Available Formats
Have You Eaten Yet: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World
By (Author) Cheuk Kwan
Pegasus Books
Pegasus Books
20th December 2023
United States
General
Non Fiction
Social and cultural history
647.95089951
Paperback
272
Width 140mm, Height 210mm, Spine 20mm
272g
An eye-opening and soul-nourishing journey through Chinese food around the world.
*A PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST NEW BOOK*
*A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE*
*A NEW YORK POST BEST NEW BOOK*
From Cape Town, South Africa, to small-town Saskatchewan, family-run Chinese restaurants are global icons of immigration, community and delicious food. The cultural outposts of far-flung settlers, bringers of dim sum, Peking duck and creative culinary hybrids, Chinese restaurants are a microcosm of greater social forces. They are an insight into time, history,and place.
Author and film-makerCheukKwan, a self-described card-carrying member of the Chinesediaspora, weaves a global narrative by linking the myriad personal stories of chefs, entrepreneurs, labourers and dreamers who populate Chinese kitchens worldwide. Behind these kitchen doors lies an intriguing paradox which characterizes many of these communities: how Chinese immigrants haveresistedorhave often been preventedfromcompleteassimilation into the social fabric of their
new homes. In both instances,the engine of their economicsurvivaltheChinese restaurant and itsfoodhasbecome seamlessly woven into towns and cities all around the world.
An intrepid travelogue of grand vistas, adventure and serendipity,Have You Eaten Yetcharts a living atlas of global migration, ultimately revealing how an excellent meal always tells an even better story.
CheukKwanwas born inHongKong and grew up in Singapore,HongKong and Japan. He has also lived in the US, Saudi Arabia and Canada, and speaks English, Japanese, French and several Chinese dialects.Kwanis the co-founder ofTheAsianadian, a magazine dedicated to promoting Asian Canadian arts, culture and politics, and a film production company,TissaFilms. His cinematicworksSongof the Exile,Latin PassionsandBeyondFrontiersbraidhis personal experiences with his love of travel and appreciation for Chinese culture worldwide. He now resides in Toronto, ON.