The World Eats Here: Amazing Food and the Inspiring People Who Make It at New York's Queens Night Market

by Storm Garner, John Wang

Overview

Prized recipes and tales of home, work, and family—from the immigrant vendor-chefs of NYC’s first and favorite night market

On summer Saturday nights in Queens, New York, mouthwatering scents from Moldova to Mexico fill the air. Children play, adults mingle . . . and, above all, everyone eats. Welcome to the Queens Night Market, where thousands of visitors have come to feast on amazing international food—from Filipino dinuguan to Haitian diri ak djon djon. The World Eats Here brings these incredible recipes from over 40 countries to your home kitchen—straight from the first- and second-generation immigrant cooks who know them best.

With every recipe comes a small piece of the American story: of culture shock and language barriers, of falling in love and following passions, and of family bonds tested then strengthened by cooking. You’ll meet Sangyal Phuntsok, who learned to make dumplings in a refugee school for Tibetan children; now, his Tibetan Beef Momos with Hot Sauce sell like hotcakes in New York City. And Liia Minnebaeva will blow you away with her Bashkir Farm Cheese Donuts—a treat from her childhood in Oktyabrsky in western Russia.

Though each story is unique, they all celebrate one thing: Food brings people together, and there’s no better proof of that than the Queens Night Market, where flavors from all over the world can be enjoyed in one unforgettable place.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615196647
Publisher:	The Experiment
Publication date:	05/12/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	980,862
File size:	114 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Wang was born and raised in Texas, but his love affair with night markets started during the childhood summers he spent visiting Taiwan. A graduate of Yale’s law and business school (and triple-major from the University of Michigan), John quit his high-paying M&A attorney job at a premier law firm after paying off his student loans and in 2015 pursued his dream of creating what came to be the Queens Night Market. Now in its 5th year, the popular event averages over 12,000 visitors every summer Saturday—and has welcomed over 1 million visitors since its inception. Along with his wife Storm Garner, he is co-author of the market’s cookbook The World Eats Here.

DC-born, Paris-raised, and based in New York City since working on her first La Mama, ETC theater production in 2006, Storm Garner is a multi-disciplined artist—writer, filmmaker, designer, actor, musician—with a BA in Nonfiction Creative Writing from Columbia University and current student in Columbia’s Oral History Master’s Program. She created the video for the Queens Night Market’s first Kickstarter campaign and the stories included in this book are derived from her long-form interviews with participating vendors for her thesis The Queens Night Market Vendor Stories Oral History Project, which will be publicly archived at the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

What We and This Book Are All About 5

The Americas and the Caribbean

1 Queens, NY

Berg's Pastrami Ardrew Steinberg 11

Pastrami Sandwich 12

2 Mexico

La Carnada Jeffrey Hernandez 14

Huaraches with Refried Beans and Nopales 16

El Trompo Maximina Alvarado 18

Tacos de Birria 20

Champurrado (Mexican Hot Chocolate) 21

3 El Salvador

Los Almendros Maria Ortez 23

Salvadoran Chicken Tamales 24

Salvadoran Quesadillas 25

4 Jamaica

Treat yourself Jerk Chicken Alberto Richardson 26

Jerk Chicken 29

5 Haiti

Tania's Kitchen Gardi Armand 30

Diri ak djon djon (Black Mushroom Rice) 32

Akra (Malanga Fritters) 33

6 Puerto Rico

Cocotaso Frances Roman 35

Puerto Rican Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice) 36

Puerto Rican Rellenos de papa (Stuffed Potato Croquettes) 37

7 Antigua

La'Maoli Laura Joseph 39

Antiguan Seafood Soup 40

Antiguan Ginger Beer 42

8 Trinidad

Caribbean Street Eats Sean Ramlal 44

Trinidadian Callaloo (Taro Leaf Stew) 45

Doubles (Curried Chickpea Sandwich) 46

9 Colombia

Arepalicious Danny Atehortua 49

Arepas con huevos pericos (Arepas with Scrambled Eggs) 51

Arepas de queso (Cheese Arepas) 52

Aguapanela con limón (Sugarcane Limeade) 52

10 Guyana

Georgetown Patties Stephen Kanhai 54

Guyanese Beef Patties 56

Guyanese Pine Tarts 58

11 Peru

Don Ceviche Lenin Costas 61

Peruvian Ceviche with Leche de tigre 62

12 Argentina

Chori & Chimi Ruben "German" Montenegro 65

Argentine Choripanes with Chimichurri 66

Europe

13 Portugal

Joey Bats Café Joey Batista 71

Pastéis de nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts) 72

14 Norway

Dotty's Norwegian Kitchen Wesley Wobles 74

Fårikål (Lamb and Cabbage Stew) 76

Fiskegrot (Fish Pudding) 77

Lefse (Potato Flatbread) 78

15 Italy

Di Lena's Dolcini Nicole Carly Di Lena 80

Almond Biscotti 82

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe 83

Calzone di cipolla (Onion Calzone) 84

16 Poland

Brooklyn Dumpling Kika Radz 87

Kopytka (Polish Potato Gnocchi) 88

Potato and Cheese Pierogi 89

17 Kosovo

Balkan Bites Alida Malushi 90

Balkan Cevapi (Grilled Meat Patties) 91

Balkan Baklava 93

18 Romania

Twister Cake Bakery Radu Sirbu 94

Kürtós kalács (Romanian Chimney Cakes) 98

Chicory Coffee 99

19 Moldova

Wembie Valentin Rasneanski 100

Moldovan Placintas (Savory Cheese Pies) 102

20 Ukraine

Blintz Box Sam Natasha Ilyayev 104

Ukrainian Blintzes with Creamy Mushrooms 106

Ukrainian Borscht (Beet Soup) 108

21 Bashkortostan (Russia)

Wembie Liia Minnebaeva 110

Bashkir Farm Cheese Donuts 112

22 Nigeria

Obe Kitchen Chef Ade 116

Obe ata din din (Fried Stew) 118

Akara (Brown Bean Fritters) 119

23 Egypt

American Pharaohz Peter Youssef 120

Taameyya (Falafel) 122

Kebda iskandarani (Chopped Liver Sandwich) 123

24 Sudan

Sambuxa NYC Gladys Shahtou 125

Salata dakwa (Tomato Salad) 128

Salata aswad (Eggplant Salad) 129

Africa and the Middle East

25 Eritrea And Ethiopia

Makina Cafe Eden Gebre Egziabher 130

Injera with Spicy Red Lentils 132

26 South Africa

Jaa Dijo Dom Charles Chipengule 134

Bunny Chow (Chicken Curry Bread Bowl) 135

27 Mauritius

Pereybeurre Jaina Teeluck 136

Chicken Biryani with Tomato Chutney and Cucumber Salad 138

28 Iran

Joon Jessica Spiegel Amir Alerasoul 140

Joojeh kabab (Yogurt Chicken Kebab) 141

Khoresh karafs (Beef Celery Stew) 142

Sweet Zahra Zahra Lee 144

Persian Halva 145

Asia

29 Pakistan

The Pakistand Maeda Qureshi 148

Pakistani Tandoori Chicken Kati Rolls 150

Beef Chapli Kebab 151

30 India

Dosa Mama Daniel Premalatha Nalladurai 153

Dosas with Chicken Curry 154

Cilantro & Mint Yuvika Bist 156

Mixed Pakoras 157

Masala Noodles 158

31 Tibet

Nomad Homos Sangyal Phuntsok 160

Beef Momos with Hot Sauce 162

32 Bangladesh

Jhal NYC Mahfuzul Islam 164

Jhal muri (Spiced Puffed Rice Snack) 165

Bengali Street Eats Iqbal Ahmed 166

Shingara (Vegetable Samosas) 168

Chotpoti (Chickpea and Potato Stew) 170

Fuska (Stuffed Semolina Crisps) 171

33 Myanmar (Burma)

De' Rangoon Hnin "Snow" Wai 172

Laphet thoke (Tea Leaf Salad) 174

Shan khao swe (Shan Noodles) 176

Burmese Bites Myo Thway 179

Ohno kaukswe (Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup) 182

34 Thailand

Cathailina Joanne France 184

Kai look kuey (Son-in-Law Eggs) 185

Khanom pang (Thai Toast) 186

35 Vietnam

Em Patrick Lin Ly Nguyen 188

Thit kho (Braised Pork Belly) 190

Sinn to bo (Avocado Smoothies) 190

36 Cambodia

Cambodianow Sokhita Sok 192

Amok (Fish Curry) 194

Domloung chenng (Caramelized Sweet Potatoes) 195

37 Malaysia

The Malaysian Project Carlos Hon Abraham Chin Calvin Leong 196

Beef Rendang 198

Pandan Key Limeade 199

38 Singapore

Native Noodles Amy Pryke 200

Laksa Noodles 202

Roti John (Omelet Sandwiches) 204

Lion City Coffee The Tham Siblings 206

Singaporean Nasi Lemak with Fried Chicken 208

Ghai tow kueh (Fried Radish Cake) 209

39 Indonesia

Warung Jancook Hendra Lie 210

Tahu gejrot (Fried Tofu) 211

Ote-ote (Vegetable Fritters) 212

40 Philippines

Kanin NYC Judymae Esguerra 215

Lugaw (Rice Porridge) 217

Leche Flan 218

Grilla in Manila Jay Jerrick Jimenez 221

Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew) 224

Sisig (Chopped Pork) 225

Lapu-Lapu Foods Alfredo Marienits Pedrajas 227

Chicken Adobo 228

41 Hong Kong

Hong Kong Street Food Wanda Chiu 230

See yow wong chow meen (Soy Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles) 231

Curry Fish Balls 232

42 Taiwan

Bstro Johnson Hu 234

Da ji pai (Chicken Steak) 235

43 South Korea

Seoul Pancake Han Kim Woo Chung 237

Kimchi Pancakes with "Magic" Soy Sauce 238

Kini Juwon Song 241

Dakgangjeong (Fried Chicken) 242

Acknowledgments 246

Index 248

Additional Photo Credits 253

About the Authors 256

Editorial Reviews

02/17/2020

This colorfully illustrated debut celebrates the Queens Night Market, the culinarily diverse borough’s popular April-to-October weekly food festival. Market founder Wang and his artist wife, Garner, interviewed more than 50 vendors, nearly all immigrants or children of immigrants from more than 40 countries, and provide 88 recipes. Laura Joseph was born in Antigua and now runs La’Maoli at the market, where her family recipe, Antiguan seafood soup, is full of conch, octopus, mussels, and shrimp. Zahra Lee came to New Jersey by way of Tehran, studied with the Institute of Culinary Education, and here offers up a Persian halva, aka saffron fudge. Though substitute ingredients are listed, home cooks seeking to create an authentic global feast will need access to a variety of specialty goods. Guyanese beef patties call for wiri wiri chile peppers; Moldovan placinta (savory cheese pies) use a sheep’s milk cheese called brinza; and ohno kaukswe, a coconut chicken noodle soup from Myanmar, is thickened with besan flour. This wildly diverse collection introduces a galaxy of flavors. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Along with the recipes are the voices of people from four continents, all bringing their dreams, culture and energy to their new home. Their stories are as nourishing as their food, giving hope that the American Dream is still achievable."

Shelf Awareness for Readers

"An Amazon Best Book of 2020
One of Esquire’s Ten Best Cookbooks of 2020
2020 Foreword INDIES Gold Winner

"Relive memories of the Queens Night Market. . . . Each of the recipes, and the accompanying profiles, is crammed with compelling details."

The New York Times

"Food is the best way to understand the story of a person—where they came from, where they’re going, what they hold dear. And the world comes to roost at the Queens Night Market."

Esquire

"This extensive collection of recipes and stories from around the world will transport you."

Forbes

"Charmingly designed and illustrated with a mix of photographs and hand-drawn depictions of ingredients and dishes, the effect is that of a cherished cookbook that has been handed from friend to friend. The magic of the event is really captured by this book."

Booklist

"Heirloom and street food recipes are the tempting stars of this cookbook. They reflect Wang and Garner’s commitment to celebrating New York’s ethnic diversity. . . . Garner’s extended recipe introductions and interviews are resonant with poignant stories about the many challenges each chef has faced. . . . Their individual stories and food memories season the recipes with even more flavor and meaning."

starred review Foreword Reviews

"If you can’t visit an outdoor food market . . . then you can pretend to be there by cooking your own takeout."

Fortune

An Amazon Best Book of 2020
One of Esquire’s Ten Best Cookbooks of 2020
2020 Foreword INDIES Gold Winner

“Relive memories of the Queens Night Market. . . . Each of the recipes, and the accompanying profiles, is crammed with compelling details.”—The New York Times

“Food is the best way to understand the story of a person—where they came from, where they’re going, what they hold dear. And the world comes to roost at the Queens Night Market.”—Esquire

“This extensive collection of recipes and stories from around the world will transport you.”—Forbes

“Charmingly designed and illustrated with a mix of photographs and hand-drawn depictions of ingredients and dishes, the effect is that of a cherished cookbook that has been handed from friend to friend. The magic of the event is really captured by this book.”—Booklist

“If you can’t visit an outdoor food market. . . then you can pretend to be there by cooking your own takeout.”—Fortune

“Heirloom and street food recipes are the tempting stars of this cookbook. They reflect Wang and Garner’s commitment to celebrating New York’s ethnic diversity. . . . Garner’s extended recipe introductions and interviews are resonant with poignant stories about the many challenges each chef has faced. . . . Their individual stories and food memories season the recipes with even more flavor and meaning.”—Foreword Reviews, starred review

“Along with the recipes are the voices of people from four continents, all bringing their dreams, culture and energy to their new home. Their stories are as nourishing as their food, giving hope that the American Dream is still achievable.”—Shelf Awareness for Readers

“This wildly diverse collection introduces a galaxy of flavors.”—Publishers Weekly
 

From the Publisher

03/27/2020

The Queens Night Market, which operates during every summer, is a food paradise, full of every kind of international cuisine imaginable. This collection features recipes from many of the market's popular vendors, including dishes such as jerk chicken, cheese arepas, and dosas with chicken curry. In the introduction, market founder Wang shares his background and how this endeavor got started. Throughout, interviews by Garner, Wang's wife, with various vendors, inspire and present stories about themselves and their families through their food business. Many of the vendors are immigrants and, in addition to working at the market, have other careers. VERDICT A wonderful multicultural hodgepodge of food, family, and love, and an excellent representation of cuisine from around the world with easy recipes for all levels.—Holly Skir, Broward Cty. Lib., FL

Library Journal