Curing the Craving

Name: Curing the Craving
ISBN: 9787538770827

周墙Shidai Literature Publishing House · ChinaNov 2022

3.3

Word count: 125K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787538770827

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Summary

This book collects 27 lively and witty essays on food written by Zhou Qiang as a devoted food lover. Using food as the thread, it links together decades of life, forming a nostalgic personal memoir that bears the common imprint of its era while possessing a distinctive personal character. It interweaves the social changes and human relationships of the times, intersperses entertaining anecdotes from interactions with people from all walks of life, and presents a vivid panorama of society in all its variety. The author's pen ranges far and wide—delicacies from land and sea, simple home fare, lavish banquets, warm family meals, everyday domestic chatter, tales from the martial world, and literary and historical reflections. Together with a circle of fellow gourmands, he perfectly interprets the idea that "eating and drinking are instinct, while fine food is an adventure," ultimately realizing that fine food lies far beyond the kitchen fires.

Editor's review

"Slaking the Craving" is a highly distinctive collection of food essays. The author, Zhou Qiang, brings the dual identity of poet and artist to food writing, infusing it with a unique aesthetic dimension. Unlike the common recipe-style or lyrical food writing on the market, the core of this work lies in exploring the desire of "craving" itself—how it is awakened, satisfied, and intertwined with memory, nostalgia, and artistic perception. The depiction of Huizhou customs is especially moving: a bowl of hairy tofu or a plate of stinky mandarin fish is elevated through the author's pen into a cultural code and emotional carrier. Zhou Qiang's writing is cool and precise, restrained yet deeply felt. He does not simply record flavors but deconstructs the psychological mechanisms and aesthetic significance behind the act of "tasting." Reading this book is more like watching a keen observer transform appetite into spiritual wandering. It offers not a guide to gluttony but a philosophical revelation about "how to experience life more deeply"—a refreshing spring of clear water for readers weary of flashy food reviews.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who think about food culture on a philosophical or aesthetic level
Those who love Huizhou culture and seek the essence of local customs
Literary lovers who appreciate cool, precise, and poetic prose
Urbanites trying to rebuild connections with hometown and memory through taste in a fast-paced life

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting detailed recipes or practical cooking techniques
Readers who prefer novels with strong plots and dramatic storylines

Reading tips

It is recommended to slow down the reading pace, ideally browsing in leisure time or before bed, savoring the text carefully
Readers may relate the text to their own deep memories of a certain food or flavor for comparison and association
It can be read alongside food essays by masters such as Wang Zengqi and Liang Shiqiu to appreciate the differences in food writing across eras and temperaments

About the publisher

Shidai Literature Publishing House China · Founded in 1984

Shidai Literature Publishing House is a literary publisher known for foreign literature and classic works. Judging from the more than 300 titles in the catalog, its publishing focus is on foreign literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, classic works, and world masterpieces, with attention to translation quality and series-based presentation. Representative books include Yukio Mishima's Spring Snow, Runaway Horses, The Decay of the Angel, and Forbidden Colors in the Zitu Classic Library series, as well as Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lu Xun's essays, and the four-volume The Sea of Fertility. Its translator resources include Chen Dewen, Gao Huiqin, Lu Qiushi, and Ding Kaite, while the authors involved include Yukio Mishima, Yasunari Kawabata, Lu Xun, and Jane Austen. The publisher is characterized by translated literature and reissues of classics, balancing popular reading with cultural accumulation; public information about its complete catalog and publishing plans is limited.

版权信息
前言
上海闲话
青衣素食
吃蛇者说
蜕壳的禅
话说鳜鱼
莽汉的香积厨
灰山小学
香蕉冰棒
彝族舞曲
洞子火锅·屿咖啡
秋风起
重庆三碗面
宁国·港口
宣城七章
庄周故里的一日三餐
等闲识得江南面
丽都酒狂
忘年交
一撇毛，一撮毛
朱安排
宁波船菜
镜中的诗人
臭豆腐馅的
我们家的猪和我们家的太阳
错过姑苏
香肉
海南粉·文昌鸡
老死彩云之南
后记

FAQ

Is this book a cookbook?

Not at all. This is a literary essay collection that uses food as an entry point to explore desire, memory, and culture. It focuses on spiritual appreciation and philosophical reflection rather than teaching specific cooking methods.

Is the content only about Huizhou cuisine?

Huizhou customs are an important narrative background and core material of the book, but the author's vision is not limited to them. Starting from specific foods, he explores the universal aesthetics of desire and emotional structures of "craving," and any reader with feelings about food culture will find resonance.

How does the author Zhou Qiang's background influence the writing of this book?

Zhou Qiang has multiple identities as a poet, painter, and cultural planner. This allows his writing to go beyond mere descriptions of taste, incorporating strong artistic perception, spatial aesthetics, and cultural critical awareness, giving the text greater visual imagery, symbolism, and intellectual depth.

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About the author

周墙 Author

Zhou Qiang is an author about whom little public information is currently available; the library holds only one work by this name, a collection of prose and miscellaneous writings titled Sha Chan (roughly, "Curbing the Craving"). Judging from the title and its classification, the book most likely centers on food and the flavors of daily life, written in the familiar essay style of recording personal impressions. Since dates of birth and death, nationality, education, and writing career cannot be confirmed, this note makes no speculation about them. On the available evidence, Zhou Qiang's writing tends to begin with small, concrete matters of everyday experience, using tastes and food as a way to convey observations about human relations and the world. Such essays rarely aim at grand narrative; they record personal feeling in plain, unassuming language, so that readers encounter not only food but life itself. Sha Chan, the only representative work currently visible, reflects one attempt by the author in the field of prose and miscellaneous writing; a fuller assessment of later work and overall style must await further information.