April 03, 2008
7:00 PM
 THE
LAST CHINESE CHEF by Nicole Mones
Struggling to get back on her feet in the wake of
her husband's premature death and stunned by a
paternity suit against her husband's estate, food
writer Maggie McElroy plans a trip to China to
investigate the claim and to profile rising chef Sam
Liang, who introduces her to the Chinese concept of
food, while drawing her into his extended family and
helping her come to terms with her life.
Editor's Notes:
Nicole Mones home page
The author's website is a wonderful adjunct to the
book. For food lovers, there is an entire section on
the cuisine of the book including the restaurants
readers should visit when in specific Oriental cities
plus Los Angeles and San Francisco
There is also a section including recipes for
dishes from the book. Why not try making dishes while
you read the book?
You can also purchase all her books on the site
including Lost in Translation and A Cup of
Light.
Here is the description of the book from the site.
| You
may know Chinese food; you may even
love it. But The Last Chinese Chef will
take you into a world of Chinese food
you never even knew existed. Here is
the hidden universe of one of the
world's great cuisines. Its philosophy,
its concepts, and its artistic
ambitions are all illuminated in a
story that's entertaining, emotionally
satisfying, and erudite.
When widowed American food writer
Maggie McElroy is hit by a paternity
claim against her husband's estate, she
has to go to China immediately. She
asks her magazine for time off. They
counter with an assignment: to profile
rising culinary star Sam Liang.
In China Maggie teases apart the
knots of her husband's past, finding
out more than she expected about
him and about herself. With Sam as her
guide, she also journeys deep into a
food culture rooted in its own
principles and traditions. She is
transformed - by the cuisine, by Sam's
family, a querulous but loving pack of
passionate cooks and diners, and most
of all by Sam himself. She begins to
feel her soul coming back.
This is a novel of food, friendship,
and falling in love, one that will
forever change the way you look at
Chinese food |
The
SuperchefBlog is a taste sensation for anyone
who loves knowing about food, loves preparing food,
loves eating food, loves discovering new foods or just
loves food
This link posts about the author and book but also
gives links to other information about both plus a
menu of tempt ting information about cooking,
chefs, and every conceivable connection to food.
Read an excerpt from the book and find out about
the author on another foodie site
Culinate
You won’t want to stop surfing this site until you
have read everything about Mones and her novel and
then moved on to recipes and other information you can
chew over
New York Times Review
Read an interview with the author at the
California Literary Review
Check
Barnes and Noble for an overview of the book,
synopsis and many reviews including consumer comments
Mones’ book is a finalist for the
2008 Koriyama Prize which celebrates literary
voices of the Pacific Rim Read about all the finalists
before announcement of the prize on April 1, 2008.
Koriyama Prize
Entertainment Weekly Review
Settle back and enjoy hearing the
NPR interview with the author. Maybe
while you have a cup of tea or try one of the recipes
from the book. |
Adult
Book Discussion Group
