Chinese Menu: The History, Myths, and Legends Behind Your Favorite Foods

by Grace Lin

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Author Grace Lin has crafted a stunningly vibrant read with Chinese Menu, which explores the storied history and mythology behind our favorite American Chinese foods. Chinese Menu is the perfect gift for the young foodie in your life.

The perfect gift book for anyone who loves good food—and an even better story!

Newbery and Caldecott honoree and New York Times bestselling author Grace Lin delivers a groundbreaking, lushly illustrated, and beautifully written full-color book that explores the whimsical myths and stories behind your favorite American Chinese food.

A New York Times bestseller!
An ALA Notable Book
A BookPage Best Book of the Year!
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023!

From fried dumplings to fortune cookies, here are the tales behind your favorite foods.

Do you know the stories behind delectable dishes—like the fun connection between scallion pancakes and pizza's Or how dumplings cured a village’s frostbitten ears? Or how wonton soup tells about the creation of the world? 

Separated into courses like a Chinese menu, these tales—based in real history and folklore—are filled with squabbling dragons, magical fruits, and hungry monks. This book will bring you to far-off times and marvelous  places, all while making your mouth water. And, along the way, you might just discover a deeper understanding of the resilience and triumph behind this food, and what makes it undeniably American. 

Award-winning and bestselling author Grace Lin provides a visual and storytelling feast as she gives insight on the history, legends, and myths behind your favorite American Chinese dishes. Chinese Menu makes the perfect gift book for anyone who loves good food—and an even better story.

Don't miss: 
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Starry River of the Sky
When the Sea Turned to Silver 
The Year of the Dog
The Year of the Rat
Dumpling Days

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316486002
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	30,539
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Grace Lin is the award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator of Starry River of the Sky, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Dumpling Days, and Ling & Ting, as well as picture books such as The Ugly Vegetables and Dim Sum for Everyone! Grace is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and lives in Massachusetts. Her website is www.gracelin.com.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/31/2023

Via appetizing full-color gouache and pencil illustrations alongside lush, mouthwatering prose, Newbery and Caldecott Honoree Lin chronicles the origins of the most ubiquitous dishes in American Chinese restaurants. A table of contents, structured like a Chinese takeout menu, breaks down topics—such as soups, side orders, and chef’s specials—into bite-size sections that describe the meals’ sometimes mythical origins. By tracing the etymology of wonton soup, for example, the creator outlines how, when examining the dish name’s Northern Chinese roots, “wonton” can refer to “primordial chaos or the Daoist creation story of the world.” Lin allows common foods their time to shine, noting how the dumpling was created by a doctor more than 1,800 years ago to help villagers combat frostbite, and the fortune cookie has Japanese American beginnings. Other entries include dragon-filled tales of various teas, and the backstory and etiquette surrounding chopsticks. Each selection, often prefaced with a personal anecdote and historical or folkloric context, whisks readers back in time; some entries highlight ancient tales about magic fruits, while others address troubling periods of strife and discrimination. These foods—and their stories—find common ground in their deep-rooted connection to Chinese American culture, which is further anchored by an author’s note that details the book’s inspiration. A family recipe and endnotes conclude. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Not to be missed, grab your chopsticks, some oolong tea, and dive into this culinary treasure trove.

—SLJ, starred

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2023

Gr 3–7—Newbery and Caldecott Honor author/illustrator Lin (Where the Mountain Meets the Moon) delivers a scrumptious smorgasbord of folktales, myths, and origins of popular items on the menu. The contents read like a who's who of favorite foods on a Chinese menu, from dumplings, to teas, to fortune cookies. Highly researched, the book delves into each delicacy, telling where and when the foods originated. Each dish starts off with the author sharing childhood and family memories, an explanation of what the dish contains, and the significance of the dish in the Chinese culture (or whether it is simply a dish that Chinese restaurants have created to please the American palate). Following this is the true heart of the book: a folktale or myth to tell the story behind the food. In one, a dog with nine tails travels to the heavens to find rice grains, returning with just one tail, but also with the rice seeds, thus explaining why dogs have one tail and where rice came from. Each of these folktales can stand alone and holds up to rereadings, of which there will be many. Appetites will be ignited as tweens will want to try dishes new to them, and to rediscover their old favorites. Lin's gorgeous, identifiable gouache and pencil illustrations add charm and depth to each item. Included is a food origin time line, a family recipe for scallion pancakes, end notes, bibliography, and index. VERDICT Not to be missed, grab your chopsticks, some oolong tea, and dive into this culinary treasure trove.—Michele Shaw

School Library Journal

★ 2023-06-21
The hidden histories, fantastical folklore, and tastiest tidbits of American Chinese cuisine.

Organized like a meal, from appetizers and soups to chef’s specials and desserts, Lin uncovers the secrets behind the most famous dishes of American Chinese restaurant menus. Each section contains a brief introduction, with first-person narration offering context through personal anecdotes and historical facts. Then it’s off to the banquet: a bounty of wondrous, romantic, and sometimes grotesque tales that trace the origins of rice, wontons, Peking duck, and more. As with much folklore, the stories sometimes contain references to dark or mature topics (poverty, suicide, concubines), but thoughtful, age-appropriate commentary strikes an effective balance. The volume is liberally illustrated—contemporary images are rendered in full color, while illustrations of the stories appear in limited palettes, drawing a clear distinction between the past and the present. Many tales take place in dynastic China, but stories like “General Tso’s Chicken” and “Chop Suey” underscore the truly American natures of these dishes. Although the vast ground covered here could, ​​in less skilled hands, overwhelm the uninitiated—the dishes chronicled extend as far back as 7000 BCE and up to the 1950s—Lin’s conversational asides and the book’s meticulous supporting materials, including a timeline and extensive endnotes, ensure that readers never lose their way. The illustrations and tone indicate a young readership, but there’s much here for readers and eaters of all ages.

An utterly delectable feast of history and storytelling. (map, author’s note, recipe, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews

What a gorgeous and thoroughly researched book about the origins of the cuisine that has become more ubiquitous than hamburgers in America: Chinese food. A stunning example of how what we eat can be a window into a vast and complex culture.”

host of This Is Life Lisa Ling

Destined to become a family classic, Chinese Menu brings together the rich legends and history behind the Chinese dishes we know and love. The stories of dragons, emperors, monks, and scholars will delight and inform people of all ages and backgrounds.”

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer 8. Lee

Chinese Menu will delight, inspire, and educate you about your favorite foods and make your mouth water while you read it! It’s the perfect book for food lovers of all ages!”

New York Times bestselling cookbook author Michelle Tam

Lisa Ling's informative introductions lead in to her storytelling as she delivers delectable food-based tales drawn from Chinese culture. In a conversational tone, Ling describes an iconic dish, offering historical context, etymology, or myth and capturing the warmth of the author toward these foods. She then transitions to tales about dragons, monks, emperors, and other heroes. Ling's transitions are fluid whether she's shifting from Chinese to English or giving context before relating a folktale. Harp-like notes signal transitions to stories, and other sound effects emphasize elements within them. Grace Lin furthers the audio experience by reading her author's note. There is also beautifully illustrated downloadable material. From wonton soup to fortune cookies, this audio will fill listeners up with wonder and knowledge. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile

Lisa Ling's informative introductions lead in to her storytelling as she delivers delectable food-based tales drawn from Chinese culture. In a conversational tone, Ling describes an iconic dish, offering historical context, etymology, or myth and capturing the warmth of the author toward these foods. She then transitions to tales about dragons, monks, emperors, and other heroes. Ling's transitions are fluid whether she's shifting from Chinese to English or giving context before relating a folktale. Harp-like notes signal transitions to stories, and other sound effects emphasize elements within them. Grace Lin furthers the audio experience by reading her author's note. There is also beautifully illustrated downloadable material. From wonton soup to fortune cookies, this audio will fill listeners up with wonder and knowledge. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile