In Search of Flavor

Name: In Search of Flavor
ISBN: 9787559863447

林卫辉Guangxi Normal University Press · ChinaMar 2024

3.6

Word count: 114K words
Chapters: 51
ISBN: 9787559863447

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Summary

This book is a collection of essays on food culture. Though it focuses on food from abroad, the author, in his search for food and in his writing, draws on both ancient and modern, Chinese and Western perspectives: he combs through historical documents, compares Chinese and Western methods of preparing the same ingredient, and, incorporating the perspective of food science, introduces in accessible language the history, culture, and customs behind food. It also sheds light on socioeconomic differences between China and the West and on their differing attitudes toward food, and further reveals the scientific and artistic aspects of cooking. Solid documentary grounding and broad vision make the book's cultural character especially prominent, rather than merely a general discussion of food and its preparation.

Editor's review

寻味 is not a mere cookbook or collection of food essays, but a modern cognitive map of taste woven from science, culture, and history. Mr. Lin Weihui, as gourmet, columnist, and food-industry researcher, offers readers a distinctive perspective on "tasting"—taste is not only sensory experience but a system of knowledge. The book's core value lies in breaking the established paradigm of "food writing": from the scientific principles of molecular gastronomy to the global trade history of ingredients to the civilizational migrations behind a home-cooked dish, the author, with clear logic and broad citation, elevates the act of "eating" to an intellectual level for deconstruction. For readers who want to know the why, the discussions of the biochemical mechanisms of umami, the formation of fermented flavors, and even the precise control of temperature and time in cooking are full of rational appeal. At the same time, the author's prose is restrained and precise, avoiding excessive lyricism, so that the density of knowledge is high without being cumbersome. It is more like a key meant to open the door to readers' understanding of the complex world behind everyday eating; the reading experience is close to an enjoyable and substantial general course in the science of food.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Curious readers with a strong interest in the science and cultural history behind food
Food lovers who are not satisfied with superficial tasting and want to systematically improve their culinary aesthetics and understanding
Thoughtful readers who like to use everyday life as an entry point for deep reading
Creators of writing, culture, or lifestyle content seeking interdisciplinary inspiration and material

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking only simple recipes or purely lyrical food essays
Readers hoping to quickly find novelty-seeking food stories

Reading tips

Read in chapter order, as the knowledge system progresses gradually, extending from basic taste science to culture and history
Reflect on your own eating experience while reading and try to use the book's theories to explain familiar flavors; this will be more rewarding
Do not be intimidated by passages involving chemistry or biology; the author explains them in accessible terms, so grasp the core logic

About the publisher

Guangxi Normal University Press China · Founded in 1986

Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.

版权信息
美味的足迹，人生的注脚
第一章寻味中华
腾，飞得高一些
讲究的食材，老广的味道
御口福潮汕开渔宴的思考
潮菜未来的思考
食在广舟
秋天的约会
杭州柏悦酒店的蟹酿橙
杭州的自然味道
朗泮轩蟹会
网红打卡店千鸟
广州遇上荔雅图
终于遇见你
恰，是你的温柔
澳门的老味道——六棉酒家
澳门的老味道——六棉酒家
澳门凯旋轩之春风得意荷花宴
米其林一星——永利宫体验
第二章寻味海外
新加坡名菜——黑胡椒蟹
新加坡国菜——海南鸡饭
新加坡肉骨茶
新加坡发记的鲍鱼
美国王品牛肉
鲳鱼：你要了我的身，还“污”了我的名
这一“腿”有问题
瓜儿为什么这么甜
桃李满天下
万般满足是龙趸
美国梭子蟹
蒲烧鳗鱼饭
日本京都和心泉怀石料理
日本的抹茶
和歌山县的梅子干
好吃的秋刀鱼
日本的拉面
日本的天妇罗
万圣节的南瓜
第三章寻味《风味人间》
美味的背后，是别人的四海为家
冒着别人的生命危险吃海鲜
渊薮至味的鱼露
聪明的章鱼
荞头炒漕虾
石花膏、冰粉和仙草冻
蟛蜞之奇
续说蟛蜞
美食的阶级性和政治正确
后记美食的边界

FAQ

Is this book about cooking?

Not entirely. It mainly explores how "taste" is formed, covering scientific, cultural, and historical dimensions. Although it touches on cooking principles, its core goal is to deepen readers' understanding of food rather than provide specific operating steps.

Do I need a science background to understand it?

No. The author explains scientific concepts in very accessible language, focusing on presenting logic and conclusions. As long as you read with curiosity and patience, readers of any background can follow the reasoning and benefit greatly.

How is this book different from common "restaurant-hopping" or "food essay" books?

The biggest difference is its perspective of "disenchantment" and "construction." It does not focus on personalized sensory description or emotional expression, but instead strives to explain subjective experience with objective knowledge, seeking rational support for "deliciousness" and building a more three-dimensional cognitive framework for taste.

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About the author

林卫辉 Author

Lin Weihui is an author for whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and an English name have not been clearly recorded, and three of his works are currently held in the Chinese book database. Judging from their subject matter, his writing centers on food culture and gastronomic essays. His representative works include This Life Has Flavor: Su Dongpo's Food Map, Seeking Flavors, and Yuan Mei's Fastidiousness: A Delightful Reading of the Suiyuan Shidan. These works explore the culinary tastes of the historical figures Su Shi and Yuan Mei and also include personal essays on seeking out flavors, showing that the author is adept at approaching his subject through classical texts and the lives of men of letters, blending culinary anecdotes, ingredients and local customs, and reading reflections into a single whole. His style tends toward lively, essayistic interpretation, focusing on recovering the fastidiousness and sentiment in the foodways of the ancients, and it forms a fairly distinct personal orientation within essays and food writing, suited to readers interested in traditional food culture.