the subject matter interesting, the writing style was pretty dry and never really engaged me. I read the first 5 chapters or so, and then just lost interest.
While an interesting book, I felt that it was lacking in really talking about Chinese food and how it has evolved in the US.
informative
slow-paced
I really really enjoyed this book. It's a great history of the interaction between Americans and China, focused on food. Includes details of the first Americans to visit, right after the American Revolution up through Nixon's visit in 1972 (there is a mention of later interactions, but they take up less than a page). The focus is definitely on early history - late 18th and the 19th century. As well as immigration from China during these periods. It is an easy read, but fact-laden and the teeny tiniest bit repetitive. But an amazing bibliography.
Detailed, interesting and well-researched. If you have an interest in this topic at all, I highly recommend it!
Detailed, interesting and well-researched. If you have an interest in this topic at all, I highly recommend it!
It's actually a really detailed history of Chinese in America (as well as some pre-history into sino-anglo relations in China itself starting with early trade). When we went to Guangzhou with my sister when she adopted her 2nd one, we stayed in the Swan hotel which is right near the areas discussed in the first part of the book. The coverage is not lighthearted, though. This is a serious history book.
2.5 stars.
Interesting, but I felt I learned more about the history of US-China relations and the Chinese immigrant experience than I did about the food.
Interesting, but I felt I learned more about the history of US-China relations and the Chinese immigrant experience than I did about the food.