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36th out of 200 books
—
534 voters
The Last Chinese Chef
by
Nicole Mones (Goodreads Author)
This alluring novel of friendship, love, and cuisine brings the best-selling author of Lost in Translation and A Cup of Light to one of the great Chinese subjects: food. As in her previous novels, Mones’s captivating story also brings into focus a changing China -- this time the hidden world of high culinary culture.
When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, lear...more
When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, lear...more
Hardcover, 278 pages
Published
May 4th 2007
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published 2007)
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Very enjoyable read about the history and culture of Chinese cuisine, which I knew almost nothing about. Unlike Western culture, the Chinese have a very different take on food, it's preparation and presentation. The subtle but important nuances of their cuisine reveal aspects of their political structure, their fine arts, their history, their religion and their reverence to family. This part was fascinating to read about, and the backstories provided an informative and engaging peek into that wo...more
This is an amazing book and one of the best books I've read all year.
As someone who has limited cooking skills and who is even less adventurous with new food than your average five year old - trust me when I say that this book has made me want to try a world of new things.
Maggie is a widow who writes for Table Magazine. Her husband died a year ago in a sudden accident and she's just found out that a claim has been filed against his estate in China, where he frequently traveled for work. A pater...more
As someone who has limited cooking skills and who is even less adventurous with new food than your average five year old - trust me when I say that this book has made me want to try a world of new things.
Maggie is a widow who writes for Table Magazine. Her husband died a year ago in a sudden accident and she's just found out that a claim has been filed against his estate in China, where he frequently traveled for work. A pater...more
One of the main characters, Sam, talks about the striving for simplicity of Chinese food. The Chinese chef should put so many layers into their food that to the observer, the food, like tofu, looks simply like tofu, but when they bite into it, they realize that what is seemingly simple, is very complex and surprising.
Mones surprises with her layers of subplots that will appeal to more than one kind of reader. There's the story of Maggie, recently widowed and in China to address a paternity suit...more
Mones surprises with her layers of subplots that will appeal to more than one kind of reader. There's the story of Maggie, recently widowed and in China to address a paternity suit...more
This book was written by the same author as Lost In Translation, Nicole Mones
I really liked this book about a woman who is widowed when her husband is run over by a car when is is on a buisness trip to San francisco.
She is a food writer and travels often herself. They agreed to never have children, and yet he starts to feel differently, and pressures her to reconsider.
He had traveled often to China on business with his law firm. One of the partners from the China office calls to tell her that th...more
I really liked this book about a woman who is widowed when her husband is run over by a car when is is on a buisness trip to San francisco.
She is a food writer and travels often herself. They agreed to never have children, and yet he starts to feel differently, and pressures her to reconsider.
He had traveled often to China on business with his law firm. One of the partners from the China office calls to tell her that th...more
I've never been a great fan of Chinese food. Now I understand why: I've never eaten Chinese food, only some poor hybrid cousin that is is ubiquitous at strip malls and shopping center food courts from Paris, Texas to Paris, France. I might have come close to the real thing a few years ago in Chinatown, San Francisco, but I think cooking as Mones described can only be found in China...
Mones introduced me to a sublime and seductive world of Chinese cuisine that left me trembling with desire for Po...more
Mones introduced me to a sublime and seductive world of Chinese cuisine that left me trembling with desire for Po...more
Because Nicole Mones was/is a writer for Gourmet Magazine, I fully expected beautifully tantalizing textual food to tempt me off the path of my diet. This book delivers in spades-- with the added benefit of being incredibly, emotionally TRUE to what it means to cook and eat Chinese food. This is the Chinese food I grew up with and the Chinese food that I cook. This is food that I have never really been able to verbally articulate to my Western friends, being forced to instead fall back to cookin...more
A fascinating look into the Chinese culture, especially regarding the importance of food - and not just eating food, but the whole "guanxi" or relationship of the bonds between those who prepare the food and those who partake of it.
Yes, this is a novel, and a major component of the book is the story of newly widowed Maggie as she comes to terms with her husband's death and his possible betrayal of her, which in turn becomes her reason to travel to China. Her assignment as a food writer to inter...more
Yes, this is a novel, and a major component of the book is the story of newly widowed Maggie as she comes to terms with her husband's death and his possible betrayal of her, which in turn becomes her reason to travel to China. Her assignment as a food writer to inter...more
This is a must read. Fascinating to read about how food is so much a part of the social aspect of Chinese culture. I love learning about my heritage...as I'm more white than yellow sometimes.
Fun learning that these things that I'm used to are... dissected so clearly and explained so well.
I have never, ever wanted to visit China. My perception is a place that is dirty, polluted, crowded and poor. Now I want to go on a food tour of China. I adore gourmet cooking...and this book made me hungry...I...more
Fun learning that these things that I'm used to are... dissected so clearly and explained so well.
I have never, ever wanted to visit China. My perception is a place that is dirty, polluted, crowded and poor. Now I want to go on a food tour of China. I adore gourmet cooking...and this book made me hungry...I...more
The hook for the story comes immediately in the form of widow Maggie McElroy receiving a claim of paternity of her late husband. Maggie is barely hanging to her life. She is still overwhelmed with grief one year after her husband's death. The only thing that keeps her going is her work as a writer for a food magazine. Because she has to go to China to investigate this paternity claim, her editor gives her an assignment to interview an Chinese American chef Sam Liang.
The richness of the book come...more
The richness of the book come...more
Maggie McElroy is a food writer recovering from the sudden death of her husband when she learns of a paternity claim against his estate. She must go to Beijing to investigate and is assigned to profile Chinese American Chef Sam Liang while she is there. Sam is preparing for a contest to represent the culinary culture of North China in connection with the 2008 Olympics. Even though Sam’s mother is Jewish American and he grew up in Ohio, his style is traditional Chinese. The story is about Maggie’...more
The story of Maggie dealing with the death of her husband and the legal accounts is very interesting. It exposes not only the life of Matt in China, a typical American business man in China, and what goes on with that, but how this impacts the lives of those around him. With Matt's death, Maggie must go to China to pick up the pieces of this frivolity, not only for herself but she exposes others in the process.
The life of working women in Beijing is also explored, and how they are exploited by...more
The life of working women in Beijing is also explored, and how they are exploited by...more
This is a terrific story, with a variety of good sub-plots, primarily about a 40-ish American Journalist named Maggie whose husband Matt died in a car accident a year earlier. She must go to China to deal with a lawsuit against her dead husband’s estate, and in the process takes on the job of writing an article about an American-Chinese chef named Sam Liang in Beijing who is preparing for an important culinary contest.
The storylines include Maggie’s attempts to cope with her grief, her interact...more
The storylines include Maggie’s attempts to cope with her grief, her interact...more
This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I admit I am on a Chinese jag right now. I was curious about Chinese culture after reading “the Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet” which somehow led me to this book.
“The last Chinese Chef” is about Maggie, a widowed American food writer, who learns about a paternity case filed against the estate of her late husband. She flies to Beijing to investigate. While there her editor asks her to interview Sam Liang, a Chinese American Jew who is...more
“The last Chinese Chef” is about Maggie, a widowed American food writer, who learns about a paternity case filed against the estate of her late husband. She flies to Beijing to investigate. While there her editor asks her to interview Sam Liang, a Chinese American Jew who is...more
Apr 26, 2011
Kathleen Hagen
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-audio-books,
2011-general-fiction
The Last Chinese Chef, by Nicole Mones, narrated by Elizabeth Rodgers and James Chen, produced by Audible inc., and downloaded from audible.com.
In her third novel, Nicole Mones takes readers inside the hidden world of elite cuisine in modern China. American food writer, Maggie McElroy is called to China to settle a claim against her late husband's estate. She is blindsided by the discovery that he may have fathered a child with a Chinese woman. Since work is all that will keep her sane, her maga...more
In her third novel, Nicole Mones takes readers inside the hidden world of elite cuisine in modern China. American food writer, Maggie McElroy is called to China to settle a claim against her late husband's estate. She is blindsided by the discovery that he may have fathered a child with a Chinese woman. Since work is all that will keep her sane, her maga...more
You may know Chinese food; you may even love it. But The Last Chinese Chef will take you into a world of Chinese food you never even knew existed. Here is the hidden universe of one of the world's great cuisines. Its philosophy, its concepts, and its artistic ambitions are all illuminated in a story that's entertaining, emotionally satisfying, and erudite.
When widowed American food writer Maggie McElroy is hit by a paternity claim against her husband's estate, she has to go to China immediately....more
When widowed American food writer Maggie McElroy is hit by a paternity claim against her husband's estate, she has to go to China immediately....more
The author also wrote Lost in Translation which was made into a hollywood film starring Scarlett Johanssen and the comedian Bill Murray. I don't remember the story of that film [I haven't read the book:], but I recall it starting with a close up of Ms. Johanssen's butt, that it was set in Japan, that Bill Murray was much older than Ms. Johanssen, and all throughout the film I've been wondering if the two will ever get to have sex [they didn't as far as I recall:].
This book's setting is in China....more
This book's setting is in China....more
a very quick read, a bit of fluff and not very deep.
maybe i'm a total asshole cynic, but i'm often turned off by sentences like this (last sentence of the summary on the back), "It is here, amid lessons of tradition, obligation, and human connection that she finds the secret ingredient that may yet heal her heart." ok, it's the last 3 words. ugh.
the only part that kept me interested were the descriptions and talk about chinese food, and honestly, it wasn't that enlightening for me. maybe cause i...more
maybe i'm a total asshole cynic, but i'm often turned off by sentences like this (last sentence of the summary on the back), "It is here, amid lessons of tradition, obligation, and human connection that she finds the secret ingredient that may yet heal her heart." ok, it's the last 3 words. ugh.
the only part that kept me interested were the descriptions and talk about chinese food, and honestly, it wasn't that enlightening for me. maybe cause i...more
the author ran a textile business in China for 30 years, so she knows and loves China and the culture with an insider’s grace and knowledge, but with an outsider’s appreciation for detail. although this is her third novel, it is the first i read of this author, and i'm glad: it's a very rewarding read and an education in Chinese history, culinary culture, and rapidly changing modern culture. this book is about a half Chinese-half Jewish chef, who is the grandson of a famous Imperial chef whose s...more
I truly enjoyed this book. The star here is clearly Chinese cuisine which I have never particularly liked for largely the reason the main character Maggie states early on in the novel. So much of it does seem to be rather one note. I have had high end Chinese which is better, but most prepare Hunan and Szechuan dishes in pretty much exactly the same way. It makes for kind of a boring meal. Clearly, I have been eating the wrong stuff.
Synopsis: Maggie, a widow of a year, goes to China when she dis...more
Synopsis: Maggie, a widow of a year, goes to China when she dis...more
The author presents the reader with a feast of knowledge about the history, the geography, the ceremony, and the subtle nuances of true Chinese dishes through a story that is as tantalizing as the aromas surrounding Chinese restaurants are to a passerby. Readers are introduced to these flavors through Sam, the grandson of one of the last great chefs as he prepares for a culinary competition that will decide who will cook for the Games. Woven into the story is Maggie, an American food writer, wh...more
Nicole Mones writes wonderful descriptions of food. Which is not surprising, given her 'day job' is writing for Gourmet magazine. I learned about classical Chinese cuisine, the philosophy behind Chinese cooking methods, and got hungry for many of the dishes she elaborated.
But beyond that - it was pretty standard chick-lit fare. The first two chapters set up our protagonists: Maggie the food writer, who has emotionally closed in on herself since her husband died a year ago, and Sam, the Chinese-A...more
But beyond that - it was pretty standard chick-lit fare. The first two chapters set up our protagonists: Maggie the food writer, who has emotionally closed in on herself since her husband died a year ago, and Sam, the Chinese-A...more
I love this book. I checked it out at the library, read it over the weekend, and promptly got on Amazon and bought it. I only barely resisted just leaving for China to eat.
I love books that revel in food. I also love reading about China. The Last Chinese Chef has both, what an indulgance.
From the first line - "Apprentices have asked me, what is the most exalted peak of cuisine?" I was totally absorbed. I loved the (fictional) quotes from an Imperial Chef, I was fascinated by the complicated inte...more
I love books that revel in food. I also love reading about China. The Last Chinese Chef has both, what an indulgance.
From the first line - "Apprentices have asked me, what is the most exalted peak of cuisine?" I was totally absorbed. I loved the (fictional) quotes from an Imperial Chef, I was fascinated by the complicated inte...more
I'm not sure if this was chinese gastronomy in the form of a novel or a story of people immersed in life in china where food is everything, but it works regardless. This was a fascinating, enjoyable read as I was happy to learn more about Chinese culture, especially in seeing the cross over to Korean culture. It was sort of redemptive to see my own family's obsession with food is really just cultural, and for good reason. I love food and I certainly loved to read about it in this book.
As for the...more
As for the...more
As I read "The Last Chinese Chef" I craved every dish described, begged my husband to go out to Chinese food, spent tons of money at Uwajimaya on all sorts of noodles and spices and sauces that I can't read let alone know what to do with, got a really fancy rice cooker for Christmas, and am now trying to figure out how to use cleavers. One dish in particular, in which the chef works the skin off of a whole chicken in one piece and then stuffs the skin with sliced vegetables, pork, and other meat...more
Much like with Girl in Translation, reading this has produced a whole host of reactions within me. For a Cantonese-speaking, American-born Chinese person such as myself-- in other words, about as Chinese as a P.F. Chang's-- this book was an enlightening education in mainland Chinese culture, history, and food. (Oh, the food! I'll get to that in a second.)
I loved that the author included Chinese phrases on nearly every page, whether it was an idiom or the name of a certain dish. The fact that it...more
I loved that the author included Chinese phrases on nearly every page, whether it was an idiom or the name of a certain dish. The fact that it...more
*SPOILER ALERT* Overall, this was a really good book. I loved the history about Chinese cooking. The history of how it brought not only people together but poetry & art. The complexity of some of the dishes; the planning; and the detailed execution were amazing. It was fascinating. Even if some of the dishes didn't sound particularly appetizing, you can't help but appreciate the intension and heart put into it. I never knew anything about Chinese cuisine except for the 'Americanized' version...more
The book is entertaining for people that considered themselves gourmets or for people that love to cook. I found myself caught up in the excitement of the food preparations like I did in the book "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell. I enjoyed the history and cultural descriptions of the main character's observations while living in China. I was not as enthralled with the cooking in this book as I was in "Julie & Julia". Julia Child's cooking seems attainable for a novice like myself while th...more
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Un romanzo al sapore di salsa agrodolce
L'ultimo chef cinese è un romanzo leggero, da leggere al parco, seduti su una panchina, con il tiepido sole primaverile che ci accarezza dolcemente.
Maggie, rimasta vedova da poco, per motivi personali e, successivamente, anche lavorativi, si reca in Cina e ne rimane piacevolmente sorpresa. Per la prima volta, infatti, visita Pechino senza il suo Matt, morto in un tragico incidente stradale, e si lascia incantare dai paesaggi, dai luoghi ma, soprattutto, da...more
L'ultimo chef cinese è un romanzo leggero, da leggere al parco, seduti su una panchina, con il tiepido sole primaverile che ci accarezza dolcemente.
Maggie, rimasta vedova da poco, per motivi personali e, successivamente, anche lavorativi, si reca in Cina e ne rimane piacevolmente sorpresa. Per la prima volta, infatti, visita Pechino senza il suo Matt, morto in un tragico incidente stradale, e si lascia incantare dai paesaggi, dai luoghi ma, soprattutto, da...more
Sep 23, 2009
Aaliyah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone that has a love of China for sure!
Recommended to Aaliyah by:
No one
I finally got to purchase this book while visiting here in the states. I loved every moment in this book and appreciated the time the author, Nicole Mones, took to ensure accuracy.
Having been to China myself, I could picture the banquet I attended while there in Beijing. The meal now took on a whole new meaning and now two years later, I only had to close my eyes and picture the system of how our food was served.
The tastes and smells have never left me and with my new found information, thanks...more
Having been to China myself, I could picture the banquet I attended while there in Beijing. The meal now took on a whole new meaning and now two years later, I only had to close my eyes and picture the system of how our food was served.
The tastes and smells have never left me and with my new found information, thanks...more
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Sep 04, 2011 11:51am
haha! Definitely not ugly!
Sep 04, 2011 08:19pm