I don’t remember how I became aware of this book, but once I saw what it was about, I knew I was going to read it, it was just a matter of when. The subject hit me right in the middle of my soul. Being one of the large number of people who make up the Chinese diaspora, I knew I would love the stories about how the overseas Chinese survived leaving their home, move thousands of miles away, endure discrimination, abuse in many cases, and yet thrive. Of course the author also added the Chinese food perspective into his book, which made it impossible to ignore.
Cheuk Kwan is a documentary maker who, like many of us of
the Chinese diaspora, had lived in many countries outside of China, Taiwan, or
Hong Kong. I am enjoying watching the video stories that follow each chapter of
the book on YouTube. I only became aware of the videos after I started reading
the book. But this is more than just another travel show that features food. It
speaks to my sentimental side, as the stories remind me of my own travels around
the world. As with most Chinese people, we will eat at a local Chinese place at
least once no matter where we are. It doesn’t matter if the food is authentic
or not, it is a taste of home, it is a way to spend time with people who look
like I do. It goes beyond finding a place of comfort and familiarity in a foreign
land, it is something ethereal and sentimental.
I grew up in Taiwan, Honduras, and the United States, so my
experience is not as broad ranging as Cheuk Kwan’s, but the feelings are there.
I played with the children of the Chinese restaurant owners, and they were my
friends because we sought each other out because we shared a heritage.
There are 15 disparate and unique places where Kwan and his
crew visited, looking for the stories and story tellers within each nation and
culture. In each of the chapters Kwan frames the narrative by introducing us to
the main subjects that he had chosen for each location, using their stories to
illustrate the hardships that they and their ancestors had endured to arrive at
a particular geographical location. He deftly weaves the stories together,
coupling the culture and society where he is visiting with the Chinese experience.
The intermingling works most of the time, the key is that he was able to show
the readers the uniqueness of each location through projecting the Chinese experience
on the local culture. This is not an easy task; I would say that for the most
part Mr. Kwan succeeded.
As he assumed the storyteller role, he led us through his
own journey and revealed his own inner feelings about the people he was
interviewing. His introduction of his crew in each chapter gave us a point of
commonality which revealed a perspective that serves as a reference point.
The added bonus of talking about the kind of Chinese food
that is served in each location also served to show perspective, about the
ingenuity of the Chinese cooks as they learned to live in the US Marines motto:
adapt, improvise, and overcome. His descriptions of the dishes gave me a true
view of what “fusion” cuisine can really mean. It is only proper that he told
the story of the Chinese diaspora through the lens of our food, as the book
title indicates, the most common refrain when the Chinese get together is: “How
You Eaten Yet?” If not, let us go eat, let us socialize, let us be good humans,
and let us be even better Chinese people. Even if you have already eaten, if
doesn’t stop us from eating some more, not because of the food itself, but
because of who we are and what we mean to one another.
The combination of travelogue and food writing is not new.
My first exposure was through the work of Anthony Bourdain, perhaps the originator
of this style of storytelling. Another exemplary book that captured my imagination
through the tales of travel and food is Chef Edward Lee’s Buttermilk Graffiti
(https://polymathtobe.blogspot.com/2019/05/book-review-buttermilk-graffiti-by.html)
I would put this book in that pantheon of travelogue and
food writing because this one hits very close to home. Even though I had never
been to most of the places Kwan had visited, the stories and experiences that
he captured resonates deeply in my Chinese heart.
Kwan asks the same question of every person he interviews:
How do you think of yourself, as a Chinese person or a local? He received many
different replies, I would say that most of the people interviewed thought of
themselves as Chinese, or at least a part of their identity is Chinese because
our looks standout amongst all the countries. But I want to think that it is our
Chinese identity that we always go up the strangers and ask: Have You Eaten
Yet?
