- Paperback: 226 pages
- Publisher: Wiley (Jan 18 1996)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0471110558
- ISBN-13: 978-0471110552
- Product Dimensions: 15.1 x 1.6 x 22.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 331 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#338,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #98 in Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Chinese
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Although Halvorsen (Catering Like a Pro) has done her homework on Chinese cuisine, history and even philosophy, her chatty, uneven account reads like an enthusiastic but circumscribed school report. After sketching China's provinces and their culinary characteristics, Halvorsen spends most of these pages relating her own trip to China (she visited all five provinces, as well as Hong Kong and Taipei, Taiwan), describing her pleasant experiences in the series of Sheraton hotels and with tourist organizations. The 100 recipes garnered from Chinese chefs punctuate the day-by-day travelogue and, while tantalizing (Lobster Cantonese, sauteed with black beans, garlic and ginger) and sometimes obscure (Shredded Chicken and Snake Soup), for the most part are too briefly explained to do credit to their complexity. Herbal specialties, vegetarian recipes and yum cha (dumplings and finger foods served with tea) receive their own quick chapters. Overall, this effort is too confusing to introduce Chinese cuisine, too breezy to satisfy aficionados.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
A vivid account of a rich culinary legacy . . .A fabulous collection of 100 delicious, authentic recipes
Chinese cooking is one of the world's oldest continuous culinary traditions, developed over the course of four thousand years. A subject of profound importance for countless generations of Chinese philosophers, scholars, poets, and ordinary people, the selection, preparation, and consumption of food is much more than a matter of sustenance in Chinese tradition. It is the art of maintaining a subtle harmony between mind and senses. Now, The Food and Cooking of China invites you to explore the spiritual and sensual delights of Chinese cuisine as it takes you on a fascinating journey through the many regions of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
"Francine Halvorsen takes Chinese food lovers to 'the source' in this book. Along with her travel notes from a recent culinary tour of China, she includes a food history of the country and authentic regional recipes that can be reproduced in the American kitchen. This is a journey you are sure to enjoy!" --Jacques Pepin Author, teacher, and host of the PBS-TV series, Today's Gourmet
"Francine Halvorsen's travel through Asia, exploring the relationship between food and culture are chronicled in this fascinating book. Along with a detailed description of every meal and bits of culture she encountered are recipes of the most popular regional dishes. If you love Asian food like I do, you too will love reading this book." -- Martin Yan Television Host, "Yan Can Cook"
Chinese cooking is one of the world's oldest continuous culinary traditions, developed over the course of four thousand years. A subject of profound importance for countless generations of Chinese philosophers, scholars, poets, and ordinary people, the selection, preparation, and consumption of food is much more than a matter of sustenance in Chinese tradition. It is the art of maintaining a subtle harmony between mind and senses. Now, The Food and Cooking of China invites you to explore the spiritual and sensual delights of Chinese cuisine as it takes you on a fascinating journey through the many regions of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
"Francine Halvorsen takes Chinese food lovers to 'the source' in this book. Along with her travel notes from a recent culinary tour of China, she includes a food history of the country and authentic regional recipes that can be reproduced in the American kitchen. This is a journey you are sure to enjoy!" --Jacques Pepin Author, teacher, and host of the PBS-TV series, Today's Gourmet
"Francine Halvorsen's travel through Asia, exploring the relationship between food and culture are chronicled in this fascinating book. Along with a detailed description of every meal and bits of culture she encountered are recipes of the most popular regional dishes. If you love Asian food like I do, you too will love reading this book." -- Martin Yan Television Host, "Yan Can Cook"
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
In China, people were cooking food when a good deal of the human race was still eating it raw. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In China, people were cooking food when a good deal of the human race was still eating it raw. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great Concept, Lacklustre Execution,
This review is from: The Food and Cooking of China: An Exploration of Chinese Cuisine in the Provinces and Cities of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Paperback)
Behind this book is a great concept - do a 'culinary tour' of China, write up your experiences in the provinces, and include 100 authentic recipes gathered on the road. And so I bought it with great anticipation. Well, the result has things to commend it, and I want to like it. But there are just two things preventing me from liking it a lot more, one annoying, the other, odious. The author, Francine Halvorsen travels to a a handful of cities (she does not venture into the countryside) and meets with mainly professional catering-type people. We do learn some interesting things about the cuisine, but if you expect a colourful portrait of how most people cook and eat in China, you won't find it here. So what is annoying about the book? The present tense, mock diary-style, the author uses. Bad choice. Perhaps a magazine article in the present tense would be ok, but in my experience it takes a very fine writer to pull this off book-length. Now the odious: Halvorsen could have journeyed the Silk Road, instead she has followed the Sheraton Trail. It appears the author's tour was sponsored by China Airlines and the Sheraton Hotel group. That's fine if you want to go that route; maybe. But please have some subtlety about it! Pages of blatant advertorial on the splendours of airline food, and endless interviews with Sheraton managers and chefs are very damaging to Halvoren's cause.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond Column A,
By
This review is from: The Food and Cooking of China: An Exploration of Chinese Cuisine in the Provinces and Cities of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Paperback)
If you're having trouble getting past the combination plate, this book will teach your palate how to tickle. I've tried three recipes and look forward to the next as soon as my internist gives the okay. Two chopsticks up!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great Concept, Lacklustre Execution,
By Fredrik W. - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Food and Cooking of China: An Exploration of Chinese Cuisine in the Provinces and Cities of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Paperback)
Behind this book is a great concept - do a culinary tour of China, write up your experiences, and include 100 authentic recipes gathered on the road. And so I bought it with great anticipation. Well, the result has things to commend it, and I want to like it. But there are just two things preventing me from liking it a lot more, one annoying, the other, odious.
The author, Francine Halvorsen travels to a handful of cities (she does not venture into the countryside) and meets with mainly professional catering-type people. We do learn some interesting things about the cuisine, but if you expect a colourful portrait of how people cook and eat in China, you won't find it here. So what is annoying about the book? The present tense, mock diary-style, used by the author. Bad choice. Perhaps a magazine article in the present tense would be OK, but in my experience it takes a very fine writer to pull this off book-length. Now the odious: Halvorsen could have journeyed the Silk Road, instead she followed the Sheraton Circuit. It appears the author's tour was sponsored by China Airlines and the Sheraton Hotel group. That's fine if you want to go that route; maybe. But please have some subtlety about it! Pages of blatant advertorial on the splendours of airline food, and endless interviews with Sheraton managers and chefs damage Halvoren's credibility. There is a useful glossary of terms in English and Hanyu Pinyin, though some may be of dubious accuracy. The author has done sufficient research, but is let down by the quickie feel of the actual trip and the sloppy work at the back of the book. 0 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond Column A,
By Robert A. feldman "parasol" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Food and Cooking of China: An Exploration of Chinese Cuisine in the Provinces and Cities of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Paperback)
If you're having trouble getting past the combination plate, this book will teach your palate how to tickle. I've tried three recipes and look forward to the next as soon as my internist gives the okay. Two chopsticks up!
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