Chinese Home Entertaining  (US$25.00)
special sale price: US$19.95, free shipping
offer expiration date: 12/31/2001
Order hot line: 314/432-3858
E-Mail: editor@scanews.com

Introduction - by author Angela Chang

The Chinese have long been known for their love of good food and hospitality; and I myself was born into a family with a passion for entertaining. Ironically, however, I have not found a single book written by a Chinese in which the art of entertaining is discussed. I have often heard that many Chinese immigrants in this country are longing to make friends with Westerners and entertain them, but they just don¡¦t know how to do it properly. With years of experience in entertaining Chinese and American friends, and as an active member of several culinary groups in the New York-Philadelphia area, I am pleased to share some of my insights into being a good host to different ethnic groups. Furthermore, this book is also written for Chinese immigrant moms who would like to teach their kids to cook Chinese meals before they go out into the world, It has been a special challenge for me to write a bilingual book that serves three levels of readers - the native Chinese, the American-born Chinese, and the English speaking non-Chinese. I sincerely hope that each group will find something useful in this book.

This book is about Chinese home cooking, a cuisine which is quite different from restaurant cooking in many aspects. In general, home dishes are lighter and less greasy, but with no sacrifice of flavor. When perfectly cooked, each home dish has a distinctive character, which is a crucial quality to the Chinese. Most importantly, home dishes have a greater variety of flavors, textures and color combinations than restaurant cooking. Most of the recipes in this book were selected form recipes of friends who are excellent cooks, and who were generous enough to share their secrets with me. Still others are the result of trips to different food events in my area. Fortunately, modern Chinese entertaining does not have to be extravagant; anything that is attractive, delectable and nutritious is considered a great dish.

This is a bilingual cookbook written by one person. It is not translated word for word, as most bilingual Chinese cookbooks are. The author believes that explanations should vary in certain parts of the book because of the differences in cultural backgrounds and cooking experiences.

This is my third cookbook. Friends often ask how I manage to maintain my passion for cooking. I surprise them by saying that cooking is more than a culinary pastime for me. It is actually a world of rich and dynamic cultural activities. In order to write bilingual cookbooks, I need to keep up with food-related publications in both languages. I also need to stay in touch with people in food circles by taking an active part in various food events. From these activities, I reap the happy reward of upgrading my proficiency in English in addition to gaining new knowledge. And whatever I accomplish is due, in part, to the comfort of a modern kitchen. For me, the kitchen is a study, a classroom and a recreation area all in one. Quite often, while working on my cooking projects, I listen to talk shows or special reports on the radio. Of course, I would not let a day go by without turning on a newscast. So, toward the afternoon, most likely I have been both cooking and hearing what is going on in the world that day (WHYY is my favorite station).

I feel very blessed being able to choose a profession which I enjoy in my late adult years. I feel especially fortunate to have been born into a family that loved good food, and later married a husband who enjoys company as much as I. I should express special gratitude to a group of wonderful friends who have given me much encouragement and support. These very dear friends are: Joe Calenaro, Ilene Dube, Beverly Leach, Irene Rothschild, Ava Hirsh. Thanks also go to the following Chinese friends who have provided me with food information and recipe ideas: Margaret Kuo, Maureen Shen, Mrs. Chow, Diane Lin, and my three sisters-in-law. Last, but not least, credits are due to my generous friends, Mrs. Wan and her daughter Jane, who provided housing and kitchen facilities during the production of photos for this book; and also to the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center in Taiwan for supplying a special ingredient for this book.

Angela Chang:  Born in China and raised in Taiwan, Angela Chang moved to the United States in 1966. After receiving her MA in English from Ball State University in Indiana, she worked as a bilingual teacher for several years. Inspired by her love of company, she gradually developed her culinary skills and decided to devote herself to food writing. In recent years she has written many food articles for publications in both Chinese and English languages. Her other published books include "Home-Style Deserts" (in Chinese) and "The Intriguing World of Chinese Home Cooking". Angela lives in Princeton, NJ with her husband.