'A Taste for China' offers an account of how literature of the long eighteenth century generated a model of English selfhood dependent on figures of China. It shows how various genres of writing in this period call upon 'things Chinese' to define the tasteful English subject of modernity. Chinoiserie is no mere exotic curiosity in this culture, but a potent, multivalent sign of England's participation in a cosmopolitan world order.
Eighteenth-century consumers in Britain, living in an increasingly globalized world, were infatuated with exotic Chinese and Chinese-styled goods, art and decorative objects. However, they were also often troubled by the alien aesthetic sensibility these goods embodied. This ambivalence figures centrally in the period's experience of China and of contact with foreign countries and cultures more generally. David Porter analyzes the processes by which Chinese aesthetic ideas were assimilated within English culture. Through case studies of individual figures, including William Hogarth and Horace Walpole, and broader reflections on cross-cultural interaction, Porter's readings develop new interpretations of eighteenth-century ideas of luxury, consumption, gender, taste and aesthetic nationalism. Illustrated with many examples of Chinese and Chinese-inspired objects and art, this is a major contribution to eighteenth-century cultural history and to the history of contact and exchange between China and the West.
Discover the world of Chinese food through the pages of this beautiful little book. The combination of photography and easy recipes will inject the flavours and ingredients of the Orient straight into your home.
Over 450 years ago, the Portuguese landed in what was to be the first European colony in Asia, Macau, bringing their culture and their cuisine. This lavishly illustrated cookbook is the first to introduce to the English-speaking world one of the oldest ‘fusion’ cuisines in Asia. It includes 62 recipes, most of which are straight from the source — old family recipe collections or the files of influential Macanese chefs. This book comes at an important time — just after the handover in 1999 of Macau from Portuguese to Chinese rule — a time when most of the Portuguese community is leaving Macau and authentic Macanese culture and way of life seems doomed to rapidly disappear. Thus, this book is much more than a cookbook — it is a project to preserve and share, for the first time, a very important aspect of the Macanese world. The author has spent almost ten years collecting and testing these heritage recipes, getting in touch with the Macanese diaspora, and asking them to reflect back and write about food in Macau. Taste of Macau can be used as a complete reference guide to Macanese cuisine, as it includes information on ingredients and where to buy them, stories and information about the few remaining authentic restaurants in Macau, and a fascinating discussion on the relationship between food and culture through literary excerpts and personal testimonies from important figures in the Macanese community.
American diners began to flock to Chinese restaurants more than a century ago, making Chinese food the first mass-consumed cuisine in the United States. By 1980, it had become the country's most popular ethnic cuisine. Chop Suey, USA offers the first comprehensive interpretation of the rise of Chinese food, revealing the forces that made it ubiquitous in the American gastronomic landscape and turned the country into an empire of consumption. Engineered by a politically disenfranchised, numerically small, and economically exploited group, Chinese food's tour de America is an epic story of global cultural encounter. It reflects not only changes in taste but also a growing appetite for a more leisurely lifestyle. Americans fell in love with Chinese food not because of its gastronomic excellence but because of its affordability and convenience, which is why they preferred the quick and simple dishes of China while shunning its haute cuisine. Epitomized by chop suey, American Chinese food was a forerunner of McDonald's, democratizing the once-exclusive dining-out experience for such groups as marginalized Anglos, African Americans, and Jews. The rise of Chinese food is also a classic American story of immigrant entrepreneurship and perseverance. Barred from many occupations, Chinese Americans successfully turned Chinese food from a despised cuisine into a dominant force in the restaurant market, creating a critical lifeline for their community. Chinese American restaurant workers developed the concept of the open kitchen and popularized the practice of home delivery. They streamlined certain Chinese dishes, such as chop suey and egg foo young, turning them into nationally recognized brand names.
Featuring more than ninety recipes, Ken Hom'' s The Taste of China offers a glimpse into Chinese culinary life, from the methods used in humble peasant kitchens to th ose employed by the Chinese Imperial Court. '
If you think McDonald's is the most ubiquitous restaurant experience in America, consider that there are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendys combined. New York Times reporter and Chinese-American (or American-born Chinese). In her search, Jennifer 8 Lee traces the history of Chinese-American experience through the lens of the food. In a compelling blend of sociology and history, Jenny Lee exposes the indentured servitude Chinese restaurants expect from illegal immigrant chefs, investigates the relationship between Jews and Chinese food, and weaves a personal narrative about her own relationship with Chinese food. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles speaks to the immigrant experience as a whole, and the way it has shaped our country.
Royal Taste offers a rare opportunity to examine more than a hundred objects from five museums in Hubei, China, including metal and porcelain work, jewellery, paintings and sculpture. Highlights include exciting archaeological finds from recently excavated royal tombs and state-commissioned Daoist statues from Mt Wudang that illustrate the luxurious life and religious practice of princely courts in early and mid-Ming China (1368-1644). With essays and entries from seven leading scholars, this beautifully illustrated catalogue offers fresh perspectives on the material culture of China at a time before Europe entered its great age of discovery. Major themes include the impact of state patronage on Daoist and Tibetan Buddhist art, and the role of princely courts in defining late imperial Chinese art and culture. AUTHOR: Fan Jeremy Zhang is Associate Curator of Asian Art at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida. SELLING POINTS: * This beautifully-illustrated catalogue offers fresh perspectives on the material culture of China before Europe entered its great age of discovery * Published to accompany an exhibition at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, October 2015 to January 2016 * Features unpublished photography and new scholarship 140 colour illustrations
Catalog of an exhibition organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in collaboration with the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art. Many of the porcelains in this volume were once owned by Chinese emperors: all are extraordinary specimens. Ranging from the ninth to the 18th centuries, they opitomize the sophistication of imperial Chinese taste. Five essays by scholars of Chinese art describe the significance of these ceramics and review recent archaeological developments contributing to their study. Fine color plates. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Looks at the role of food in Chinese government policy, religious rituals, and health practices, traces the evolution of Chinese cuisine, and discusses the absence of food taboos
