Jen Lin-Lui, is a Chinese-American who returns to China to and discovers that she may look Chinese, but culturally she is very American.
To better understand the land to her ancestors, and in some ways herself, she enrolls in cooking school. Hilarity ensues as Jen begins school and realizes that she does not have the framework (or an extensive enough grasp on the Chinese language) to understand what is being taught. Her tales of trying to understand MSG were entertaining and I recalled clearly the pollution issues she encountered while traveling around the country. We both agree, Xi'an is definately more polluted than Beijing.
Her quest through Shanghai and beyond to find the perfect Xiao Long Bao spoke to my long held love of those dumplings and the soup inside them. (Side note: I think Frank might be right, the xiao long bao in Sydney was some of the best I have ever had.)
As my travels have grown I find many of the foods she encounters less intimidating (except of course the shell fish dishes, but that's another story). Of all her culinary adventures though I think I might have to skip canine.
The book is full of recipes and helpful cooking tips along with a skillfully written memoir. And it definately made me want more xiao long bao.
About the Author:
Jen Lin-Liu is the author of Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China and the founder of the cooking school Black Sesame Kitchen in Beijing. She was raised in southern California, graduated from Columbia University, and went to China in 2000 on a Fulbright fellowship. A food critic for Time Out Beijing and the coauthor of Frommer’s Beijing, she has also written for Newsweek, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Saveur, and Food & Wine.
