Journal Entry 1 by Hannah from Apple Valley, California USA on Saturday, March 09, 2002

This small (now out-of-print) brown cookbook contains a wealth of information about Chinese cooking, especially considering it was published in 1962. The art of Chinese cooking is inspiration based, not intellectually-based. To help the Western cook get this idea, Lee Su Jan starts with an introduction to the important connection between food preparation and Chinese history, philosophy, and art. Next he moves on to the practical and logical basics of this traditional cooking. Finally -- yes, I did say it was a cookbook! -- there are recipes.

What are my favorite parts of the book? I enjoyed the book's background and basics sections, because once you understand the "How" and "Why" basics, you can really get inspired and creative. As for specifics, "The Miracle of Tea" was my favorite read, although there are quote-worthy bits throughout. My favorite recipe is "Almond Curd" because it reminds me of weekend dim sum at my favorite Chinese restaurant in NJ (plus it's a snap to make). Which reminds me -- there's a whole chapter on dim sum, "dien-hsing," called Hor d'Oeuvres and Canapes.

"The Chinese do not take the measure of the man by what he does for a living as much as by the things which make him enjoy living."