The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters - Softcover

McCawley, James D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226555925 ISBN 13: 9780226555928

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2004

Synopsis

Lauded by Calvin Trillin as a man who "does not have to make to with translations like 'Shredded Three Kinds' in Chinese restaurants," in The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters, James D. McCawley offers everyone a guide to deciphering the mysteries of Chinese menus and the opportunity to enjoy new eating experiences. An accessible primer as well as a handy reference, this book shows how Chinese characters are written and referred to, both in script and in type. McCawley provides a guide to pronunciation and includes helpful exercises so users can practice ordering. His novel system of arranging the extensive glossary-which ranges from basics such as "rice" and "fish" to exotica like "Buddha Jumps Wall"-enables even the beginner to find characters quickly and surely. He also includes the nonstandard forms of characters that often turn up on menus.

With this guide in hand, English speakers hold the key to a world of tantalizing-and otherwise unavailable-Chinese dishes.

About this title

Review:

"If you frequent Chinese restaurants that serve a mostly Chinese clientele, you''ll enjoy wrestling with this book. If you''re planning a trip to mainland China, don''t leave home without it."

"With this book, and minimal devoted study, you can eat what the rest of the Chinese world orders with impunity. . . . His system is innovative and pure genius, and relatively simple to understand once you get the hang of it. . . . Our copy will laways be with us if there''s a chance that we might be eating Chinese."

"If you want to eat the way the Chinese do when you are in Chinatown but have no familiarity with Mandarin or Cantonese, how do you face the untranslated lists of dishes posted on walls or menus? The Eater''s Guide to Chinese Characters, by James D. McCawley, a paperback edition of a book first published in 1984, could help. . . . In the end, you might be able to tell whether those stuffed buns are baked or steamed, and whether something called thinken legs is really chicken feet. Chinese characters are often more specific in describing dishes, and English translations are error prone. For example, a dish called Two Crisp in English is actually pig tripe and dried squid. The book also has a rudimentary guide to pronounciation." -- Florence Fabricant "New York Times" (05/26/2004)

"Unlike some of the rest of us, McCawley can enter a Chinese restaurant secure in the knowledge that his digestion will not be impaired by the frustration of watching Chinese customers enjoy some succulent marvel whose name the management has not bothered to translate. . . . McCawley does not spend half the meal staring at his neighbor's bean curd with that particularly ugly combination of greed and envy so familiar to--well, to some of the rest of us. . . . McCawley endeavors to free the non-Chinese-speaking eater forever from the wretched constriction of the English menu."

Calvin Trillin, "New Yorker"--Calvin Trillin "New Yorker "

Unlike some of the rest of us, McCawley can enter a Chinese restaurant secure in the knowledge that his digestion will not be impaired by the frustration of watching Chinese customers enjoy some succulent marvel whose name the management has not bothered to translate. . . . McCawley does not spend half the meal staring at his neighbor s bean curd with that particularly ugly combination of greed and envy so familiar to well, to some of the rest of us. . . . McCawley endeavors to free the non-Chinese-speaking eater forever from the wretched constriction of the English menu.
Calvin Trillin, "New Yorker"--Calvin Trillin "New Yorker ""

Synopsis:

In The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters, James D. McCawley offers readers a guide to deciphering the mysteries of Chinese menus and the opportunity to enjoy new eating experiences. An accessible primer as well as a handy reference, the book shows how Chinese characters are written and referred to, both in script and in type. McCawley provides a guide to pronunciation and includes helpful exercises so users can practice ordering. His novel system of arranging the extensive glossary - which ranges from basics such as "rice" and "fish" to exotica like "Buddha Jumps Wall" - enables even the beginner to find characters quickly and surely. He also includes the nonstandard forms of characters that often turn up on menus. With this guide in hand, then, English speakers hold the key to a world of tantalizing - and otherwise unavailable - Chinese dishes.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0226555925
• ISBN 13: 9780226555928
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 254