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mynameiskate's review
2.0
I was so very ready to LOVE this book. I have to say that, unfortunately, I was quite disappointed from Page 1. I understood that it was going to be a collection of academic articles. That's OK; I've been to grad school. I get academia.
Overall, however, I found the scholarship quite lazy. I felt there was a lot of "everything is white peoples' fault" (disclosure, I am white so maybe I am being defensive) in pretty much every article where the history of the various foodways was explored. What I found most frustrating about this, was that most of the time the native culture being described didn't receive a lot of credit for their own agency. Yes, white people are terrible - but sometimes the native culture was complicit.
I was very disappointed in articles like the one about Kikkoman where it seemed like the main source material was marketing collateral from Kikkoman itself.
There were some articles that I did enjoy. The piece about Hawaiian lunch servers was very interesting (though I had my "agency" issue here). And I thought the exploration of family dynamics of eating and how those became problematic in Japanese internment camps was very interesting. Oh, and the loan structure used by donut shop owners in California was fascinating.
I think the editors should have taken more responsibility for the quality of some of these pieces. And, I have to admit, I was pretty pissed off when they dissed Jennifer 8 Lee's "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" (dismissing her "journalistic take" on Chinese food history in the US).
If you can check this book out of a library, it is worth a browse - some of the historical info is quite interesting. And I found the bibliography particularly rich - I'm looking forward to perusing some of those books.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook review copy.
Overall, however, I found the scholarship quite lazy. I felt there was a lot of "everything is white peoples' fault" (disclosure, I am white so maybe I am being defensive) in pretty much every article where the history of the various foodways was explored. What I found most frustrating about this, was that most of the time the native culture being described didn't receive a lot of credit for their own agency. Yes, white people are terrible - but sometimes the native culture was complicit.
I was very disappointed in articles like the one about Kikkoman where it seemed like the main source material was marketing collateral from Kikkoman itself.
There were some articles that I did enjoy. The piece about Hawaiian lunch servers was very interesting (though I had my "agency" issue here). And I thought the exploration of family dynamics of eating and how those became problematic in Japanese internment camps was very interesting. Oh, and the loan structure used by donut shop owners in California was fascinating.
I think the editors should have taken more responsibility for the quality of some of these pieces. And, I have to admit, I was pretty pissed off when they dissed Jennifer 8 Lee's "Fortune Cookie Chronicles" (dismissing her "journalistic take" on Chinese food history in the US).
If you can check this book out of a library, it is worth a browse - some of the historical info is quite interesting. And I found the bibliography particularly rich - I'm looking forward to perusing some of those books.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook review copy.
angielisle's review
3.0
An academic work focusing on the influence of Asian-American cuisine. I admit, the book couldn't keep my attention for long periods of time, but there are some points of interest regarding Asian-immigration as traced through the evolution of food.
I enjoyed the essay on School Lunch in Hawaii, mostly because recipes are included. I wish more recipes were scattered throughout the text; it would have helped me be more involved with the text.
The history featured throughout the book is fascinating and well-researched. The problem is that it makes for dry reading - I found this read best in several short reading sessions focusing on one chapter at a time.
I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I enjoyed the essay on School Lunch in Hawaii, mostly because recipes are included. I wish more recipes were scattered throughout the text; it would have helped me be more involved with the text.
The history featured throughout the book is fascinating and well-researched. The problem is that it makes for dry reading - I found this read best in several short reading sessions focusing on one chapter at a time.
I received a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.
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