Invitation to a Banquet

[Noodle Soup]

I just finished Fuchsia Dunlop's new book Invitation to a Banquet, The Story of Chinese Food. For starters, I own every book she has published and use them frequently in my kitchen. This is the first book by the author that was kind of a disappointment. She spends way too much time on how ignorant she feels the English and the US are on "real Chinese" food. She makes it sound like the American taste in Chinese food starts and ends with "chop suey." I'm not sure I've ever eaten that in a restaurant. There are also many remarks about how westerners think Chinese food should be "cheap and plentiful." I know she has had access to the finest cuisine in China but I've spent enough time in that country to know the average person there is equally interested in cheap and plentiful. Anyone else read the book? I would be interested in hearing your opinions.

 

[MarcelNL]

I did not but from your read on it I won't...I guess it's like as with composers...there is a limit of how much original and inspired stuff one can write.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

I ate at a legit dumpling house this weekend. I LOVED seeing all walks of life there. there was a family where the dad was explaining the soup dumpling to his daughters in Spanish. there was a caucasian lady explaining to an asian lady how she shouldn't cut her soup dumpling in half to eat. it was pretty cool. I don't judge.

the last table I noted, ordered a noodle soup incorrectly. they ordered the version with tripe and sweetbreads. they about had a table wide coronary experience when they saw the bowl of food. they visually grossed out, and the waiter had to whisk the offending bowl away to preserve the tables composure. hahah..

in my experience, in this country people don't know what expanse Chinese food can be. I won't say they don't know what "real Chinese food" is. I'm not sure I could define that, and I am cantonese. Living in the Bay Area in San Fransisco's shadow, I get a good representation. in some city where Panda Express reigns supreme, maybe not so much.

she has a point.

 

[AT5760]

I'm in Panda Express country. City with ~500,000 population and I think there is one restaurant with a separate Sichuan menu and two with separate Cantonese menus. Everything else is pretty heavily "Americanized" with peanut butter chicken being the signature dish.

I loved Every Grain of Rice and learned a lot from it. My guess is that she probably has a point about American perceptions; I should pick up the book and give it a read.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

I probably fall into the demographic with respect to Indian Cuisine. hahah...

I'm working on it.

 

[DitmasPork]

I just finished Fuchsia Dunlop's new book Invitation to a Banquet, The Story of Chinese Food. For starters, I own every book she has published and use them frequently in my kitchen. This is the first book by the author that was kind of a disappointment. She spends way too much time on how ignorant she feels the English and the US are on "real Chinese" food. She makes it sound like the American taste in Chinese food starts and ends with "chop suey." I'm not sure I've ever eaten that in a restaurant. The are also many remarks about how westerners think Chinese food should be "cheap and plentiful." I know she has had access to the finest cuisine in China but I've spent enough time in that country to know the average person there is equally interested in cheap and plentiful. Anyone else read the book? I would be interested in hearing your opinions.

Cheers for posting! I've not heard of that book, but have four of her other books, which I love. So far my bookshelf has Revolutionary, Food of Sichuan, Every Grain of Rice, and Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper.
Personally, I sometimes cringe when hearing the phrases 'real Chinese food' or 'authentic Chinese food'—on another thread, I remember someone ludicrously saying "...you can't get good Chinese food in the US," which is akin to saying you can't get good French, Italian, Japanese cuisine outside of the mother countries. Chinese cuisine casts a rather wide umbrella, and is always evolving, as any cuisine should.
I'm interested in reading about her observations of Chinese food in the US.

 

[Noodle Soup]

Cheers for posting! I've not heard of that book, but have four of her other books, which I love. So far my bookshelf has Revolutionary, Food of Sichuan, Every Grain of Rice, and Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper.
Personally, I sometimes cringe when hearing the phrases 'real Chinese food' or 'authentic Chinese food'—on another thread, I remember someone ludicrously saying "...you can't get good Chinese food in the US," which is akin to saying you can't get good French, Italian, Japanese cuisine outside of the mother countries. Chinese cuisine casts a rather wide umbrella, and is always evolving, as any cuisine should.
I'm interested in reading about her observations of Chinese food in the US.

Of anyone out there, she knows China is big place with many different cultures and food traditions. I would have to agree if she really meant Americans have not been exposed to all of them. But probably most Chinese haven't either. She was also kind of bad mouthing kung pao chicken with seemed strange for an author best known for her Sichuan books.

 

[DitmasPork]

Of anyone out there, she knows China is big place with many different cultures and food traditions. I would have to agree if she really meant Americans have not been exposed to all of them. But probably most Chinese haven't either. She was also kind of bad mouthing kung pao chicken with seemed strange for an author best known for her Sichuan books.

I've respect for Fuchsia Dunlop, much as I do for many others regarding opinions/insights into Chinese cuisine. Definitely a talented writer and storyteller.