i really enjoyed the book. I had been to China in 2001 with a group coordinated by a native Chinese young man and then on a commercial tour to additional places. The difference in the food was amazing. The commercial tour stopped at tourist restaurants and the food was OK, but I would have never known that really good food existed. My son and I ditched the tour at every opportunity to eat on our own.

I really like the parts about food and preparation. There is a real intentionality about preparing food and eating that we in the US either never had or have lost (with certain exceptions).

I also like the way the author kept several plot lines going and the connections among them.