In this powerful, touching memoir of a critically acclaimed Chinese-American writer, taste becomes the keeper of memory and food the keeper of culture when Nai-nai, her extraordinary grandmother, arrives from mainland China.
Leslie Li's paternal grandfather, Li Zogren, was China's first democratically elected vice president, to whom Chiang Kai-shek left control of the country when he fled to Formosa in 1949. Nine years later, Li's wife, Nai-nai, comes to live with her son's family in New York City, bringing a whole new world of sights, smells, and tastes as she quickly takes control of the kitchen. Nai-nai's tantalizingly exotic cooking opens up the heart and mind of her American granddaughter to her Chinese heritage--and to the world. Through her grandmother's traditional cuisine Leslie bridges the cultural divide in an America in which she is a minority--as well as the growing gap at home between her rigid, traditional Chinese father and her progressive American-born mother. Interspersed throughout her intimate and moving memoir are the author's personal recipes, most from Nai-nai's kitchen, that add a delicious dimension to the work. A loving ode to family and food, "Daughter of Heaven" is an exquisite blend of memory, history, and the senses.
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In this powerful, touching memoir of a critically acclaimed Chinese-American writer, taste becomes the keeper of memory and food the keeper of culture when Nai-nai, her extraordinary grandmother, arrives from mainland China.
Leslie Li's paternal grandfather, Li Zogren, was China's first democratically elected vice president, to whom Chiang Kai-shek left control of the country when he fled to Formosa in 1949. Nine years later, Li's wife, Nai-nai, comes to live with her son's family in New York City, bringing a whole new world of sights, smells, and tastes as she quickly takes control of the kitchen. Nai-nai's tantalizingly exotic cooking opens up the heart and mind of her American granddaughter to her Chinese heritage--and to the world. Through her grandmother's traditional cuisine Leslie bridges the cultural divide in an America in which she is a minority--as well as the growing gap at home between her rigid, traditional Chinese father and her progressive American-born mother. Interspersed throughout her intimate and moving memoir are the author's personal recipes, most from Nai-nai's kitchen, that add a delicious dimension to the work. A loving ode to family and food, "Daughter of Heaven" is an exquisite blend of memory, history, and the senses.
Imprint | Skyhorse Publishing |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | 2013 |
Availability | Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available. |
First published | 2013 |
Authors | Leslie Li |
Dimensions | 210 x 140 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback - Trade |
Pages | 304 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-61145-695-0 |
Barcode | 9781611456950 |
Categories | |
LSN | 1-61145-695-9 |