The Way of Eating: Yuan Mei’s Manual of Gastronomy

Description

Winner of “Best in the World” at the Gourmand International Cookbook Awards 2020 in the Special Awards category

The Way of Eating: Yuan Mei`s Manual of Gastronomy (the Suiyuan Shidan) is, remarkably, the first translation into English of one of the world’s most famous books about food. It is a treatise, cookbook, and memoir written in the late eighteenth century by the Qing dynasty poet Yuan Mei. It is the little sister edition of Berkshire’s bilingual academic version of the book, which is published as Recipes from the Garden of Contentment.

This compact edition is in English only. It includes recipes for well-known dishes such as birds nest and sharks fin, and offers modern readers an appealing perspective on Chinese history and culinary culture, and was translated and annotated by Sean J. S. Chen with editorial advice from E. N. Anderson and Jeffrey Riegel.

This edition is in English only but it includes and explains some important Chinese terms. It’s a unique introduction to the true cuisines of China, designed for readers interested in the social history of food as well as in techniques and recipes. The editorial team’s aim was to convey the charm, humor, and erudition of one of China’s greatest writers.

Chinese food expert Nicole Mones, author of the novel The Last Chinese Chef, has contributed an engaging introduction to Yuan Mei and his work.

“This is far more than a cookbook: The Way of Eating is food history at its finest, a window into a fascinating and long-lost world.” Ruth Reichl, former editor of Gourmet and author of Save Me the Plums.

Sean J. S. Chen is a scholar and translator of Chinese food culture and gastronomy. He lives in Toronto and is an Associate at the University of Michigan Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies. His books have won acclaim both internationally and in Canada. Sean and his works have appeared on various media including China Daily, CNN Travel, Grist, National Geographic, NPR, OMNI Television, PBS, and South China Morning Press. He was a consultant and co-presenter for the award-winning PBS television series: Confucius was a Foodie. Sean holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. He works in developing of medical image processing and recognition techniques, as well as various medical devices and informatics technologies. This book, in its two versions, is his first publication outside the fields of science and engineering.

“This new translation of Yuan Mei’s legendary book is cause for celebration, not only because the complete text is finally available in English, but because Sean Chen so beautifully captures the author’s lyricism, humor, and opinionated pronouncements. Reading this book is like sitting down to a meal with a charming dinner partner whose interests range from culinary technique to aesthetics to the nature of hospitality, though flavor always remains foremost for him. This volume shares the delights and concerns of one of the world’s most artful gastronomes, and in the process offers a fascinating look at eighteenth-century Chinese culture.” — Darra Goldstein, Founding Editor of Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture

“Finally: a lively, scholarly, and usefully-annotated English translation of Yuan Mei’s seminal cookbook and culinary treatise that captures the spirit of the original work. Sean Chen and the Berkshire team have performed a great service for the world of gastronomy by making this fascinating text accessible to English-speaking readers.”— Fuchsia Dunlop, author of Land of Fish and Rice and other cookery books

“The publication of the bilingual edition of Recipes from the Garden of Contentment: Yuan Mei’s Manual of Gastronomy is indeed a landmark event and not only in culinary scholarship. Yuan’s wit and love of food is an added bonus and greatly enhances our understanding of one of the world’s greatest cuisines.” —Ken Hom, OBE, author of My Stir-fried Life and other cookery books

“The Suiyuan Shidan is a classic and two centuries later it still sparkles with Yuan’s irascible charm, his epic passion for food, and his near-religious devotion to the pleasures of the senses.” —Nicole Mones, author of the novel The Last Chinese Chef

“Food historians rejoice: at last, a complete translation of the 18th century classic of Chinese gastronomy. The recipes range from exotic to homey and comforting and most can be cooked in an ordinary kitchen. Yuan Mei also offers sage advice on choosing ingredients, how to combine flavors and introduces techniques that will be unfamiliar in the West; in many respects he is the Brillat-Savarin of Chinese cuisine and is equally opinionated and funny.” —Ken Albala, author of Three World Cuisines and Noodle Soup: Recipes, Techniques, Obsession

“Chinese cuisine is often misunderstood, mistaking one of the most delicate, beautiful, and tasty cuisines for Americanized semi-fast food. This books explains the complexities and delicacies of Chinese food. I enjoyed reading it very much, and recommend it for anyone who loves food.” —Kai-Fu Lee, AI expert, author of AI Superpowers, former president of Google China

“Sean Chen’s faithful and stimulating rendering of Yuan Mei’s 18th century book of classic Chinese recipes and cooking techniques will greatly interest lovers of Chinese cuisine as well as readers of gastronomic history. If you are either or both then you should own it. Reading Yuan’s book and trying out the recipes for dishes that were prepared for him and his guests at his garden villa in old Nanjing open a door to a time and place of unsurpassed good taste and refinement in Chinese history. Thanks to Sean Chen’s translation, many more people are now able to pass through that door.”  —Jeffrey K. Riegel, University of Sydney

“Yuan Mei is one of those Qing cultural giants we shouldn’t be able to get enough of.  Sean Chen’s contribution here is unexpected yet indispensable, an inexhaustibly delightful excursion with a true 18th century genius.” —Pamela Kyle Crossley, Collis Professor of History, Dartmouth College

“This is a totally wonderful job.  It’s extremely accurate and thorough.” — E.N. Anderson, University of California, Riverside, author of The Food of China

“The Suiyuan Shidan is one of China’s greatest classical cookbooks. It is also unique in that it beguiles its readers with wit, intelligence, and brevity, much like Fernand Point’s Ma Gastronomie. Translating something as difficult as this is therefore an event worth celebrating, and kudos go out to Sean Chen for his meticulously scholarly approach. Open the cover and prepare to be enchanted.” —Carolyn Phillips, author of All Under Heaven

Translator and annotator Sean Jy-Shyang Chen is a scientific developer for computer assisted minimally invasive neurosurgery. This is his first publication outside the fields of science and engineering.