2008 Jul 15 Serve the People book launch tonight at The Bookworm
If you're quick, you can still get your hands on tickets to tonight's launch of Jen Lin-Liu's Serve the People a "stir-fried journey through China" at the Bookworm. To whet your appetite, keep reading below for Hannah Skrzynski's review of the book from the upcoming August issue of the Beijinger.
Serve The People
A Stir-Fried Journey Through China
Jen Lin-Liu
Hardcover
352 pages
Price in RMB still to be determined
Freelance journalist and first-time novelist Lin-Liu focuses on the tasty side of China's economic revolution, taking the reader on her journey through the kitchens and stomachs of China, in her hunt for the tastiest xiaolongbao. Lin-Liu's journey begins in Shanghai where she moved as a journalism graduate in 2000. As an American-born Chinese, Lin-Liu struggles with her ethnic identity, falling somewhere between laowai and local, and turns to food to connect with her new home. As her passion for braised pig trotters and the like grows, she eventually decides to enroll in the Hualian cooking school in Beijing. There she hones her cleaver clout, before moving on to a local stall to master the art of grated noodle, before moving onto the dumpling assembly line to learn the perfect wrap. Liu also tries her hand at the high-end cuisine, interning at Shanghai's famous Whampoa Club.
Part memoir, part social documentary, part cookbook, Serve the People is an original addition to the China memoir genre. Lin-Liu's attention to detail makes her book more than just a read for foodies (though it has to be said her history of MSG does drag on). Throughout, Lin-Liu's writing is presented exactly as a well-prepared Chinese dish should be: simple and unpretentious, her rich experiences are her ingredients, which combine to give an authentic taste of China today.
Book Launch: Serve the People
Freelance journalist and food writer Jen Lin-Liu presents her new book, Serve the People. Lin-Liu gives a memorable and mouthwatering cook's tour of modern-day China as she progresses from cooking student to noodle-stall and dumpling-house apprentice to intern at a chic Shanghai restaurant. Ticket includes one free drink. RMB 30, 20 (members).
7.30pm. The Bookworm (6586 9507)
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