Asian Dining Rules: Essential Strategies for Eating Out at Japanese, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Korean, and Indian Restaurants (Paperback)

by Steven A. Shaw (Author)
Key Phrases: xiao lung bao, kaiten sushi, dim sum brunch, North America, New York, Southeast Asian (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"As you order the shrimp fried rice and General Tso’s chicken for the eight hundredth time, you eye the guests to your left. They have, apparently, seen a secret, far superior menu. Hungry reader, they read this book." -- Phoebe Damrosch, author of Service Included

"Read this book before eating at an Asian restaurant…you’ll be a step ahead" -- Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto

"Steven Shaw is the dining companion we all yearn for when eating unfamiliar foods in unfamiliar places: He is warm, wise, and goes out of his way to make us feel as informed (and well fed) as possible." -- James Oseland, editor-in-chief, Saveur, and author of Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore

"What impresses me about Steven Shaw is not that he’s mastered Asian decorum, but that he’s mastered almost everything in the food world. Nobody should be that gifted. I’m twice his age, and I’m constantly learning from him." -- Alan Richman

"With Shaw’s Dining Rules under your belt, you’ll be ordering like a regular." -- Martin Yan, cookbook author and host of the Yan Can Cook Show

Review
"Read this book before eating at an Asian restaurant.you'll be a step ahead" (Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto )

"With Shaw's Dining Rules under your belt, you'll be ordering like a regular." (Martin Yan, cookbook author and host of the Yan Can Cook Show )

"As you order the shrimp fried rice and General Tso's chicken for the eight hundredth time, you eye the guests to your left. They have, apparently, seen a secret, far superior menu. Hungry reader, they read this book." (Phoebe Damrosch, author of Service Included )

"Steven Shaw is the dining companion we all yearn for when eating unfamiliar foods in unfamiliar places: He is warm, wise, and goes out of his way to make us feel as informed (and well fed) as possible." (James Oseland, editor-in-chief, Saveur, and author of Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore )

"What impresses me about Steven Shaw is not that he's mastered Asian decorum, but that he's mastered almost everything in the food world. Nobody should be that gifted. I'm twice his age, and I'm constantly learning from him." (Alan Richman )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061255599
• ISBN-13: 978-0061255595
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #281,073 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, October 22, 2008

By	New England Yankee (Northern New England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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This little book is a very entertaining read. Part storytelling, part instructional, often very personal, every page is engaging. Steven Shaw writes in a style that is something between a columnist's approach and an essayist's. The result is a series of interesting, short segments that loosely hang together within each of the cuisine-specific chapters of the book. The closest comparison I might make to the flow is to a travel show on television.

Is the author authoritative on the topic? I can't honestly say, though I'm mostly convinced. I hedge because of issues with the advice itself - the "rules" referenced in the title - and the limited coverage. See more below on that. The book carries two Asian heavyweight endorsements on the front and back covers, though: Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook. So presumably the educational content is accurate.

This is a 250 page book that covers 5 major cuisines. Each cuisine chapter is, therefore, regrettably limited, especially when you toss in all the personal stories and offbeat - if interesting - segues (e.g., pairing French wines with Japanese food). And there's the rub - the book is supposed to be about "dining rules," here meaning what you need to know and how to act in order to be treated like an insider and get the good stuff. The overview-level coverage winds up coming short of the goal, in turn leading to the doubts concerning the author's authority mentioned above.

The Japanese section illustrates all the points mentioned above. The entire section is only about 50 pages long. Shaw occupies the first several with a charming story about the Ushiwaka Maru sushi bar in New York City, followed immediately by some sushi myth-busting, a few pages on sushi history, several more on a personal sushi story and a sidetrack into Kaiten sushi not particulary relevant to US readers, finally devoting 8 or 9, quite usefully, to sushi basics. If you are getting the idea that there is a heavy sushi focus to the Japanese cuisine chapter at the expense of the remainder of the cuisine, you would be correct.

The author has STILL not got on to the task of advising us on the "dining rules," however. And before he gets there, there are nearly 5 pages of his personal odyssey into making sushi at home. Sigh.

We finally get to the advice on page 47, under "Guerrilla Sushi Tactics." I'm primed and ready. I'm educated and entertained. Only to find that the advice amounts mostly to bravado and things you probably already know, including sitting at the sushi bar and talking directly to the head sushi chef. The most interesting thing here is, literally, the author's comments on the various cuts of tuna.

That done, we're on to a discussion of red wine and sushi - taking 4 pages, then 10 pages - 10 - titled "Beyond Sushi: Taking in the full scope of Japanese Cuisine"! To say that this is the briefest, barest, sweeping survey coverage of a limited number of food items would be an exaggeration. And to end the chapter, Shaw takes 5 pages on a completely off-the-wall topic - sushi (again) and pregnancy!

Whew!

What this book needs is a consistent focus. Starting with what's promised in the title would help, as the advice turns out to be thin. The format is also problematic. This is a pulp paperback and there isn't a single picture to be found. It's as if the author and publisher assume the reader is already knowledgeable. But that invalidates the premise of the book, doesn't it?

As I struggled for a cogent title for this review, it all boiled down to the single word "entertaining." If you approach this book as a diverting read written by an engaging author, you will enjoy it. If you go looking for a comprehensive look at any of the cuisines, or, frankly, substantive advice on being treated like an insider, you're going to be a little disappointed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read!, November 1, 2008

By	R G (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Reading Asian Dining Rules is like spending time with a good (and funny!) friend who explains what food critics already know about how Asian restaurants really work and how to get the most out of your experience. He takes you through Guerrilla Sushi Tactics, explains "Thai spicy", and lets you in on the secret of the Two Menus in Chinese restaurants. The real stories about families who have started and run their own restaurants are great. I find myself thumbing through the book before heading out to Asian restaurants now. I would recommend the book to both novice and experienced diners.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asian dining rules and hints, November 20, 2008

By	Z~ - See all my reviews

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I found this book by Steven Shaw to be entertaining with stories that include his family, friends, life, and new found friends in proprietors of places he frequents eating in Asian restaurants, mainly in New York City. The stories were actually enjoyable and gave an insight into the author. He gives many histories about not only the culture and preparation of the food, but how some people came to the United States that is fascinating. This is actually a book about how to eat like you are very familiar with each of the five types of restaurant dining that he explains.

Preparing for an upcoming trip to New York City I read this book as I would be going out to either a Japanese or Chinese restaurant. We chose Chinese and it was a wonderful experience in my first Dim Sum dining. Most of the tips that were giving in eating Dim Sum were very helpful.

The index of this book is okay, but limited. There is a lot of information in the book and some of it is found while reading one of the cute stories. It is difficult to go back to find that one piece of information that you know is there. I would welcome blank pages at the back of the book for note taking.

This is a book that I would definitely refer back to before choosing a restaurant. It helps so much in how to determine which restaurant will give you the most "bang" for your buck.