Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: An Earnest Summation

There were some pre-dinner hysterics, and one member of our family skipped the meal, preferring to retreat upstairs and nurse grievances involving. . . everything. These pre-teen miseries seem to balloon instantly from the very specific (Owen left his Transformers on my bed!) to the all-encompassing: No one UNDERSTANDS!

Honey, I totally understand. You're driving me nuts, but I do, totally, understand.

In any case, there were only three of us there to somberly eat the final Fuchsia Dunlop banquet.

Highlights included:

• Braised Beef and Potatoes (like the darkest, most intense pot roast you have ever encountered; verging on too spicy)
• Pounded eggplant with green peppers (mild, agreeable)
• Homestyle tofu (another Mao favorite; bright red; verging on too spicy)
• Fried rice with Tianjin preserved vegetables

Pretty good food! Nonetheless, Owen -- perhaps empowered by his temporary status as 'easy' child -- made a bid for toast and yogurt. I was too weary to argue. As I write this, he is energetically dismantling our living room. I am too weary to argue.

But tomorrow, kids, watch out.

So, the earnest summation of Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook.

I made 32 dishes from Dunlop's book:

Flat-out bad: 6

So-so: 9

Good: 13

Great: 3

Worth the Price of the Book: 1

Not an awful performance, but not terrific. As I've said before, I love Dunlop's writing, love her spirit of inquiry -- but I think the recipes could use some polish.

Now I intend to hang up my wok for a while and move on to a new cuisine. The next cookbook was chosen by Isabel, and includes recipes that call for exotic ingredients like heavy cream, lettuce, Parmesan cheese, chocolate, and hazelnut oil.

Share this post