- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Ebury Press (6 Mar 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0091918308
- ISBN-13: 978-0091918309
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 335,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Paul Levy, The Observer
Destined, I think, to become a classic of travel writing
Product Description
Award-winning food writer Fuchsia Dunlop went to live in China in 1994, and from the very beginning vowed to eat everything she was offered, no matter how alien and bizarre it seemed to her as a Westerner. In this extraordinary memoir, Fuchsia recalls her evolving relationship with China and its food, from her first rapturous encounter with the delicious cuisine of Sichuan Province, to brushes with corruption, environmental degradation and greed. In the course of this fascinating journey, Fuchsia undergoes an apprenticeship at the Sichuan cooking school, where she is the only foreign student in a class of nearly fifty young Chinese men; she attempts, hilariously, to persuade Chinese people that 'Western food' is neither 'simple' nor 'bland'; and samples a multitude of exotic ingredients, including dogmeat, civet cats, scorpions, rabbit heads and the ovarian fat of the snow frog.But is it possible for a Westerner to become a true convert to the Chinese way of eating? In an encounter with a caterpillar in an Oxfordshire kitchen, Fuchsia is forced to put this to the test. From the vibrant markets of Sichuan to the bleached landscape of northern Gansu Province, from the desert oases of Xinjiang to the enchanting old city of Yangzhou, this is a unique and evocative account of a culture and cuisine that is a world away from most Westerners' experiences.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is not just a Chinese cookery book - though it does include several recipes. Nor is it just another Chinese travel book - though it does provide an excellent insight into Szechuan (Sichuan) and other Chinese regions; nor is it simply an autobiographical account of living and eating in China. It is all of these things and more.
In "Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper" Fuchsia Dunlop provides a factual but fascinating and entertaining insight into experiences that most of us lack the linguistic and culinary skills and courage to contemplate undertaking first-hand - for example as the only non-Chinese person and almost the only woman on a Sichuan cookery course.
Fuchsia Dunlop writes beautiful prose. Her style of writing, skill with words, content and structure, combined with her enthusiasm for Chinese cookery, create that rare commodity, an un-put-downable non-fiction work. She writes in a compelling way, enabling the reader to see the people and places she visits and taste the dishes she describes.
No one who has read the book could accuse the author of eating anything and everything without a qualm. She absorbs herself in and embraces the regional language, culture and cuisine of different parts of China and describes these sympathetically but not uncritically. She looks at her own eating behaviour dispassionately but critically, seeing herself through both Chinese and Western eyes.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever eaten a meal with Chinese people or who is planning a visit to China.
In "Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper" Fuchsia Dunlop provides a factual but fascinating and entertaining insight into experiences that most of us lack the linguistic and culinary skills and courage to contemplate undertaking first-hand - for example as the only non-Chinese person and almost the only woman on a Sichuan cookery course.
Fuchsia Dunlop writes beautiful prose. Her style of writing, skill with words, content and structure, combined with her enthusiasm for Chinese cookery, create that rare commodity, an un-put-downable non-fiction work. She writes in a compelling way, enabling the reader to see the people and places she visits and taste the dishes she describes.
No one who has read the book could accuse the author of eating anything and everything without a qualm. She absorbs herself in and embraces the regional language, culture and cuisine of different parts of China and describes these sympathetically but not uncritically. She looks at her own eating behaviour dispassionately but critically, seeing herself through both Chinese and Western eyes.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever eaten a meal with Chinese people or who is planning a visit to China.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The account of how a young middle-class English girl became obsessed with Sichuan cooking, her upbringing, her ruses and her commitment to the hottest cooking in the world in its chinese fastness: student living, uncompromising training, insights into an alien culture - the completely gripping true story of an insane love.
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A fabulous book - I loved every single page and wished I'd been there trying the food. It's obvious what this book is about - if you don't like this kind of thing don't buy it or read it. Stick to lentils.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Chinese regional food
Do I agree with the eleven people who gave it five stars or the person who gave it one star. Actually neither, it is a four star book for me. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Livsey
Fuchsia Dunlop is eXpAt-tAcULar
Food writer Fuchsia Dunlop has written a savory, stir-fried memoir about her career as a professional chef in China. Food meets travel - a delicious recipe for reading.
Published 11 months ago by Xiamen Expat
Unmissable
I found this book unputdownable. A beautifully written, endlessly fascinating and very honest memoir from someone who is passionate about Chinese food. Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2010 by Linda
Excellent! A must have for fans of Chinese Cuisine
The book was a delight from start to finish. Having travelled a little in China myself, i empathised with some of the difficulties Fuchsia had, but also resonated with the many... Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by T. J. Pavlou
A fantastic book, really inspiring, and tried all the recipes
A great book for foodies. Written really well - it gives you a real appreciation of Chinese cooking. The receipe for Dan Dan noodles is great.
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by jewelff
Quite fascinating
I saw the book at a window walking along Picadilly. Bought it on impulse as the title was intriguing. A very clever mix of travelogue sprinkled with a few well chosen recipies. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2009 by R. Chang
Fin-tastic Fuschia!
Like other reviewers I adore this book, and found it utterly unputdownable. I am one of those strange folk who does not eat meat, but despite this and some initial squeamishness... Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2008 by K. Johnston
only just begun ...
I've just received my copy of Shark's Fin & Sichuan Pepper. I live in a tiny, isolated hamlet in south-west France and the postman arrives shortly before lunch. Read more
Published on 21 July 2008 by Mme Judith Clarke
Sheer magic - impossible to put down!
I loved reading this book so much that I found myself avoiding colleagues on the train in the morning just so I could keep reading. Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2008 by Jasmine
Disgusting
In this day and age, how could a publishing house think that such a book would be of interest to anyone? Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2008 by Jellyfish
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