Tag Archives: Food

May 5, 2013 · 1:13 pm

What a Party! by Ana Maria Machado, illustrated by Hélène Moreau, translated by Elisa Amado

What a Party!In the same delightful, sequential fun of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – if you do x, then y happens – Brazilian überauthor of more than a hundred books, Ana Maria Machado, puts on a party of epic proportions.

“If a few days before your birthday your mother should say, ‘I think I’m going to bake a cake and buy some juice. Why don’t you ask one of your friends to come over to play?’” You welcome your Mother’s suggestion, but ask for a little more: “‘Well, could Jack bring someone and maybe some food too?” When your distracted mother answers, “‘Of course. Invite anyone you’d like,’” well, then … there’s all the permission you ever needed! And you write the invitation just so: “Come to my party. It’s my BIRTHDAY. Bring along whoever you want and whatever you like to eat.”

Jack and his brother Larry bring cookies. Jack tells Beto and Antonieta who can’t bear to leave their parrot home, and arrives with pineapple, mangos, and passion fruit. Of course, Antonieta had to tell her best friend Fatima, who tells her brother Djamel, so their mother sends tajine with olives and pickled lemons. Tony will want to bring cousin Carlo, with pizzas and gelato to share. Which means Hannah and her little brother will come with their canary to meet Antonieta’s parrot, along with a Black Forest cake and springerle, too. Maria is their neighbor, so she shows up with her macaw, as well as flan and cod cakes. Carmen brings paella, and Tamio brings sushi. Along with so many friends and such festive eats, the backyard fills with salsa dancers and a reggae band … and suddenly, “your birthday party could turn out to be the craziest, wildest, funnest party ever!”

Author Machado, who won the 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Award – the world’s highest international recognition for kiddie book writers and illustrators – knows how to party, bringing together all the different friends, families, cuisines from around the world into one multi-culti celebration. Machado’s artistic comrade-in-colors, Hélène Moreau, gives delicious vibrance to every part of the party preparations, gathering friends, foods, animals, and eventually even the parents who just can’t stay away. Machado shows us just how easy every day could be party day … no excuses necessary to gather, laugh, and dance …!

Readers: Children

Published: 2013 (Canada, United States)

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March 5, 2013 · 10:10 am

The Hakka Cookbook: Chinese Soul Food from Around the World by Linda Lau Anusasananan, art by Alan Lau, foreword by Martin Yan

Hakka CookbookHow come no one is out there cooking their way through all the recipes of an Asian cookbook and blogging about it, then making a movie with … say, Jackie Chan fighting the good fight with woks and chopsticks?

Really, if I had any talent in the kitchen (the only thing I can do well is eat!), this is the culinary challenge I’d pick. Learning about Hakka cuisine (previously knowing absolutely nothing) and doing so by going around the world, sounds like the perfect premise for a most appetizing peripatetic eats fest. Any media mavens out there getting hungry?

Longtime favorite chef Martin Yan fills his “Foreword” with his own memories of Hakka cooking (which date back to his childhood in Guangzhou), throws in that a formidable 80 million people around the world claim Hakka ancestors (a Chinese subgroup, the Hakka are believed to have originated in what is now central China), exclaims “‘It’s about time!’” for a Hakka cookbook, and ends with the heartfelt query: “Honoring our culture through delicious food: is there a better way?”

Author Linda Lau Anusasananan does just that, taking us on a culinary journey channeled by memories of her beloved Hakka grandmother, Popo, who reminded her and her brother Alan (who contributes his dreamy art throughout the book), “‘You should be proud to be Hakka.’” After spending over 35 years writing predominantly about Western food for renowned Sunset magazine, Anusasananan’s “knowledge of Chinese food was superficial,” she confesses. ”With this book, I’ve discovered my family history and how it merges into the Hakka diaspora,” she explains. “I’m recapturing the flavor and spirit of my Hakka culture through [my grandmother's] life and her food.”

Anusasananan begins her journey in “Popo’s Kitchen on Gold Mountain,” in California, where Au Shee arrived in 1921 via Angel Island as a new bride. When Anusasananan was born in 1947, as Au Shee’s first grandchild, Anusasananan’s birth transformed Au Shee into Popo. Decades after Popo’s death – as “reminders of my Hakka identity grew scarce” – Anusasananan returns to the family’s ancestral home in China, where the “taste of true Hakka food” gives her “a baseline for comparison.” She continues her culinary adventures – learning from home cooks and famous chefs – through Beijing, Luodai, and Hong Kong, and onto stops in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Mauritius. She crosses the Pacific to Peru, Hawai’i, and Tahiti, and back to North America to Toronto and New York, before coming back home to Gold Mountain. “Finally, I have fulfilled Popo’s wishes. Yes, Popo, I’m proud to be Hakka.”

Distinctive cooking, little-known history, heartfelt family memoir, and quite the global movable feast. Might I just add: mmm mmm good!

Readers: Adult

Published: 2012

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Filed under ..Adult Readers, .Memoir, .Nonfiction, Chinese, Chinese American

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February 25, 2013 · 9:46 am

Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop

Every Grain of RiceHow’s this for a fabulous first line? “The Chinese know, perhaps better than anyone else, how to eat.” Think about any little small town in the U.S. alone … no matter where you are, the one type of food you can be guaranteed to find sooner than later, is … Chinese. Really. On these here home shores (and everywhere in between), you’ll find more Chinese restaurants than McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s combined [check out this quick Yahoo! video on the all-American history of Chinese food]. That said, American Chinese food is not exactly authentic … so if you’re looking for some real cuisine, this gorgeous cookbook promises basic, fresh, healthy, delicious, and best of all … simple.

Meet Fuchsia Dunlop, who holds the distinction of being “the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in central China.” She speaks fluent Mandarin (which always elevates any outsider’s status), and has spent two decades researching, crafting, creating Chinese culinary delights – she’s got two award-winning cookbooks and a memoir as proof.

Her latest is another feast, done simple: “I’m not talking here about [Chinese] exquisite haute cuisine, or their ancient tradition of gastronomy. I’m talking about the ability of ordinary Chinese home cooks to transform humble and largely vegetarian ingredients into wonderful delicacies, and to eat in a way that not only delights the senses, but also makes sense in terms of health, economy and the environment.” She reminds us (more than a few times, because we need it, ahem), “With all the fuss over the Mediterranean diet, people in the West tend to forget that the Chinese have a system of eating that is equally healthy, balanced, sustainable and pleasing. Perhaps it’s the dominance of Chinese restaurant food – with its emphasis on meat, seafood and deep-frying as a cooking method – that has made us overlook the fact that typical Chinese home cooking is centered on grains and vegetables.”

Instead of picking up the phone for that next delivery or take-out, Dunlop gives you the better, healthier, tastier option of staying in. She shows you how to stock your kitchen with easy essentials (including “magic ingredients”!) – sauces, spices, and equipment. She offers a basic primer on cutting (“the first basic skill of the Chinese kitchen”) and other how-to techniques. She helps you plan your table, from beginning to (healthy) dessert, even providing sample menus for two, four, and six. Then there are the recipes … with truly picture-perfect photography for almost every dish. Just leafing through a few pages will get you salivating. Please, do pass the bib!

Readers: Adult

Published: 2013 (United States)

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December 21, 2012 · 9:47 am

The Drops of God: New World by Tadashi Agi, illustrated by Shu Okimoto, translated by Vertical, Inc.

I must confess that I’ve been loathe to post about this latest volume of The Drops of God – an intoxicating, ongoing race between faux-siblings to identify 13 bottles of phenomenal wines (“The Twelve Apostles,” plus the eponymous “Drops of God”) as chosen by their late legendary wine critic father – for utterly selfish reasons. I figured if I took the ‘head-in-the-sand’-denial approach, then this couldn’t possibly be the last available volume-in-translation in the series, right?

The late Yutaka Kanzaki’s description of his Seventh Apostle ends with an enigmatic reference to “the eternally to be finished Sagrada Família,” the Barcelona church designed by Antoni Gaudí which remains incomplete more than a century after construction commenced in 1882. The search sends adopted-just-before-his-death son Issei Tomine to Napa Valley. His chosen traveling companion is (surprise, surprise) Loulan, his hapa Japanese Uyghur guide and savior (vital to finding Apostle #2) who now apparently seems to be his assistant of sorts. Issei’s ‘brother’ and rival Shizuku Kanzaki considers the ‘new worlds’ of South America, South Africa, and New Zealand, but eventually flies to the Australian Outback with his usual sidekick Miyabe Shinohara.

While discovering and enjoying some of the new world’s best wine offerings, Issei and Loulan outsmart gun-toting merchants while Shizuku and Miyabe help prevent greedy lumber exporters from setting fire to precious forests. Returning to the Kanzaki mansion with such unique adventures … and a single bottle each, the elusive Apostle is about to be revealed …

In case you hadn’t noticed, New World (which doesn’t have a volume number) is out of synch with the other four published translations thus far; the previous volume (#4) was a search for the Second Apostle, but New World jumps forward five bottles (and at least as many volumes) to the Seventh. We can only hope that fab publisher Vertical, Inc. will both fill in, then resume, this holy oenophilic quest sooner than later … oh please, please, please?

Readers: Adult

Published: 2012 (United States)

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Filed under ..Adult Readers, .Fiction, .Graphic Novel/Manga/Manwha, .Translation, Japanese

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August 23, 2012 · 10:33 am

Ten-Minute Bento by Megumi Fujii, translated by Maya Rosewood

Ready for the frenzy of going back to school? So long, summer … hello, morning rush! I shudder …

Since school lunch is not an option at our kids’ school, every weekday (early) morning we make two meals at the same time: breakfast and lunch. We’re constantly searching for quick, healthy, filling options as the kids quickly grow tired of the same-old, same-old. Ten-Minute Bento is full of toothsome, healthy ideas we’ll be trying too soon (how did summer whoosh by so quickly??!!).

“Just cook up some rice, and add a topping and your Ten-Minute Bento is done!” promises trained nutritionist and celebrated Japanese chef Megumi Fujii (who’s published some 40-plus cookbooks already!). She certainly makes the process look easy: a bed of rice with one or two toppings in one container and you’re done!

The good chef offers endless combinations for toppings (with minimal ingredients for non-talented kitchen crew like me, ahem!), that range from favorites like Korean bibimbap, chicken teriyaki, and even a hamburger, to healthy veggie sides and rice combinations, and pasta and bread bentos and more. The enticing photos (complete with various, fun packaging options from a Cool Whip container to Tupperware to takeout boxes) on every page just beg for a pair of chopsticks.

If this is the way I can get fed, maybe it’s time for me to think about going back to school and finally finish my abandoned almost-PhDs! Anything for a good meal, huh?

Readers: Adult

Published: 2012

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August 13, 2012 · 10:06 am

Food and Faith by Susan Reuben and Sophie Pelham

Six children, six different faiths … while their holy days and festivals vary, the one thing they share – that we all share, regardless of the specifics of our backgrounds – are special foods we share with family and friends to celebrate memorable occasions.

Francesca is Christian and eats turkey for Christmas and chocolate eggs at Easter. Jacob is Jewish and shares challah during Shabbat and matzah during Passover. Aneesa is Muslim, so she only eats foods that are halal, and when she is old enough, she, too, will fast during Ramadan. Francis is Buddhist, and he helps prepare and serve meals to the monks and nuns because Buddhists believe that giving food is an honor. Akhil is Hindu and is vegetarian because Hindus practice ahimsa, or non-violence, including toward animals. And Tavleen is Sikh, and Sikh families take turns preparing the langar, the communal meal everyone enjoys after service.

Originally released by a British press, American readers might notice some slight variations, especially in vocabulary: for example, for Christians across the Pond, the Tuesday before Lent is called Shrove Tuesday, while their American cousins tend to call it Fat Tuesday, or more so Mardi Gras, a name which is French is origin. That variations exist even within the same faith, is a great reminder that god (in all his/her supreme incarnations) is not in the details … while the traditions, rules, texts, foods may be different, the bonds of family and the respect for community are the same throughout.

The overemphasis on our religious differences surely contributed to the country’s latest hate crime. As we mourn for the victims and their families of the Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin on August 5, 2012, we need regular reminders that the shared ideals supporting family and community are what should bring us all together.

Through words and photographs, author and artist choose six children and their families, each of whom could easily be your best friend, your neighbor, your colleague, your child’s buddy. At the risk of sounding Pollyanna-ish, gazing at these children’s open, trusting faces offers great hope. Surely our faith in nurturing our families – especially our children – and creating community, can bond us beyond our labels so that we might all celebrate our individual uniqueness … together.

Readers: Children, Middle Grade

Published: 2012

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Filed under ..Children/Picture Books, ..Middle Grade Readers, .Nonfiction, British, British Asian, Nonethnic-specific

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June 19, 2012 · 10:18 am

The Drops of God (vol. 4) by Tadashi Agi, illustrated by Shu Okimoto, translated by Maya Rosewood

No oenophile am I, but I sure am addicted to this delicious new series. To catch up to this latest volume which hits shelves today, be sure to click here.

The elusive chase continues between faux-siblings, Shizuku Kanzaki and his just-recently-adopted brother Issei Tomine, to identify 13 wines: “The Twelve Apostles” plus the eponymous “Drops of God,” as stipulated in Shizuku’s father’s will. The winner will inherit internationally renowned wine critic and collector Yutaka Kanzaki’s vast estate, including his priceless wine collection.

As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Issei is already heir apparent with his unrivaled reputation. Shizuku, in spite of his lineage, is a virtual newbie to wines and yet he managed to identity the First Apostle. Now the Second Apostle, called the “Mona Lisa,” awaits discovery …

Issei’s search leads him to the remote Taklaman Desert in Uyghur, Central Asia to rediscover his “thirst for wine,” and just happens to meet a gorgeous hapa-Japanese local more than willing to be his guide. Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, Shizuku and his sidekick Miyabi Shinohara lift a former classmate of Miyabi’s from his own label-obsessed shallowness and rescue a mystery writer from criminal intent, which just might lead them toward enigmatic Apostle Two. With such meandering journeys, who will grab the winning bottle?

Mystery, adventure, travelogue, love story, wine primer and buying guide (yes, all the bottles are real), and even a lesson or two on how not to live your life, are all presented in such finely-detailed drawings (representations of Da Vinci and his Mona Lisa, for example, are downright spectacular) that they hardly seem containable on a flat page. Go ahead: smell that toothsome yakitori, look deep into smiling eyes, reach for that elusive bottle, taste that radiant vintage … indeed, this series is a full-sensory delight.

Readers: Adult

Published: 2012 (United States)

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June 6, 2012 · 4:33 pm

Reel Cuisine: Blockbuster Dishes from the Silver Screen by Nami Iijima, photography by Elina Yamasaki

This cookbook is probably the most unusual little collection I’ve ever come across … and quite a treat for the brain as well as potentially for the stomach. The writer/chef, Nami Iijima, is a Tokyo-based food stylist who has created tasty dishes for commercials, TV, and film worldwide. She also writes a Japanese newsmagazine column, “Reel Cuisine,” which combines her love of food and film … read on!

“‘Slice of life’ is one of my favorite film genres, and in such films there’s almost always food,” she writes in her introduction. “But sometimes the food is only shown for an instant, or if it’s featured prominently I have no idea how to make it myself. I’m guessing there are other film fans out there that feel the same way.” So she began to “faithfully recreate the dishes shown in various films so as to appease film fans and movie buffs,” including 17 attempts she went through to replicate the perfect chiffon cake as shown in The Secret Life of Bees! But don’t be intimated … because she promises the recipes are “easy and accessible, even for people who are enamored with cinema but aren’t so confident in the kitchen.”

Divided into five sections, the first features dishes Iijima created for films for which she was the food stylist. Talk about behind-the-scenes: Chicken Nuggets (nothing like the fast food version!) in Antarctic Chef about a cook who creates meals to cheer up the workers in the coldest place on earth, Boiled Tripe from Villon’s Wife based on an Osamu Dazai story about the long-suffering wife of an alcoholic philanderer, Rice Balls for Seagull Diner about a Helsinki diner where the main offering is … rice balls.

In the second section, “Travel Around the World,” Iijama stops for Chicken Meatball Phở from Good Morning Vietnam, Silken Crab with Vegetables from Eat Drink Man Woman, Fish and Chips from Dear Frankie and Popcorn (!) from Welcome to Dongmakgol. She serves “Happy Brunch” in part 3, offering Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce from The Godfather: Part III, French Toast from Kramer vs. Kramer, Fried Rice from Tampopo, and Kidney Bean Soup from Red Like the Sky.

You can invite the relatives in part 4, “Delicious Family Dinners,” and serve Risotto from Big Night, Sauteéd Salmon from Life is Beautiful, Steak from My Date with Drew, and Samosas from The Namesake. You’re surely promised sweet endings with “Cinematic Sweets,” including Apple Pie from The Shawshank Redemption, Brownies from Notting Hill, and Iced Azuki from Glasses.

Hungry yet? Forget book club! I’m thinking it’s time to start a monthly (weekly?) movie night featuring one of these films with its corresponding dish! Anyone wanna join me?

At book’s end, Iijima includes a few days from her fascinating work diary with “I love cooking and eating,” written across the top of each page … and you can’t help but think, “Me, too! Me, too!” right along with her!

Readers: Adult

Published: 2011 (United States)

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May 26, 2012 · 11:37 am

The Drops of God (vols. 1-3) by Tadashi Agi, illustrated by Shu Okimoto, translated by Kate Robinson

I’m the first to admit that I’m no oenophile, in spite of the years we lived in Northern California when we wandered the wineries of Napa, Sonoma, and even the tiny boutique arbors scattered through the Santa Cruz Mountains (the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m. – traumatized? who me? – had us fleeing not only the state, but the whole country; we moved to London before the year was out).

I’m sure my palate is just not that sophisticated, but nevertheless, I gleefully imbibed this manga series. I’m not alone – with three volumes out Stateside thus far, Drops began hitting the ever-coveted New York Times bestseller list for manga with its English debut volume last fall. It’s already been a major success around the world, affecting not only the publishing industry, but wine sales around the world! Volume 1 boasts quite a stamp of approval: Decanter Magazine insists, “Arguably the most influential wine publication for the past 20 years!” Yup, you read that right! A manga!!!

Here’s the basic story: Shizuku Kanzaki has never tasted wine, a supreme irony as his late father, Yutaka Kanzaki, was an internationally renowned wine critic and collector. He’s been estranged from his famous parent, purposefully keeping a clear distance from his far-reaching legacy; Shizuku’s chosen a career selling beer instead! But now he’s called to the family mansion for the reading of the will, which his father has titled “The Drops of God.” In order to inherit his father’s vast estate, including his priceless wine collection, Shizuku must identify 13 different wines: the first 12 are called “The Twelve Apostles,” the 13th being the eponymous “Drops of God.” But Shizuku has competition – just before he passed away, Yutaka Kanzaki adopted another son (!), Issei Tomine, who seems – at least in terms of the wine world – to be Kanzaki’s heir apparent as he’s already a highly regarded wine critic in spite of his youth (and arrogance, ahem!). The two ‘brothers’ have exactly a year to identify the selected wines. Lest you think Issei has the clear advantage, no worries: Shizuku grew up with his legendary father who somehow managed to instill some phenomenal abilities in his contrary son. Shizuku also gets by with not-a-little help from his friends, especially sommelier-in-training Miyabi Shinohara.

Woven into the rather exciting treasure hunt are many other reasons why this series is so enticing:

  • Even if you’re not a wine enthusiast, you can’t help but learn some fabulously insightful facts here: about terroir, mariage, vintages, regions, decanting, and so much more. Plus, all the wines mentioned are for real!
  • While chasing the Apostles, Shizuku and Miyabi run into endlessly entertaining characters who both help and hinder the great search, including lost lovers, an Italian wine expert who eschews all things French, a flailing restaurateur, twin wine salesmen with vastly different methodologies, an amnesic painter, and so many more.
  • The art, the art! Your palate might be intrigued by the various bottles, but your eyes are what will get the real feast. Every time Shizuku discovers a fabulous wine, his imagination blossoms across the pages – from heartfelt childhood memories to pastoral scenes, to a gorgeous masquerade ball to Freddie Mercury (!), to chanting monks and even Cleopatra. Shizuku’s competition, meanwhile, sees John the Baptist’s severed head. Go figure!
  • By the way, ”Tadashi Agi” is the pseudonym for a brother-and-sister team – talent sure runs in this family!

So as the holiday weekend begins, you might celebrate with a few of the wines – depending on your budget, you can actually find a few affordable choices (volumes 1 and 2 offer an especially educational (emotional, funny) face-off between cheap French and Italian vintages of the $10, $20, $30 range!). Just know your limits … and à votre santé indeed!

Readers: Adult

Published: 2011-2012 (United States)

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May 10, 2012 · 4:53 pm

Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic by Ginnie Lo, illustrated by Beth Lo

“The last part of the trip to Auntie Yang’s always took forever,” recalls older sister Jinyi as her family drives from small-town Indiana to the outskirts of Chicago. But they made the journey often because Jinyi’s mother and Auntie Yang were the only two siblings (of many more) who were separated by war from the rest of their family back in China. “Mama said she wanted us cousins to grow up ‘as close as four soybeans in a soybean pod.’”

One September weekend out on a Sunday drive through endless corn farms, Auntie Yang happens to notice a field of … soybeans! Way, way, back in the day, soybeans were not the wondrous health food as they’re considered today; half-a-century-plus ago, only cows and pigs ate them. But Auntie Yang is thrilled to find one of China’s most versatile comfort foods and she convinces the farmer to share, laughing at his question, “‘Do you have a little pig at home?’”

So begins Auntie Yang’s annual soybean picnic: such a toothsome treat can hardly be kept secret and the family affair quickly grows to include six Chinese American families the next year, then 30 the following year, until it outgrows Auntie Yang’s backyard and moves to a city park to accommodate the growing Chinese American community … and their appetites!

Based on the real-life memories of two sisters growing up Chinese American in the Midwest – “There were very few Chinese families in the Midwest back then, so Mama and Auntie Yang made sure our families visited often” – Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic is definitely one of those heartwarming multi-generational family tales you’ll want to share again and again. Might I also suggest taking it along on road trips with the young ‘uns, to pull out every time someone asks, “Are we there yet?”

As entertaining as the story is – just adorable, for sure! – Picnic‘s uniqueness-factor belongs definitely to the whimsical, delightful art. Younger sister Beth Lo is a ceramic artist who created a series of handmade, hand-painted ceramic plates to illustrate her retired computer science professor Ginnie’s text! Her style, especially when depicting her characters, is somewhat reminiscent of Grandma Moses’ folksy, ‘naive’ charm, although Lo’s sense of perspective is far more advanced, especially given the rounded, circular surface she’s painting on!

I can almost imagine all the delicious foods piled high on these wondrous creations, and the magical reaction as the food disappears and the pictures are revealed … of course, I’d be a nervous wreck thinking about the potential damage to the art, but the bursting smiles of surprise just might be worth an occasional risk. Talk about a cultural dish! WOW!

Readers: Children

Published: 2012

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Filed under ..Children/Picture Books, .Memoir, .Nonfiction, Chinese American

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