This book should come with a warning - it is going to make you hungry. I ordered take out when I was about half way through, and again when I finished and I would like to try pretty much everything mentioned in this book.
Grace Lin does a fantastic job combining food, history, myth, and personal stories in this collection of stories of Chinese and American Chinese cuisine.
The book is set up like an American Chinese Restaurant Menu. There are appetizers, soup, side orders, chef's specials, desserts as well as sections on chopsticks and tea. Each course begins with a bright full page illustration and there are lots of pencil drawings and food illustrations through out the book. Lin begins each section with a personal story about how she relates to the dish and the story that will follow. Reader get a brief background, and then we are treated to exciting tales involving dragons, emperors, monks and wise villagers. The stories bring to life how yummy dishes like Peking Duck, Wonton Soup and Sweet and Sour Pork came to be. Others, like Crossing the Bridge Noodle Soup and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, I had never heard of before, but really want to try!
Lin completes the book with an author's note, endnotes, a timeline, and an extensive bibliography. Perhaps best of all, she includes her mother's Scallion Pancake recipe.
Grace Lin writes in careful, age appropriate ways, there are brief mentions topics such as suicide, concubines, and the Chinese Exclusion Act.
As you read, you will be transported to far off times and magical places - but don't forget to being a napkin, just in case you drool a bit!