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A review by gimchi
The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones
2.0
a very quick read, a bit of fluff and not very deep.
maybe i'm a total asshole cynic, but i'm often turned off by sentences like this (last sentence of the summary on the back), "It is here, amid lessons of tradition, obligation, and human connection that she finds the secret ingredient that may yet heal her heart." ok, it's the last 3 words. ugh.
the only part that kept me interested were the descriptions and talk about chinese food, and honestly, it wasn't that enlightening for me. maybe cause i'm chinese? where my dad cooks incredible food like this all the time? i've visited china? this shit ain't new.
this book should be enjoyed by someone who enjoys food and other cultures. BAM. done.
but for me, it was just lacking. sentences felt clumsy and... dialogue felt weird and stilted. i get it, she's writing dialogue for people speaking chinese, and it felt like a weird direct translation.
i mean, dude, my dad has a crazy accent and speaks in broken english. i read amy tan and her dialogue is incredible, it doesn't make me feel awkward, or displaced, but this book totally did that - i felt awkward and it seemed so clunky.
and i write all that and at the same time, there were teeeeeensy blips where i connected with the main character. she feels kinship with the people she meets in beijing, and like when i visit my family in china, even though i can't communicate with them via language, i feel loved. it feels wonderful and calming - it's this great sense of community and the lack of territorial bubbles is a surprisingly welcome facet of life (not in stores or on the street, dear god no, but in a home; it's surprising how not touchy feely we americans are).
so if you're interested in chinese food and the hows and whys of it's interconnectedness with chinese culture in its entirety, give this book a try. i mean, it's not *terrible*, it's just not great. but the food stuff is interesting.
... and thus ends my crappy review.
maybe i'm a total asshole cynic, but i'm often turned off by sentences like this (last sentence of the summary on the back), "It is here, amid lessons of tradition, obligation, and human connection that she finds the secret ingredient that may yet heal her heart." ok, it's the last 3 words. ugh.
the only part that kept me interested were the descriptions and talk about chinese food, and honestly, it wasn't that enlightening for me. maybe cause i'm chinese? where my dad cooks incredible food like this all the time? i've visited china? this shit ain't new.
this book should be enjoyed by someone who enjoys food and other cultures. BAM. done.
but for me, it was just lacking. sentences felt clumsy and... dialogue felt weird and stilted. i get it, she's writing dialogue for people speaking chinese, and it felt like a weird direct translation.
i mean, dude, my dad has a crazy accent and speaks in broken english. i read amy tan and her dialogue is incredible, it doesn't make me feel awkward, or displaced, but this book totally did that - i felt awkward and it seemed so clunky.
and i write all that and at the same time, there were teeeeeensy blips where i connected with the main character. she feels kinship with the people she meets in beijing, and like when i visit my family in china, even though i can't communicate with them via language, i feel loved. it feels wonderful and calming - it's this great sense of community and the lack of territorial bubbles is a surprisingly welcome facet of life (not in stores or on the street, dear god no, but in a home; it's surprising how not touchy feely we americans are).
so if you're interested in chinese food and the hows and whys of it's interconnectedness with chinese culture in its entirety, give this book a try. i mean, it's not *terrible*, it's just not great. but the food stuff is interesting.
... and thus ends my crappy review.