Sunday, June 08, 2008

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: The Big Night

So, the James Beard Awards are tonight and the event will be "live blogged" by the charmingly foul-mouthed Julie Powell, (see left) author of Julie & Julia and the original genius cookbook blogger.

I once interviewed Powell and wrote a cute little story about her, though upon rereading I wonder if it is entirely correct for a writer to use the term "Rabelaisian" without having ever read Rabelais. Thoughts?

I also wonder why Powell can get away with throwing the F-word around and come across as hilarious and hip and I can't. Thoughts? 

And who was the bozo who named the Cheesecake Factory? Aside from the Dress Barn, is there a business on this planet with a more unappealing name? Thoughts?

I have definitely had too much coffee.

Tonight marks the end of my 6-week "bakeoff" between the three Beard Foundation nominees for best Asian cookbook of 2007.  I will wearily prepare one more dinner from Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook because I already did the shopping. But for the record, I am not at this moment craving pounded eggplant with green peppers

I finished reading Dunlop's intelligent, vivid, and extremely impressive book last night. Unlike her fellow nominees, 
Niloufer Ichaporia King and Cecilia Chiang, Dunlop (pictured, right) is a professional journalist who gamely set out to explore an intimidating foreign cuisine, one that includes dishes like ox penis hotpot and fried dog. Her prose is topnotch -- crisp, sensual, funny, evocative. She overuses certain adjectives, an occupational hazard I struggle with myself so Lord knows I'm not criticizing. Just saying.

And she did awesome amounts of research, providing fascinating anecdotes and histories of various dishes originating in the Hunan province. As a work of culinary anthropology, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook is invaluable; as a cookbook, it can be maddeningly nonspecific, the recipes mediocre -- and worse. Apparently, other people who have cooked their way through this book have not had such a rough experience, so it might just be me. 

I'll provide an earnest summation of the volume in a bit, with a tally of how all the recipes worked.

However, since the awards will be announced before we consume the aforementioned pounded eggplant, let me project the winner.

I don't think Chiang stands a chance, not because The Seventh Daughter isn't good; it's great. In fact, it's better than Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, more polished, more consistent. But Dunlop has an exotic hook; she is revered in the food world; she's young; and she has broken new ground in the literature on regional Chinese cooking. She might well take the prize.

But she she shouldn't. My Bombay Kitchen is this year's Asian masterpiece. Hands down. 

1 comment:

  1. Buy replica purses from online wholesalers. There are abounding altered websites that action above artist purse replicas and will acquiesce you to buy accoutrements in aggregate at a discounted rate. See the ability area beneath to louis vuitton replica go to a website that sells handbags for you to acquirement in bulk. Consistently aim to advertise the purses for added than you paid for anniversary of them in adjustment to accomplish a profit. Replica Rolex Watches Rolex Replica, Cartier Replica, Breitling Replica, Gucci Replica, Omega Replica, Louis Vuitton Replica, Porsche Architecture Replica, Tag Heuer Replica and abounding more. You can adore the aforementioned address and breeding of the replica watches aboriginal cast name watches at actual affordable price. Rep1ica is a able aggregation specialized in affairs replica watches of the a lot of replica shoes accepted brands. Our ambition is to accommodate chump the top superior watches at the everyman price, so alone works with the a lot of reliable and accomplished replica articles who committed in authoritative the finest replicas to accommodated clients' appeal both in aboriginal architecture and material. Our aggregation monitors and inspects anniversary artefact from accomplishment to packaging, to gucci replica ensure that anniversary chump receives a able product. With affluent acquaintance of carrying watches to our barter worldwide, abnormally in Europe, America and Oceania, has the adeptness to forward the ordered watches cautiously to its barter with simple means to bright the customs. As for the watches, can accommodate a lot of rolex replica the acclaimed watch articles all over the apple which include: Rolex, Breitling, Bvlgari, Cartier, Chanel, Corum, IWC, Gucci, MontBlanc, Omega, Tag Heuer, and More! The tag heuer replica aboriginal watches are originally advised by today's aristocratic craftsmen and after-effects in the big-ticket prices as they are apparent beneath acclaimed cast names.

    ReplyDelete