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Books: Cooking by Cuisine -> Cooking Chinese
Swallowing Clouds: A Playful Journey Through Chinese Culture, Language, and Cuisine
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by:
Zee, A.
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Publisher:
University of Washington Press
Published: March 1, 2002
ISBN: 0295981911
Format:Paperback
Pages:378
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Book Description
From Library Journal
Wonton, which transliterates in Chinese as "swallowing clouds," gives title to this delightful mix of Chinese etymology, cooking, and culture. Zee, also author of An Old Man's Toy: Gravity at Work and Play ( LJ 3/1/89), invites the
reader to learn written Chinese through food characters. He explains the pictorial origin of characters for fire, water, and others as they reappear in dozens of dishes. Playfully retold folk stories, such as the ten sayings of the fist drinking game,
add verbal spice. Compared with James McCawley's The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters (Univ. of Chicago Pr. 1984), with its list of word equivalents, Zee's book coaxes with the lively example, humor, and repetition of a good teacher. Recommended for
people who enjoy Chinese food, as well as those who want a taste of the Chinese language.
-Elizabeth A. Teo, Moraine Valley Community Coll. Lib., Palos Hills, Ill.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print
or unavailable edition of this title.
Anne Tyler, Washington Post Book World
"Charming. . . a study of the very nature of Chinese culture."
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