Carolyn J. PhillipsBesprekingen

We've tried many of the recipes and they're superb--if particular ingredients can't be found, substitutes are listed, and the techniques are thoroughly described. We've learned many new techniques from this cookbook and the dishes always turn out great. Recipes grouped by region help form a meal where all the dishes taste great together. Highly recommended!

Brilliant work of gastronomy. Think Elizabeth David and M.F.K. fisher at their best.

I came away from of this book, very full and satisfied. Carolyn Phillip's experiences with Chinese food and culture have been both alike and different from my own. I kept thinking about my past while I read about hers! Her first trip to Taiwan where she went to learn Mandarin was in 1976, my trip to China was in 1992. Both of us married men from Taiwan, both of their families had fled China. I learned some Chinese cooking before the language, and she learned some language before learning about Chinese cooking. Carolyn Phillips attempted cooking a pig's head, I never did. My husband is a vegetarian and I became one after we married, but I was impressed with many pork dishes before, but I never would to cook a pig's head! Eating a hamburger with real beef would make me cry!

I enjoyed her drawings in the book even more than the recipes. I learned why my husband turns off the water heater in the winter and turns it on for a shower. He would have never told me why but I found out this secret in her book.

Chinese history and Chinese genealogy can be very complex. My husband has shown little interest in it or in my own. The author did provide some elucidations on her husband's family history that I think would be safe to generalize to my husband's ancestral background.

It was also exciting to read about the growth of diversity of Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. There was a tremendous amount of diversity in the different cuisines of China in that area. The author ate in restaurants that served meat, while we ate at vegetarian ones that varied so much! I remember crying when the restaurant where we had a couple of our wedding feasts closed, and loving Muslim Chinese Food that we found in Irvine.

I won this book in a FirstReads contest and received a hard copy from the publishers. My review reflects my thoughts and opinions alone.

AT THE CHINESE TABLE -- Carolyn Phillips
This utterly delightful book combines memoir with recipes. The memoir portion consists of a fascinating account of the author’s years in Taiwan sparked by mouthwatering descriptions of the food she eats as she learns Mandarin and falls in love with the country, the cuisines of China and J H Huang. Along the way we are introduced to her imperious future mother-in-law who is won over with a time consuming, challenging recipe for a treat that hadn’t been tasted in 40 years by her now blissful MIL.
Because I love to cook as much as I love to read and eat, I tried several of the recipes. Because I live in a city with a thriving Chinatown I was able to find most of the authentic ingredients. The recipes cover everything from beverages to main dishes to side dishes and condiments to even an odd “dessert” of “Coffee Gelee.” Simple strong coffee gelled with Knox unflavored gelatin and then coated with sweetened condensed milk became an odd favorite of my family. Not so simple but equally appreciated were Strange-Flavor Peanuts, Chilled Winter Melon and Bear Paw Doufu. The recipes were easy to follow once the ingredients were obtained.
I highly recommend this book both as memoir and as cookbook.
5 of 5 stars

Memoirs revolving around food are always enticing. Phillips who married a Taiwanese man learned about Chinese food from her in-laws. Turning a pig’s head into a meal isn’t the most enticing chapter but you learn a lot. Now only does gathering at the Chinese table mean a new appreciation of the Chinese palate but it also provides cultural context and history. The sprinkle of romance was nice as well. Foodies who travel will want to read this memoir.

I received a copy from Blogging for Books in exchange for a review, although this had been on my to-read list way earlier after reading the Lucky Peach Beginner's Guide to Dim Sum. A longer version of this review with thoughts re: using the conceit of field guides and biology analogies will be posted on my blog.

If you're not familiar with the Cantonese cuisine of dim sum, this is a neatly organized introduction. Dishes are organized by cooking method (steamed savory, baked savory, extras, desserts, etc.) and both Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations are given. Illustrations and cross-sections are helpful, but as with field guides, some users may find pictures more handy (though that's nothing a Google search couldn't solve). Where this guide shines is in the thorough, sensual descriptions of food from the sheen of a glaze or the crackling of a lightly pan fried wrapper under your teeth.

Rather than taking this guide to dim sum with you, I suggest reading beforehand and making a list of what you're interested in trying if it makes you feel comfortable. In my experience, though, you can often just point at what looks good on carts passing by!

Recipes from the 35 cuisines of China

Brilliant comprehensive book on Chinese cooking. Gives cultural history of various dishes, and clear explanations. The author, as well as being a wonderful cookery writer is an artist whose superb drawings illustrate the book.

All Under Heaven is a comprehensive guide to the cuisines of China, all 35 of them. Did you even know there were 35 Chinese cuisines? Cynthia Phillips does and she wrote the book. The cuisines are organized geographically, starting with the North, and the Manchurian Northeast, down the Yangtze River and Environs, down to the Coastal Southeast, across the Central Highlands and off to the Arid Lands of the West. There is also a huge section on the fundamentals of Chinese cuisine. There’s also valuable tips you won’t find everywhere, such as removing boar bristles and pinfeathers or how to fold a chopstick wrapper into a chopstick holder three different ways.

This book would be worth it, just for the Basic Recipes section. This is a great reference book, with an extensive glossary and great tips. With all the other sections, though, it is a huge book, with more than 350 recipes and so heavy, I rested it on a pillow on my lap to read because it is too heavy to hold for long.

It would be nice to have a few color photos, but the illustrative sketches are superior to photos for the technique and tips. Photos can have too much information, simple line drawings show only the relevant and important elements.

This is an outstanding cookbook, one of those that will be a classic that anyone serious about learning Chinese cooking will invest in. It is written with authority. The variety of recipes is vast and vegan and vegetarian recipes are noted in the sectional recipe lists, making it easier to select what you like. Phillips also notes when you can substitute pork for chicken, for example. This is important because cooks need to know they can stray from the recipes. Good cooks learn best from cookbooks that are not too prescriptive, but allow for options.

As outstanding as it is, I have to point out to one flaw that irked me. There are frequent historical and cultural notes, some of the most important elements in the book, and they are in red print and small san serif text. I really wish the folks who design books would spare a thought for people who struggle with really fine print. I would prefer darker ink, so the contrast is more stark, making it easy to read.

I received a copy of All Under Heaven from Ten Speed Press through Blogging For Books.

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