In her satisfying, sensual third novel, Nicole Mones takes readers inside the hidden world of elite cuisine in modern China through the story of an American food writer in Beijing. When recently widowed Maggie McElroy is called to China to settle a claim against her late husband's estate, she is blindsided by the discovery that he may have led a double life. Since work is all that will keep her sane, her magazine editor assigns her to profile Sam, a half-Chinese American who is the last in a line of gifted chefs tracing back to the imperial palace. As she watches Sam gear up for China's Olympic culinary competition by planning the banquet of a lifetime, she begins to see past the cuisine's artistry to glimpse its coherent expression of Chinese civilization. It is here, amid lessons of tradition, obligation, and human connection that she finds the secret ingredient that may yet heal her heart.
Nicole Mones has mined the endless riches of China once again in The Last Chinese Chef. This time she hits the trifecta: the personal stories of Sam and Maggie, the history and lore of Chinese cuisine, and an inside look at cultural dislocation. Maggie McElroy is a widowed American food writer who is suddenly confronted with a paternity claim against her late husband's estate--by a Chinese family. Her editor offers her another reason to go to Beijing: write an article about a rising young Chinese-American-Jewish chef, Sam Liang. Having sold the home she had with her late husband Matt and reduced her possessions to only the barest necessities, with her life feeling as though it is contracting around her, Maggie embraces the oppportunity to sort out her feelings about Matt's supposed infidelity and do some work at the same time.
She and Sam hit it off right away, even though he is involved in a very important competition for a place on the Chinese national cooking team for the 2008 Olympics. They travel together to the south of China where she meets her husband's possible daughter--with Sam standing by to act as translator--and where Maggie meets much of Sam's family. He has been welcomed back with open arms, even though he occasionally feels that he has one foot in China and one in Ohio. The Beijing uncles and the Hangzhou uncle are a raucous, loving, argumentative bunch of foodies who advise Sam about menus, encourage a romance with Maggie, make him start over again when the dish isn't perfect, and alternately praise and criticize his cooking.
Maggie loves being in the middle of it all and finds herself more and more drawn to Sam. She begins, with Sam's help, to see food as "healing" and understands the guanxi or "connectedness" that takes place around food. At the beginning of each chapter is a paragraph taken from a book entitled The Last Chinese Chef, written by Sam's grandfather and translated by Sam and his father. Mones has written that book, too, which is an explanation of the place of food in Chinese history and family life. The novel is rich with meaning and lore and an examination of loving relationships. Don't even touch this book when you're hungry. The descriptions make the aromas and textures float right off the page. --Valerie Ryan
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Monese works soars:
Nicole Monese has published 3 books, all superb. She spends years doing meticulous research on her subjects: food, porcelain and archeology all located in China. The books are rich in characterizations, history and poltics. She weaves an intricate tapestry of the past and present-day Chinese life. And her books all focus on strong women protagonists. I recommend her books often and frinends are uniformly grateful for the tip. Why isn't she more reknown? Her work is wonderful. Anthoer one is coming but not... more info
The food is interesting, the book is not:
A completely predictable story - journalist goes to china to find out if her dead husband cheated on her. Any chance she'll fall in love with the bachelor subject of her latest story? The information about Chinese cuisine, history and cooking methods is very interesting, but not written up with that much skill. Compared with the Peter Mayle books on Province that had me lusting for every meal he describes, my eyes glazed over during many of the descriptions even though Chinese cuisine is among my... more info
The Last Chinese Chef:
You know that the Chinese have one of the world's most exquisite cuisines...yet you often wondered how Chinese food served in this country could pass as part of a world renown 'cuisine.' The Last Chinese Chef will clarify this mystery for you. As part of the "Fast Food Nation" generation, we haven't learned to slow our eating habits enough to appreciate the subtle layers of flavors and textures that Chinese cuisines cultivate. We haven't learned that food nourishes not only our body, but also our brain and... more info
Alluring if not perfect:
The story line seemed somewhat fresh to me and the book was my best friend for the few days it took to read it. No fewer than ten times, however, I'd feel an ominous uneasiness, a "don't go there again...don't oversimplify American & western ideals, personalities, culture, food..", but it would. Example, the scenario in which a Chinese would take precious time off of prep time for a competition to visit an ailing uncle and that's the Chinese way, but by blatant implication not the western way, is not... more info
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