Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China
- A new memoir by the most talented and respected British food writer of her generation. 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.
- Product Details Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition edition (April 14, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0393066576 ISBN-13: 978-0393066579 Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 6.3 x 9.3 inches Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #679,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) Did we miss any relevant features for this product? Tell us what we missed. Would you like to update product info, give feedback on images, or tell us about a lower price? Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Food writer Dunlop is better known in the U.K., where her comprehensive volumes on Sichuanese and Hunanese cuisine carved out her niche and eventually became contemporary classics. Turning to personal narrative through the backstory and consequences of her fascination with China, she produces an autobiographical food-and-travel classic of a narrowly focused but rarefied order. Dunlop's initial 1992 trip to Sichuan proved so enthralling that she later obtained a year's residential study scholarship in the provincial capital, Chengdu. There, her enrollment in the local Institute of Higher Cuisine, a professional chef's program, created a cultural exchange program of a specialized kind. The research for and success of her resulting cookbooks permitted Dunlop to return to China in a more experienced role as chef and writer; that led to this reflective memoir, which probes into the author's search for kitchens in the Forbidden City as well as the people and places of remote West China. One key to this supple and affectionate book is its time frame: by arriving in China in the middle of vast economic upheavals, Dunlop explored and experienced the country and its culture as it was transforming into a postcommunist communism. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review
- As much a memoir and a superlative example of travel writing as it is a book about food...funny, honest and illuminating. -- London Lite [UK] Fuchsia Dunlop's brilliant new food memoir. -- Wall Street Journal Marvellous and mesmerising. -- The Daily Mail [UK] Painstakingly researched, beautifully written and impossible to put down, Dunlop takes us on a tantalizing tour through China in what's sure to be the gastronomic book of the year. -- Inside Toronto Shows the rare insight and compassion that... Fuchsia Dunlop has been demonstrating for 15 years...Dunlop's grasp of Chinese culture and cuisine run deep. (Toronto Globe and Mail) REVIEW Destined...to become a classic of travel writing. -- The Observer [UK] "Not just a smart memoir about cross-cultural eating but one of the most engaging books of any kind I've read in years." (O Magazine) "Insightful, entertaining, scrupulously reported... and a swashbuckling memoir studded with recipes... a distinguished contribution to the literature of gastronomy" (New York Times) "Delightful" (Jeffrey Steingarten in Vogue) "Painstakingly researched, beautifully written and impossible to put down, Dunlop takes us on a tantalizing tour through China in what's sure to be the gastronomic book of the year." (Inside Toronto) "Destined... to become a classic of travel writing" (The Observer, UK) "Marvellous and mesmerising" (The Daily Mail, UK) `[Dunlop] writes...with an outsider's eye, an insider's palate, and a lover's affection. The best food book I've read so far this year." (Straits Times, Singapore) --Reviews
- `Not just a smart memoir about cross-cultural eating but one of the most engaging books of any kind I've read in years.'--O Magazine `Insightful, entertaining, scrupulously reported... and a swashbuckling memoir studded with recipes... a distinguished contribution to the literature of gastronomy.'--New York Times `Delightful.'--Jeffrey Steingarten in Vogue `An autobiographical food-and-travel classic.'--Publishers Weekly `Literary, entertaining and almost anthropological.'--Seattle Post-Intelligencer `Fuchsia Dunlop's brilliant new food memoir.'--Wall Street Journal `Painstakingly researched, beautifully written and impossible to put down, Dunlop takes us on a tantalizing tour through China in what's sure to be the gastronomic book of the year.'--Inside Toronto `Shows the rare insight and compassion that... Fuchsia Dunlop has been demonstrating for 15 years...Dunlop's grasp of Chinese culture and cuisine run deep.'--Toronto Globe and Mail `Destined... to become a classic of travel writing.'--The Observer `Marvellous and mesmerising.'--The Daily Mail `As much a memoir and a superlative example of travel writing as it is a book about food... funny, honest and illuminating.'--London Lite `Dunlop is now an expert on Chinese cuisine, but she's also a fantastically witty storyteller... Dunlop will charm and delight you with her enthralling anecdotes.'--Wanderlust
`More than just a delicious memoir of extraordinary meals... an erudite, nuanced look at Chinese culinary culture, its history, and China's development over the last decade.'--China Daily `[Dunlop] writes of China's familiar culinary faces...with an outsider's eye, an insider's palate, and a lover's affection. The best food book I've read so far this year.'--Straits Times, Singapore - `A sensual feast of a book... Fuchsia Dunlop is a star in the world of food writing, but she's never preachy in this Oriental food odyssey.'--The Times of South Africa `This charming, informative textbook/memoir/travelogue, one of the more noteworthy recent food studies. Readers definitely won't be hungry an hour after finishing this satisfying history from a witty Chinese food authority.'--Kirkus Reviews --Reviews See all Editorial Reviews More About the Author › Visit Amazon's Fuchsia Dunlop Page Fuchsia Dunlop Biography Fuchsia Dunlop is a cook and food-writer specialising in Chinese cuisine. She was the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine, and has spent much of the last two decades exploring China and its food. Her first book, 'Land of Plenty' (published in the UK as 'Sichuan Cookery') won the Jeremy Round Award for best first book, and was listed in the top ten of the Observer's '50 Best Cookbooks of All Time'. 'Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province' was shortlisted for two major awards, while 'Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China' won the IACP Jane Grigson Award and the Kate Whiteman Award for writing on food and travel. Her latest book, 'Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking', was published in 2012. Fuchsia's articles have appeared in many publications, including The Financial Times, The New Yorker, Gourmet, Saveur, and The Observer. In 2012 she won the James Beard Foundation Award for writing on food culture and travel. Fuchsia's favourite Chinese recipe is Fish-Fragrant Eggplants (yu xiang qie zi). For more information, visit Fuchsia's website, www.fuchsiadunlop.com Show More
Description for Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China
A new memoir by the most talented and respected British food writer of her generation. 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 possi
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