Physics professor Zee writes about how to understand the menus in Chinese restaurants, explaining the characters, what they mean, and the colorful stories behind the names of various dishes. Anne Tyler (in the Washington Post) called Swallowing Clouds "a study of the very nature of Chinese culture. Zee has a quirky, personal style that draws the reader in."
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"In this lyrical work, theoretical physicist Zee steps outside his specialty to write about his true loves-Chinese cooking, language, and culture. Zee's format is elegant: he takes a common food on the menu of any Chinese American restaurant, explicates the Chinese characters designating the food, and relates charming anecdotes and history associated with the food."
(Kirkus Reviews) "Included in bestselling book 1,000 Books to Read before You Die: A Life-Changing List by Jim Mustich."
"Charming. . . . A study of the very nature of Chinese culture. Zee has a quirky, personal style that draws the reader in."
- Anne Tyler (Washington Post Book World) "The most delightful food book of the year, . . . a happy blending of instruction and amusement in the language, culture, and cuisine of China."
(Minneapolis Star-Tribune) "Interesting and unique. . . . Family anecdotes, folklore, and good sketches help the author present a new understanding and meaning behind this rich and complex cuisine."
(Christian Science Monitor) "A truly delightful literary compendium of wit, wisdom, and how-to."
(Newsday)
Reihe
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Editions-Typ
Produkt-Hinweis
Maße
Höhe: 228 mm
Breite: 151 mm
Dicke: 30 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-295-99420-8 (9780295994208)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
A. Zee is professor of theoretical physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of Fearful Symmetry: The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics and An Old Man's Toy: Gravity at Work and Play in Einstein's Universe.
Preface
Time Line
A Word about Pronunciation
Introduction
Beijing Men Built a Fire
Slicing through Water
Interlude 1: Phonetics, or Why Some Characters Look Horribly Complicated
Sleep of the Truly Inebriated
Swallowing Clouds
Chinese Pigs Stand
Interlude 2: The Appalling Ignorance of Some Scribes
A Delicacy for Aging Men
No Contest between Fish and a Bear with Eight Legs
Courtesans Do Not Eat Crabs
Interlude 3: To All You Carnivores
The Sweet Fragrance of Crops Ripening
How to Avoid Being Vulgar
The Pockmarked Woman and the Pearly Empress
Interlude 4: Words Are Like Our Children
Buddha Jumping over Walls
Act without Acting, Taste without Tasting
Interlude 5: Like Eating Potato Chips
The Sublime Faith in Illusions
Pieces of Her Heart
Elixirs and the Food of Health
From Banquets to Voyages of Discovery
Epilogue: All Banquets Must Come to an End
Afterword by Linda Rui Feng
Appendix A. How to Exercise Your Arm and Throat while Drinking
Appendix B. A Few Recipes
Notes
Bibliography
Table of Dynasties
Table of Some Common Radicals Used in this Book
Table of Characters and Radicals Cited by Chapter
Acknowledgments
A Final Note
