Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods

by Grace Lin, Lisa Ling (Read by)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Author Grace Lin has crafted a stunningly vibrant read with Chinese Menu, which explores the storied history and mythology behind our favorite American Chinese foods. Chinese Menu is the perfect gift for the young foodie in your life.

Newbery and Caldecott honoree and New York Times bestselling author Grace Lin delivers a groundbreaking, lushly illustrated, and beautifully written full-color book that explores the whimsical myths and stories behind your favorite American Chinese food.

From fried dumplings to fortune cookies, here are the tales behind your favorite foods.

Do you know the stories behind delectable dishes—like the fun connection between scallion pancakes and pizza? Or how dumplings cured a village’s frostbitten ears? Or how wonton soup tells about the creation of the world? 

Separated into courses like a Chinese menu, these tales—based in real history and folklore—are filled with squabbling dragons, magical fruits, and hungry monks. This book will bring you to far-off times and marvelous  places, all while making your mouth water. And, along the way, you might just discover a deeper understanding of the resilience and triumph behind this food, and what makes it undeniably American. 

Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin provides a visual and storytelling feast as she gives insight on the history, legends, and myths behind your favorite American Chinese dishes. Chinese Menu makes the perfect gift book for anyone who loves good food—and an even better story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668638811
Publisher:	Hachette Book Group
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Product dimensions:	5.85(w) x 5.66(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Grace Lin is the recipient of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award and is the bestselling author and illustrator of over thirty books, including A Big Mooncake for Little Star (a Caldecott Honor Book), A Big Bed for Little Snow, the Ling & Ting series, The Year of the Dog, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (a Newbery Honor Book). Grace is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Massachusetts. She invites you to visit her at gracelin.com.

Lisa Ling is a special correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show and a host of National Geographic Explorer. She was also a cohost of ABC’s The View and a reporter for Channel One News.

Editorial Reviews

What a gorgeous and thoroughly researched book about the origins of the cuisine that has become more ubiquitous than hamburgers in America: Chinese food. A stunning example of how what we eat can be a window into a vast and complex culture.”

host of This Is Life Lisa Ling

Destined to become a family classic, Chinese Menu brings together the rich legends and history behind the Chinese dishes we know and love. The stories of dragons, emperors, monks, and scholars will delight and inform people of all ages and backgrounds.”

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer 8. Lee

Chinese Menu will delight, inspire, and educate you about your favorite foods and make your mouth water while you read it! It’s the perfect book for food lovers of all ages!”

New York Times bestselling cookbook author Michelle Tam

Not to be missed, grab your chopsticks, some oolong tea, and dive into this culinary treasure trove.

—SLJ, starred

From the Publisher

★ 2023-06-21
The hidden histories, fantastical folklore, and tastiest tidbits of American Chinese cuisine.

Organized like a meal, from appetizers and soups to chef’s specials and desserts, Lin uncovers the secrets behind the most famous dishes of American Chinese restaurant menus. Each section contains a brief introduction, with first-person narration offering context through personal anecdotes and historical facts. Then it’s off to the banquet: a bounty of wondrous, romantic, and sometimes grotesque tales that trace the origins of rice, wontons, Peking duck, and more. As with much folklore, the stories sometimes contain references to dark or mature topics (poverty, suicide, concubines), but thoughtful, age-appropriate commentary strikes an effective balance. The volume is liberally illustrated—contemporary images are rendered in full color, while illustrations of the stories appear in limited palettes, drawing a clear distinction between the past and the present. Many tales take place in dynastic China, but stories like “General Tso’s Chicken” and “Chop Suey” underscore the truly American natures of these dishes. Although the vast ground covered here could, ​​in less skilled hands, overwhelm the uninitiated—the dishes chronicled extend as far back as 7000 BCE and up to the 1950s—Lin’s conversational asides and the book’s meticulous supporting materials, including a timeline and extensive endnotes, ensure that readers never lose their way. The illustrations and tone indicate a young readership, but there’s much here for readers and eaters of all ages.

An utterly delectable feast of history and storytelling. (map, author’s note, recipe, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews