Chinese Food Finder: Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley [Paperback]

Carl Chu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

Thanks to a burgeoning and receptive audience, Chinese chefs and restaurateurs have transplanted their regional cuisines 7,000 miles from home to sunny California. This culinary revolution has turned Los Angeles into the world’s richest and most exciting repository for Chinese food outside Asia. Some food experts even feel that the area’s cosmopolitan character, coupled with access to abundant fresh produce and seafood make the sunny Southland a Mecca of Chinese food without peer anywhere in the world.

Every corner of China’s vast modern and traditional culinary landscape is within reach, from Beijing duck to Hainan Chicken Rice, dim sum houses to Hongkong-style coffeeshops, and such obscure cuisines as Chengdu and Fuzhou, certain of which have outlets only in this sprawling metropolis.

We created this guide to show you where to go, what to order, and, above all, what to expect when you visit a Chinese restaurant. Want to know the best neighborhood restaurants from Alhambra to Irvine and Torrance to Diamond Bar? What to order beyond Moo-shoo Pork or the three-item combo? You’ll find that and more inside.

• Facts about the culture of Chinese dining.
• Famous and representative dishes from every region of China.
• Comprehensive listing of Chinese restaurants in greater Los Angeles.

Where do the Chinese in other cities look for a taste of home? Right here. Now you can use Chinese Food Finder – Los Angeles to create the ultimate Chinese food experience for yourself!

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Where do the Chinese in other cities look for a taste of home? Right here. Now you can use Chinese Food Finder – Los Angeles to create the ultimate Chinese food experience for yourself!

"Finder" is the sequel to the original "Finding Chinese Food in Los Angeles" (2003). This book has less background material, and goes right into finding the typical regional dishes and restaurants. It is a handy restaurant guide for anyone looking for the ultimate Chinese food experience.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Written history has documented Chinese cooking for over 2,600 years, but most of the regional cuisines seen today date back no more than 600 years. During this "short" but significant span of Chinese history, China went through a series of tumultuous events that saw the decline of a powerful nation from glorious heights to near extinction. Foreign domination suppressed China for most of this time – first by the Manchus that established the Qing Dynasty, and later by western imperialists between the nineteenth and the middle of the twentieth century. Interspersed throughout this time were warfare, famines, and political upheavals that dealt a combination of hardship and misery to the Chinese people.

Through them all, Chinese food evolved to embody the experiences of a country that has gone through so much change and trauma. Under foreign dominance, Chinese culture also encountered inevitable influences from the outside whether they wanted them or not. However, China’s longstanding traditions proved more difficult to conquer. Despite a free flow of foreign ideas, much of China’s regional cuisines remained uniquely "Chinese" by which foods are prepared and consumed. It is this resilience – one that draws from both Chinese and foreign ideas, and steadfastly maintaining its distinctive styles – that makes Chinese food truly a top culinary tradition in the world.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Crossbridge (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932296034
• ISBN-13: 978-1932296037
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,898,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice sample of LA's Chinese food offerings, October 29, 2004

By 

"100+ Wedding Games" author (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chinese Food Finder: Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley (Paperback)

I was very excited to get this book, since San Gabriel Valley is littered with way more Chinese restaurants than I could ever try personally. I imagine it was a tough job, especially in the fast-paced Chinese restuarant scene where stores pop up and die overnight. (And a few listings have already gone out of business.) The book succeeds at providing a good overview of the various regional cuisines, and I did enjoy reading about unfamiliar foods and their history.

However, a little more detailed information about the specific restaurants and more write-ups would make this book even better. For example, there are tons of dim sum places in the Valley, but only a handful are written up and Carl was lukewarm toward all of them. Where is a great dim sum place? Maybe descriptions of how the dim sum offerings might differ from say Mission 261 and Ocean Star (both are mega banquet room sized, but Ocean Star offers far more food variety than Mission 261). The Hong Kong style coffee shop listings also felt thin, leaving out alot of the tasty and popular spots that dot Valley Blvd. like OK Cafe and U2. And how about writing up the best place for roast suckling pig or squab?

Despite these shortcomings, I would still recommend this book as a solid introduction to LA Chinese cuisine.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on Chinese cuisine, June 3, 2011

By 

jay - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chinese Food Finder: Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley (Paperback)

This is a wonderfully comprehensive review of the Chinese Food in the Los Angeles area. The section on tea is most enlightening and instructive. If you like Chinese Food, you should own this book. I wish the author would update the volume, but it is what it is.

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent no other like it, April 26, 2006

By 

Beatrice Izzey "Nanny Dog" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Chinese Food Finder: Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley (Paperback)

well written, accurate, helpful, and there is nothing like it on the Internet or in print