Customer Reviews

Chinese Feasts & Festivals: A Cookbook

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my eight year old borrowed this amazing book for the library. and man, are we thrilled or what. the book not only tells you the how and why of classic chinese traditional cusines but also the many chinese festivals that were celebrated by the chinese folks. the traditions and old wives' tales are all carefully explained. truly, a treasure. and i considered a great gift to anyone who is facinated with foreign cultures and traditions.

This book is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. The recipes are true & easy to follow. The stories enchant....... I've purchased several copies as gifts as well as for my own kitchen.

Much more than a recipe book, this book is a visual and cultural feast!

Moey pulls together all the recipes for each major Chinese holiday, with a richly written and illustrated text on the history and traditions of each.

I love Moey's warm and inviting illustrations of families celebrating traditions together, children carrying colorful paper lanterns for the Mooncake Festival, dragon boat racers, landscapes from China, how to wrap a rice dumpling in bamboo leaves, the imprint forms used for mooncakes, lion dancers, temples, lotus flowers, paper cuts and much, much more. She imparts just the right amount of history to explain the cultural traditions behind each festival. Many of her illustrations are done in a style like traditional Chinese woodblock prints, both in sepia tone and colors.

Published by Periplus Editions in 2006, this is a lovely book by S.C. Moey, who did both the text and the illustrations. It is really a down to earth explanation of all the culture, rituals and history around China's most famous festivals and holiday. The recipes are easy to follow.

This would make a great gift for anyone wanting to learn about Chinese culture and traditional recipes to go with its big celebrations. Also, for Chinese parents and grandparents wanting to help their children and grandchildren learn new/old traditions, or revisit the traditions of their childhood, this is a terrific book.

Unless, you live in Asia and hence your life is centered around all the holidays and atmosphere, it is often difficult to remember to celebrate them, or if you are now an adult and remember those childhood years with fonder memories. This book is great for re minding you what these big Chinese holidays mean and the food that often associated with them. I know every family has a version of the recipes, I found these recipes pretty spot on the traditional fare with no westernized adaptation.
The book comes in two parts: part one focuses on Cantonese/southern Chinese recipes ranging from meat/seafood/vegetable/rice noodle and dessert dishes. Each recipe comes with some interest facts about chinese traditions. Part two covers the big holidays that include: dragon boat festival, hungry ghost festival,moon cake festival, winter solace and chinese new year; each festival comes with the story of the holiday, which I believe is very well written, and key dishes that are made along with any of the recipes in part one of the book. Did you know that the moon festival is the big Chinese holiday, over and above the new year?!
If you want to learn about Chinese traditions and key dishes that many Chinese family are raised on, then you will not be disappointed. This one of the best book on the market with respect to this subject matter and easy to read The illustrations are beautiful and traditional. Loved it.

This book has pictures that bring childhood memories to me! I left my country when I was 10 to the western countries, but the images of my grandparents house where my siblings,cousins, parents and grandmother busy in the kitchen mirror the portraits in this book. Although I haven't tried the recipes yet, I am simply mesmerized with the attention in detail on elements of each picture setting - people's hair, clothing, the kitchen's pots and furniture...one of the most striking images I have which contrasts the western lifestyle I grew up with, is the large pots and pans set on the floor. I remember grandmother's kitchen floor was tiled and usually grimy for all the heavy cooking productions (in those days, one made everything), oily and wet kitchen floor reckon my memory. This may explain the use of changing slippers even inside of the house - the kitchen was a utility room constantly getting dirty! A must have book for its traditional Chinese recipes book, but a history book too.

This is a pretty book but the recipes are long and a bit hard to follow.