Have You Eaten Yet: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World
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- Create Date：2023-01-23 03:21:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Cheuk Kwan
- ISBN：1639363343
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Summary
An eye-opening and soul-nourishing journey through Chinese food around the world。
*A PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST NEW BOOK*
From Cape Town， South Africa， to small-town Saskatchewan， family-run Chinese restaurants are global icons of immigration， community and delicious food。 The cultural outposts of far-flung settlers， bringers of dim sum， Peking duck and creative culinary hybrids， Chinese restaurants are a microcosm of greater social forces。 They are an insight into time， history， and place。
Author and film-maker Cheuk Kwan， a self-described “card-carrying member of the Chinese diaspora，” weaves a global narrative by linking the myriad personal stories of chefs， entrepreneurs， labourers and dreamers who populate Chinese kitchens worldwide。 Behind these kitchen doors lies an intriguing paradox which characterizes many of these communities: how Chinese immigrants have resisted—or have often been prevented from—complete assimilation into the social fabric of their
new homes。 In both instances， the engine of their economic survival—the Chinese restaurant and its food—has become seamlessly woven into towns and cities all around the world。
An intrepid travelogue of grand vistas， adventure and serendipity， Have You Eaten Yet？ charts a living atlas of global migration， ultimately revealing how an excellent meal always tells an even better story。
*A PEOPLE MAGAZINE BEST NEW BOOK*
From Cape Town， South Africa， to small-town Saskatchewan， family-run Chinese restaurants are global icons of immigration， community and delicious food。 The cultural outposts of far-flung settlers， bringers of dim sum， Peking duck and creative culinary hybrids， Chinese restaurants are a microcosm of greater social forces。 They are an insight into time， history， and place。
Author and film-maker Cheuk Kwan， a self-described “card-carrying member of the Chinese diaspora，” weaves a global narrative by linking the myriad personal stories of chefs， entrepreneurs， labourers and dreamers who populate Chinese kitchens worldwide。 Behind these kitchen doors lies an intriguing paradox which characterizes many of these communities: how Chinese immigrants have resisted—or have often been prevented from—complete assimilation into the social fabric of their
new homes。 In both instances， the engine of their economic survival—the Chinese restaurant and its food—has become seamlessly woven into towns and cities all around the world。
An intrepid travelogue of grand vistas， adventure and serendipity， Have You Eaten Yet？ charts a living atlas of global migration， ultimately revealing how an excellent meal always tells an even better story。
Reviews
EW Dyson
，
this book might be good for a transnational religion/identity course
Diana Lupu
，
Very informative but I found the writing flat。 I'm looking forward to watching the documentary series though。 Very informative but I found the writing flat。 I'm looking forward to watching the documentary series though。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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3。5 stars。 It was fun to read about how Chinese immigrants adapt traditional dishes to suit the tastes of their native countries。 This book covers a LOT of places， but feels more like an overview since the chapters are relatively short。 It does work as a companion book to the author's documentary series， which is free on YouTube。 3。5 stars。 It was fun to read about how Chinese immigrants adapt traditional dishes to suit the tastes of their native countries。 This book covers a LOT of places， but feels more like an overview since the chapters are relatively short。 It does work as a companion book to the author's documentary series， which is free on YouTube。 。。。more
Latestarterfire
，
Fascinating stories from Chinese restauranteurs ftom all over the world。 That chinese immigrant spirit， adapting to new conditions to survive is universal。 I learnt a lot about the various immigration routes & enjoyed the stories very much。 The food for me is secondary though that was what attracted me to the book in the first place
Lev Lazinskiy
，
Fascinating journey through the Chinese diaspora through the lens of Chinese restaurants around the world。 Full of great stories and explores aspects of how the diaspora was formed one meal at a time。
Bkwmlee
，
This was a fascinating read that was also very different from the food-themed books I’ve read in the past due to how much ground it covered theme-wise。 While on the surface， this book sounded to me like a travelogue food memoir， I quickly discovered that it was actually so much more than that – the food （especially Chinese cuisine） played a huge role of course， and the author， Cheuk Kwan， also spoke a lot about his personal family history and experiences， however there were also elements related This was a fascinating read that was also very different from the food-themed books I’ve read in the past due to how much ground it covered theme-wise。 While on the surface， this book sounded to me like a travelogue food memoir， I quickly discovered that it was actually so much more than that – the food （especially Chinese cuisine） played a huge role of course， and the author， Cheuk Kwan， also spoke a lot about his personal family history and experiences， however there were also elements related to travel， history， politics， culture， immigration， etc。 that made this book stand out。 Cheuk Kwan was born in Hong Kong， but also grew up in Singapore and Japan and at different points in his life， lived in various countries including Saudi Arabia， the United States， and Canada。 As a documentary filmmaker， magazine writer， and activist， Kwan spent most of his career traveling around the world， profiling Chinese restaurants in different countries and documenting the stories as well as experiences of the Chinese diaspora from a global perspective。 Starting off in Canada， where Kwan currently lives， he travels across several continents – from Israel to Madagascar， to the Caribbean， Kenya， Mauritius， Turkey， Norway， South Africa， Argentina， Brazil， Peru （and so many more） – interviewing a diverse group of restaurant owners， workers， chefs， etc。 who were ethnically Chinese， but from different backgrounds。 Many of them had vastly different experiences in terms of how they （or， in many cases， their ancestors and other family members） arrived in the country where they ended up as well as how they got into the restaurant business。 Most fascinating to me though， was learning about the evolution of Chinese cuisine around the world and seeing the different ways in which so many of the Cantonese dishes I was most familiar with were adapted for a variety of reasons （i。e。 to fit the tastes of the local population or to accommodate the lack of particular ingredients， etc。）。 This was a lot of fun for sure （especially the sections where the author would describe some of the dishes in detail， which made my mouth water） -- but not only that， it also brought back fond memories of my previous visits to Asia and all the wonderful food I got to try。 As I mentioned before though， this book went beyond just talking about food and restaurants。 On a deeper level， the narrative was also an exploration of immigration， community， assimilation， and ultimately， cultural identity。 This was the aspect that resonated most with me – especially since， like the author， I’m also a “card-carrying member of the Chinese diaspora” and so I was able to relate to many of the experiences that were brought up。 At one point， Cheuk Kwan also explores the question of nationality versus ethnicity – he says that in his travels around the world， “meeting with far-flung members of the Chinese diaspora， one question always came to mind: Are we defined by our nationality or by our ethnicity？ Nationality is a legal construct that can be easily given – or taken away – while ethnicity always stays with us。 It’s in our blood。” This intrigued me because， despite struggling with the issue of cultural identity my entire life， it was never something that crossed my mind much， until now。 I appreciate when books make me ponder things that I might not have really thought about before， which this one definitely does。With all that said， of course， this book wasn’t without flaws – the writing was a bit all over the place at some parts and some sections were in need of further editing （the version I read was missing punctuation at some places and also kept referring to the United States as “the us”， which got a bit annoying after a while）， but overall， the content made up for it。 Flaws aside， I still definitely recommend this one （though maybe read the published version instead？）， as I found the plethora of insights it provides interesting and invaluable -- even with my familiarity of Chinese history and culture， I still learned a lot， which I absolutely appreciate！Received ARC from Pegasus Books via Edelweiss 。。。more
gulru
，
this book was packed full of fascinating history i never learned。 i absolutely loved it。 it's a 4 year long travel and food memoir as the author travels the world with his film crew， finding chinese restaurants in the worlds most remote corners to ask: how come you ended up here？ it's the histories of immigrants （or indentured servants） who formed some of the world's first chinatowns， leaving their villages in the 1800s-1950s to escape poverty or conflict。 it's the stories of the uncles and aunt this book was packed full of fascinating history i never learned。 i absolutely loved it。 it's a 4 year long travel and food memoir as the author travels the world with his film crew， finding chinese restaurants in the worlds most remote corners to ask: how come you ended up here？ it's the histories of immigrants （or indentured servants） who formed some of the world's first chinatowns， leaving their villages in the 1800s-1950s to escape poverty or conflict。 it's the stories of the uncles and aunties who didn't really have time for the identity conflicts of my generation， and were focused on ensuring their family's livelihood。 so much of the history of immigration is， at is core， stories of desperation and hope。 families cling together， to their culture， their food， and try to survive。 i absolutely adored reading their often times insane stories and was inspired by human willpower。 i also realised how little i knew of chinese diasporic history， especially in africa and the carribean。 the communities in mauritius， traced as early as the ming dynasty's sea voyages （led by a muslim general btw！）， the vibrant chinese communities in trinidad， how peruvian and chinese food became intertwined， and the persecution of indo-chinese families。 some are now the ambitious owners of opulent restaurants and some run tiny eatieries with insanely good food。 the author always asks， do you feel chinese？ and even a grandpa who has never seen his ancestral village will say， yes。 it's so amazing how we stay connected to our roots even across generations， and find power and comfort in that connection。 my fav chapters: canada， israel， mauritius， madagascar， istanbul， cuba， argentina P。S。 i tried to find the wang family's new restaurant in istanbul and didn't have any success hunting for it online :（ i hope theyre all doing well。 their grandfather's story was absolutely insane and i'm sure i won't forget it for a long time。 （book found at the chinese museum in vancouver + read on my trip to istanbul） 。。。more
Christina
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3 ⭐️- It was nice to see that the author touched on identity while navigating and belonging through two different cultures - Western and Eastern views。 While growing up in the west， you’re seen as a minority and in the east （China） you’re treated like a foreigner as a Chinese descent。 The food in this book felt comforting。 Who doesn’t want an egg tart， fried rice or dumplings！ 🥰
Mbro
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Dropped it halfway through。 Great read， but couldn't get into it at the time。 I will have to come back to it。 Dropped it halfway through。 Great read， but couldn't get into it at the time。 I will have to come back to it。 。。。more
KK Rebecca Lai
，
I picked up this book from the library on the first week I moved to Vancouver from Hong Kong。 It turned out to be the perfect book for me as I try to navigate my new life in this foreign country I now call home？ I am part of the exodus leaving Hong Kong after the 2019 protest， hoping to find a future outside a city coming under authoritarian control。 I find myself in a similar disposition as the author， caught between many worlds and identities， a state that I sometimes relish， but sometimes fee I picked up this book from the library on the first week I moved to Vancouver from Hong Kong。 It turned out to be the perfect book for me as I try to navigate my new life in this foreign country I now call home？ I am part of the exodus leaving Hong Kong after the 2019 protest， hoping to find a future outside a city coming under authoritarian control。 I find myself in a similar disposition as the author， caught between many worlds and identities， a state that I sometimes relish， but sometimes feel lost in。 I found comfort in reading the stories of the many immigrants who created their own little havens in far corners of the world， sometimes arriving without even speaking the language of the land。 Reading stories about people escaping Communist China， swimming to the shores of Hong Kong and Macau， and then taking the leap to another foreign land， strangely resonated with happenings in Hong Kong today。 After decades spent abroad， these people and their offspring become part of the community while bringing comfort to their neighbours by providing good Chinese food with twists catered to the local palate。 There is Indo-Chinese food， Peruvian， Brazilian， Turkish， even Norwegian。 In modern society， sometimes one consumes food in a rush and mindlessly， but when used to connect to a place and to people， sharing a meal can be a wondrous thing。 。。。more
J。S。
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Truth， I didn't actually finish this book， but I decided that 80% done was as far as I would go。 No complaints or issues with the book， I lost interest。 Truth， I didn't actually finish this book， but I decided that 80% done was as far as I would go。 No complaints or issues with the book， I lost interest。 。。。more
Annita
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I wanted to like this book but I found it very disappointing。 While I enjoyed learning about the various Chinese diasporas， particularly in African and South American countries， it was clearly written from a Western worldview。 I mean that in the sense of what the author chose be critical about vs。 what he chose to sanitize （notably migration to Israel， colonization， etc）。 The epilogue was bizarre — I think it really undermined the point the author was trying to make about anti-Asian racism when I wanted to like this book but I found it very disappointing。 While I enjoyed learning about the various Chinese diasporas， particularly in African and South American countries， it was clearly written from a Western worldview。 I mean that in the sense of what the author chose be critical about vs。 what he chose to sanitize （notably migration to Israel， colonization， etc）。 The epilogue was bizarre — I think it really undermined the point the author was trying to make about anti-Asian racism when he highlighted that it’s rampant in North America but apparently not in Europe？ Sorry， but that’s just not the truth。 Anyway， I actually wanted to give this a lower rating but I felt that was a bit harsh because I did enjoy *some* parts。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Stories of varying interest， some great and others decent。 I love the worldwide view and the historical context setting， which i found informative。
R。 L。 （rtx）
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4。5 stars， rounded up。* The global Chinese diaspora is nothing less than a triumph of hard work and perseverance over cruelty， greed， xenophobia， and racism。* In country after country， we learn of Chinese refugees， immigrants and "indentured labor" （i。e。， Slavery Light， a nasty but effective bit of European re-branding） surviving and thriving in the most unlikeliest of locales through tenacity and self-belief。* More often than not， from the narrow niches grudgingly permitted to them by explicitl 4。5 stars， rounded up。* The global Chinese diaspora is nothing less than a triumph of hard work and perseverance over cruelty， greed， xenophobia， and racism。* In country after country， we learn of Chinese refugees， immigrants and "indentured labor" （i。e。， Slavery Light， a nasty but effective bit of European re-branding） surviving and thriving in the most unlikeliest of locales through tenacity and self-belief。* More often than not， from the narrow niches grudgingly permitted to them by explicitly racist public policies， they went far beyond simply enduring， adding immeasurable value to communities and nations through their food and culture， until their contributions were undeniable and indispensable。* This book chronicles a number of these stories: ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances extracting victory from tragedy， over and over。 This book provides a history of the world that people limited to a "Western" education （like me） have not been given， offered， or encouraged to discover。* Structurally， the book is a little confusing at times。 In essence， it is the written version of a television documentary series in which the author visited Chinese restaurants around the world and learned about the people， families， and generations of stories behind them。 It is unclear if the chapters （one per location） unfold in the same order as the TV series or the author's travels。 But， perhaps this is deliberate， because instinctively we may wish to follow their journey chronologically， but ultimately the content is the story， and the story deserves to be heard as widely as possible。* The writing itself is engaging and evocative。 Descriptions of people， buildings， vistas， and food are vivid and fully realized。* The book is specifically about the global Chinese diaspora， how it dates back hundreds of years in many places， how its experiences have mirrored our （hopefully ongoing） social evolution， and how it has grown into an integral part of the identities of these places。* The story is universal， how people have struggled and succeeded in finding their own place/s throughout this world， and how every member of these communities has benefited from these "immigrants，" whether they realize it （or will admit it， to themselves and/or others） or not。* Essential reading for anyone who says they love to travel， who claims to be interested in cultures other than their own， who has ever eaten another culture's food - "authentic" or not， or who has ever known or themselves been the newcomer to any social group in their lives。 。。。more
Alison Gadsby
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HAVE YOU EATEN YET？ is a political and historical document that tells stories of the Chinese diaspora （people escaping communism and political upheaval） in countries that are in their own historical moments i。e。 post-Apartheid， Israel-Palestine conflict。 It also has stories of people who are generations into owning Chinese restaurants in small towns and big cities the world over。 There are mob stories， emotional family stories and stories about community。 I loved all of them。 I also loved the th HAVE YOU EATEN YET？ is a political and historical document that tells stories of the Chinese diaspora （people escaping communism and political upheaval） in countries that are in their own historical moments i。e。 post-Apartheid， Israel-Palestine conflict。 It also has stories of people who are generations into owning Chinese restaurants in small towns and big cities the world over。 There are mob stories， emotional family stories and stories about community。 I loved all of them。 I also loved the thread of personal stuff between Cheuk Kwan and his cinematographer throughout。As a family who travels a good deal， this collection of essays has awaken in me a desire to check out every Chinese restaurant in every town we drive through。There are videos that go along with many of the stories。 Also very good。 。。。more
Amanda
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A wonderful book about travel， families and the special meaning associated with sharing a meal。Markham Public Library is holding a virtual book club discussion on August 23rd。 The author will be in attendance。Registration is required。https://markham。bibliocommons。com/eve。。。 A wonderful book about travel， families and the special meaning associated with sharing a meal。Markham Public Library is holding a virtual book club discussion on August 23rd。 The author will be in attendance。Registration is required。https://markham。bibliocommons。com/eve。。。 。。。more
Sabrina
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A relaxing read。 I enjoyed learning about the Chinese diaspora and how they live and identify across different continents。
Emily
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Interesting - focuses on a lot the documentary series though。
Stephanie
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The author's memoir of his adventures visiting and filming his documentary series on Chinese restaurants around the world in the mid 2000s。 Reminds me of Ann Hui's book Chop Suey， except with an international lens。 He explores the Chinese diaspora communities and identities- asking them what makes their food Chinese， if they feel Chinese or if they feel affinity for the country where they live。 I particularly enjoyed the epilogue where he ties things together a bit and reflects on the COVID pand The author's memoir of his adventures visiting and filming his documentary series on Chinese restaurants around the world in the mid 2000s。 Reminds me of Ann Hui's book Chop Suey， except with an international lens。 He explores the Chinese diaspora communities and identities- asking them what makes their food Chinese， if they feel Chinese or if they feel affinity for the country where they live。 I particularly enjoyed the epilogue where he ties things together a bit and reflects on the COVID pandemic and rising anti Asian racism。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Entertaining and informative！！！
Mary
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This book made me hungry。 Have You Eaten Yet is a gastronomic whirlwind tour of the world， through the eyes of Chinese diaspora。 If you enjoyed Ann Hui's Chop Suey Nation， this is a must-read。 From Magadascar to the Arctic Circle， from Cuba to India， Cheuk Kwan shares the stories of Chinese immigrants who have simultaneously adapted to and shaped the food cultures in their new homes， giving us incredible food innovations like chifa in Peru and Indo-Chinese cuisine， and more。 Beyond the kitchen， This book made me hungry。 Have You Eaten Yet is a gastronomic whirlwind tour of the world， through the eyes of Chinese diaspora。 If you enjoyed Ann Hui's Chop Suey Nation， this is a must-read。 From Magadascar to the Arctic Circle， from Cuba to India， Cheuk Kwan shares the stories of Chinese immigrants who have simultaneously adapted to and shaped the food cultures in their new homes， giving us incredible food innovations like chifa in Peru and Indo-Chinese cuisine， and more。 Beyond the kitchen， many of these chefs and entrepreneurs have found themselves questioning their identities and uncovering what being Chinese means to them。 Their experiences are not a monolith， with each expressing different relationships to their adopted homes。 It's raw and authentic and doesn't shy away from the ugly side of the immigrant experience or the restaurant industry， including the way some chefs treat their staff （poorly！） I appreciated that these voices weren't whitewashed and were allowed to stand on their own， reflecting the complex relationships that diasporic Chinese have with with the people of their new homes。 Some of it is not pretty， occasionally reflecting racist sentiments that Chinese folks are not exempt from perpetuating。In some ways， it is an uncritical reflection of the stories and narratives of the people interviewed。 That being said， the book doesn't claim to offer a critical analysis of immigrant dynamics， so maybe I'm asking too much of it and the individuals profiled。 Nevertheless， this is an excellent book that reads like an Anthony Bourdain journey， sass included， with a fresh and honest look at the lives of the Chinese diaspora through the quintessential Chinese restaurant。 。。。more
Pam
，
This is a fascinating account of the Chinese diaspora， ranging from close to the Arctic Circle in Norway， to Cuba， to Peru， to India， to Australia， among other locales。These immigrants adapted their cuisine to the available foodstuffs as well as the preferences of local palates to create fascinating fusions at the cafes they opened。Of course， history， politics， culture， and social mores also are intertwined with this culinary travelogue。
Kate
，