The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel - Tapa blanda

descriptions of fine cuisine are tantalizing, and her protagonist' s quest is bracing and unburdened by melodrama. Early in her visit, Maggie scoffs at the idea that " food can heal the human heart." Mones smartly proves her wrong.

A recently widowed American food writer finds solace and love--and the most inspiring food she's ever encountered--during a visit to China in Mones's sumptuous latest. Still reeling from husband Matt's accidental death a year ago, food writer Maggie McElroy is flummoxed when a paternity claim is filed against Matt's estate from Beijing, where he sometimes traveled for business. Before Maggie embarks on the obligatory trip to investigate, her editor assigns her a profile on Sam Liang, a half-Chinese American chef living in Beijing who is about to enter a prestigious cooking competition. Sam's old-school recipes and history lessons of high Chinese cuisine kick-start Maggie's dulled passion for food and help her let go of her grief, even as she learns of Matt's Beijing bed hopping. Though the narrative can get bogged down in the minutiae of Chinese culinary history (filtered through the experiences of Sam's family), Mones's descriptions of fine cuisine are tantalizing, and her protagonist's quest is bracing and unburdened by melodrama. Early in her visit, Maggie scoffs at the idea that "food can heal the human heart." Mones smartly proves her wrong.

Finalist for the Kiriyama Prize for FictionWorld Gourmand Award Winner "Stunning... will really make your mouth water."
-"Entertainment Weekly" "Entertaining and learned... the perfect leisure read...effortless... profound... delicious."
-"Wall Street Journal" "The most thorough explanation of Chinese food I've ever read in the English language."
-Ruth Reichl, "NPR" "A dazzling journey... a feast... a page turner both exciting and wise."
-David Henry Hwang "Food and travel writing at its best... engaging, inventive, and incredibly informative."
-"Booksense" "It doesn't seem quite fair for an author to be as skilled...as Nicole Mones. Entrances."
-"Seattle Times" "Will transport you... you won't want to put the book down..."
-"NW Asian Weekly" "A masterpiece for Chinese food."
-Edouard Cointreau, judges' panel, World Gourmand Award "Subtle...meticulously researched... will entice. Avoid reading while hungry."
-"Kirkus Reviews" "Sumptuous... tantalizing. Early in her visit, Maggie scoffs at the idea that food can heal the human heart. Mones smartly proves her wrong."
-"Publisher's Weekly" "Crackling with energy and ambition.. will delight... erudite details and butter-smooth prose."
-Diana Abu-Jaber "Maybe you never considered the imperial heights of Chinese cuisine. Nicole Mones can change that with the flip of a page."
-"Charlotte Observer" "Outstanding and beautifully written."
-"Willamette Week" Erudite and entertaining...mouthwatering details on one of the world's greatest cuisines."
-"Northwest Asian Times" "Captivating...evocative... admirably adept...invaluably quirky knowledge about Chinese culture and food. "
-"New York Times Book Review ""Delicious... deftly portrays complexity and passion of a cross-cultural love affair... and the rarefied and competitive world of Chinese haute cuisine, a subtle complex art that reached its apogee in the court of the Emperor and was nearly obliterated in Mao's Cultural Revolution."
Judges' Citation," Kiriyama Prize ""Delicious...reveals the sophistication of an ancient culture but also its corruption, cronyism, and poverty. "
-"Waterstone Review"

Finalist for the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction World Gourmand Award Winner "Stunning... will really make your mouth water."
-"Entertainment Weekly" "Entertaining and learned the perfect leisure read effortless profound delicious."
-"Wall Street Journal" "The most thorough explanation of Chinese food I ve ever read in the English language."
-Ruth Reichl, "NPR" "A dazzling journey a feast a page turner both exciting and wise."
-David Henry Hwang "Food and travel writing at its best engaging, inventive, and incredibly informative."
-"Booksense" "It doesn t seem quite fair for an author to be as skilled as Nicole Mones. Entrances."
-"Seattle Times" "Will transport you you won t want to put the book down "
-"NW Asian Weekly" "A masterpiece for Chinese food."
-Edouard Cointreau, judges panel, World Gourmand Award "Subtle meticulously researched will entice. Avoid reading while hungry."
-"Kirkus Reviews" "Sumptuous... tantalizing. Early in her visit, Maggie scoffs at the idea that food can heal the human heart. Mones smartly proves her wrong."
-"Publisher s Weekly" "Crackling with energy and ambition.. will delight erudite details and butter-smooth prose."
-Diana Abu-Jaber "Maybe you never considered the imperial heights of Chinese cuisine. Nicole Mones can change that with the flip of a page."
-"Charlotte Observer" "Outstanding and beautifully written."
-"Willamette Week" Erudite and entertaining mouthwatering details on one of the world s greatest cuisines."
-"Northwest Asian Times" "Captivating evocative admirably adept invaluably quirky knowledge about Chinese culture and food. "
-"New York Times Book Review ""Delicious deftly portrays complexity and passion of a cross-cultural love affair and the rarefied and competitive world of Chinese haute cuisine, a subtle complex art that reached its apogee in the court of the Emperor and was nearly obliterated in Mao s Cultural Revolution."
Judges Citation," Kiriyama Prize ""Delicious reveals the sophistication of an ancient culture but also its corruption, cronyism, and poverty. "
-"Waterstone Review""

This alluring novel of friendship, love, and cuisine brings the best-selling author of Lost in Translation and A Cup of Light to one of the great Chinese subjects: food. As in her previous novels, Mones’s captivating story also brings into focus a changing China -- this time the hidden world of high culinary culture.

When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, learns of a Chinese paternity claim against her late husband’s estate, she has to go immediately to Beijing. She asks her magazine for time off, but her editor counters with an assignment: to profile the rising culinary star Sam Liang.

In China Maggie unties the knots of her husband’s past, finding out more than she expected about him and about herself. With Sam as her guide, she is also drawn deep into a world of food rooted in centuries of history and philosophy. To her surprise she begins to be transformed by the cuisine, by Sam’s family -- a querulous but loving pack of cooks and diners -- and most of all by Sam himself. The Last Chinese Chef is the exhilarating story of a woman regaining her soul in the most unexpected of places.