PRAISE FOR THE DEVIL’S CHOW
A Chinese Food History
REVIEWS of The Devil’s Chow
Ken Hom, CBE, Author, Chef & TV Presenter
“Despite all the books about Chinese food, every now and then there comes a masterpiece. The Devil’s Chow is a personal and moving encounter with Chinese food history is one of them. It is packed with fascinating anecdotes and stories on one of the world’s greatest cuisine. A book that deserves to be in the library of anyone who loves food!”
Professor Emeritus E. N. Anderson, author of The Food of China
“Stephen Jack’s book is a terrific read. Mr. Jack is an Australian who has lived for 30 years in East Asia, mostly in Taiwan. In this book, he tells some of his more colorful adventures, interspersing them with a history of Chinese food from earliest times to the present. He has rambled all over China, taking local transportation and taking potluck with anyone he meets at mealtime. He recounts a heroic capacity for food and alcohol.
His observations on the present, as he has experienced it, rather steal the show, but the history is strikingly accurate—a major accomplishment in this age of tall stories about Chinese food. (The Chinese love to make up these tales, and the western world often adds more.) The history of Chinese food has plenty of color of its own, without fiction, and Mr. Jack brings it out very well.
Mr. Jack is a master of the Australian tradition of yarning: telling well-crafted stories that come to a sharp point. As the Chinese say: “As for composing prose, there are three principles. Begin the work like a tiger’s head, showing its fierceness and weight indeed (ye). The middle should be like a pig’s belly, showing its richness and abundance indeed. The end should be like a scorpion’s tail, to show how the poison comes out when it stings indeed” (attributed to Wang Wentong, 13th century). The points of Mr. Jack’s stories are not so poisonous; they are excellent observations on food in general and the Chinese ways with it, especially in modern situations.
The book maintains a fine balance between tales of the open road in China and historical and agricultural data. Once I started it, I couldn’t stop except to eat and sleep until I finished it. A great way to learn about Chinese food.”
Scott D. Seligman, co-author of The Cultural Revolution Cookbook
“Stephen Jack not only knows a hell of a lot about Chinese food; he also knows how to turn a phrase. He takes readers on a lively ‘Cook’s tour,’ far beyond Benign Chinese Foodland, the Chinatowns of his native Australia – think chop suey and chow mein – to exotic Barbarous Chinese Foodland, the villages and back alleys of China, where you’re more likely to find chicken gizzards and pickled mustard greens – the stuff real Chinese people eat. And like the best guides, he is part historian and part storyteller, with an infectious passion and enthusiasm for his subject. Don’t read this book on an empty stomach.”
Professor Isaac Yue, editor of Scribes of Gastronomy: Representations of Food and Drink in Imperial Chinese Literature
“When I first picked up The Devil’s Chow: A Chinese Food History by Stephen Jack, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Having read many Western accounts of Chinese cuisine that often focus on its exoticism and cultural shock, I found Jack’s work to be refreshingly ambitious and comprehensive. Part history lesson, part travelogue, and above all, a personal journey through the flavors and stories that define Chinese food, this book offers a richly textured exploration of China’s many culinary traditions. Filled with compelling dialogue and keen observations, I highly recommend it to anyone who is eager to understand China’s culinary heritage, passionate about travel writing, or simply curious about one man’s immersive adventure into the heart of Chinese cuisine.”