Beyond the Great Wall - Jeremy Alford and Naomi Duguid

[liuzhou]

This is probably a long shot, but does anyone have a copy of, or access to, this book. I have an urgent question regarding its  content and there is no way to get hold of a copy here.

 

Many thanks in advance.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

28 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

This is probably a long shot, but does anyone have a copy of, or access to, this book. I have an urgent question regarding its  content and there is no way to get hold of a copy here.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

How urgent is urgent?  Our library does not have it.  Amazon does.  The book looks intriguing and I ordered a copy but it probably won't get here for a while.  There is a Kindle version available but I have pretty much given up on Kindel.

 

What was the question?  It may be answered in the Kindle sample.  Or someone else may want to take one for the team and purchase the Kindle version.

 

[liuzhou]

Thanks. The urgency is just as soon as possible. If I have to wait, I have to wait.

 

My question is basically, does the book cover Zhuang, Miao, Dong ethnic minority foods and if so, which dishes? Any mention of Guangxi?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

25 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Thanks. The urgency is just as soon as possible. If I have to wait, I have to wait.

 

My question is basically, does the book cover Zhuang, Miao, Dong ethnic minority foods and if so, which dishes? Any mention of Guangxi?

 

The Kindel sample says the book covers Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan -- as well as Tibet, Himalaya, Xinjiang, and other areas.  No recipes are in the sample that I could find.

 

The book's pronunciation guide includes Dong pronunciation, so I would assume there is some mention of Dong culture or cuisine in the text.

 

 

[liuzhou]

30 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

The Kindel sample says the book covers Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan -- as well as Tibet, Himalaya, Xinjiang, and other areas.  No recipes are in the sample that I could find.

 

The book's pronunciation guide includes Dong pronunciation, so I would assume there is some mention of Dong culture or cuisine in the text.

 

 

 

Thanks. That is really useful.

 

Unfortunately, I'm severely hampered in the internet stakes for now. The Communist Party are about to start their annual rubber stamp session and, as always, they have shut down 90% of the internet including my getting round the blocks tricks. This will go on for a couple of weeks. They are terrified me looking up recipes and listening to Tom Waits on YouTube will bring the whole edifice down.

[Honkman]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

My question is basically, does the book cover Zhuang, Miao, Dong ethnic minority foods and if so, which dishes? Any mention of Guangxi?

It doesn’t answer your questions completely but here is a list of all recipes in the book with the ingredients. It should give you a good idea if these ethnic minority foods are covered 

 

https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/3758/beyond-the-great-wall-recipes

 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, Honkman said:

It doesn’t answer your questions completely but here is a list of all recipes in the book with the ingredients. It should give you a good idea if these ethnic minority foods are covered 

 

https://www.eatyourbooks.com/library/3758/beyond-the-great-wall-recipes

 

 

Yes. I have looked at that. Without fuller descriptions, it is impossible to be sure what cuisine many of the recipes are from. The randomness of translation is also an obstacle. But it is useful in a limited way.

 

But thanks.

Edited October 7, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

I have the Kindle version of the book. However answering your question is not a simple task. Recipes are not listed by region. By searching on the term Miao I come up with this:

”there’s a woman selling what I called in my diary “sticky rice sandwiches,” a Miao specialty, we’ve since learned. The “bread” is two small disks of sticky rice, each the diameter of a small hamburger bun. Pressed between the disks is a dollop of minced dressed firm tofu very like Pressed Tofu with Scallions and Ginger (opposite).”

I am more than happy to do this for you by each of your terms but it will take some time as you can imagine and at the moment it is shortly after 3 AM and I’m still hoping to get a little more sleep. Tell me if you think the effort is going to be worth it to you once I wake up. Like I said I’m more than happy to spend the whole day trying to answer your question. 

J

[liuzhou]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I have the Kindle version of the book. However answering your question is not a simple task. Recipes are not listed by region. By searching on the term Miao I come up with this:

”there’s a woman selling what I called in my diary “sticky rice sandwiches,” a Miao specialty, we’ve since learned. The “bread” is two small disks of sticky rice, each the diameter of a small hamburger bun. Pressed between the disks is a dollop of minced dressed firm tofu very like Pressed Tofu with Scallions and Ginger (opposite).”

I am more than happy to do this for you by each of your terms but it will take some time as you can imagine and at the moment it is shortly after 3 AM and I’m still hoping to get a little more sleep. Tell me if you think the effort is going to be worth it to you once I wake up. Like I said I’m more than happy to spend the whole day trying to answer your question. 

J

 

Anna, you champion! If you really don't mind, I would be eternally grateful. Don't wear your eyes out for me!

 

P.S. I've eaten the Miao "sticky rice sandwiches". Not bad, although sticky rice is not my favourite mouth feel.

[liuzhou]

I'd ask my daughter to send me the book from the UK, but it probably wouldn't turn up. Books and videoes are another thing they are terrified of!

.

[Duvel]

It seems these minorities are covered ...

 

 

At least, I could find some Miao recipes within the PSF version on Google books: Miao Pork with corn & chili, Miao red oil fish, ... . There seem to be some pages dedicated to the individual minorities' culture and people, but as @Anna N mentioned reciped are a bit dispersed throughout the book.

[liuzhou]

Yes. I've identified some dishes, but many use titles that are so vague as to be useless. I mean "Chile Oil' is made everywhere.

 

Guangxi has more ethnic minorities than any other, yet only one is shown. There are 30 in Liuzhou alone.

 

Miao and Hmong are not synonymous. Hmong is a subgroup of the Miao.

 

I would just add that nearly all of that map is "Within the Great Wall" in China's terms.

 

P.S, Obviously, I'm not interested in anything with c@rn in it!

Edited October 7, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[Duvel]

1 minute ago, liuzhou said:

Yes. I've identified some dishes, but many use titles that are so vague as to be useless. I mean "Chile Oil' is made everywhere.

 

Guangxi has more ethnic minorities than any other, yet only one is shown.

 

I would just add that nearly all of that map is "Within the Great Wall" in China's terms.

 

The dishes cited are the ones popping up on Google books with "Miao" in their name. 

 

I copied the map from the book, as these are the minorities covered in the book, as you asked in your OP. 

[liuzhou]

9 minutes ago, Duvel said:

 

The dishes cited are the ones popping up on Google books with "Miao" in their name. 

 

I copied the map from the book, as these are the minorities covered in the book, as you asked in your OP. 

 

Yes. I realise and appreciate that. My problem is with the dishes which don't have the ethnic group in the titles.

 

I am unfortunately unable to access Amazon or Google books at present.

Edited October 7, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

So I’ve had a little more sleep I’m now prepared to do what I can to help you. I’m going to switch to the PM system so that there are no copyright issues. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Considering circumstances, I canceled my amazon order and asked for the library to buy the book.  If they won't purchase it I can probably get a copy though ILL.

 

[Duvel]

On 10/7/2022 at 1:30 PM, Anna N said:

So I’ve had a little more sleep I’m now prepared to do what I can to help you. I’m going to switch to the PM system so that there are no copyright issues. 

Even if you go to PM, would you still post the conclusion with respect to the original question (so that you enable others to make a compelling case to their wife to be allowed to buy the book …).

[Anna N]

48 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Even if you go to PM, would you still post the conclusion with respect to the original question (so that you enable others to make a compelling case to their wife to be allowed to buy the book …).

The original question was asked by @liuzhou:

My question is basically, does the book cover Zhuang, Miao, Dong ethnic minority foods and if so, which dishes? Any mention of Guangxi?

 

it took many, many words to thoroughly answer this question. Not sure I’m ready to do it again just yet. 

[Duvel]

10 minutes ago, Anna N said:

The original question was asked by @liuzhou:

My question is basically, does the book cover Zhuang, Miao, Dong ethnic minority foods and if so, which dishes? Any mention of Guangxi?

 

it took many, many words to thoroughly answer this question. Not sure I’m ready to do it again just yet. 

Let me put it like this: a simple „yes“ to @liuzhou’s question means that I‘ll own that book in the not to distant future, while a „no“ would prompt my wife descend to my man cave in the celler, quickly count my regular Chinese cookbooks and subsequently delete my Amazon shopping cart …

 

Would somebody please think of @Duvel 🙏

[Anna N]

23 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Would somebody please think of @Duvel 🙏

I would happily send you the book if I could but it is a Kindle edition which means although I paid for it I don’t really own it. 
The book contains a goodly selection of recipes from the Dong and Miao peoples. Nothing as I recall from Zuhang and perhaps one or two mentions of Guangxi. Recipes are scattered throughout the book which is as much a travelogue as it is a cookbook. 

[Duvel]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

I would happily send you the book if I could but it is a Kindle edition which means although I paid for it I don’t really own it. 
The book contains a goodly selection of recipes from the Dong and Miao peoples. Nothing as I recall from Zuhang and perhaps one or two mentions of Guangxi. Recipes are scattered throughout the book which is as much a travelogue as it is a cookbook. 

That‘s a „yes“ 🤗

[weinoo]

I just took the book out of my library on my library app called Libby. 
 

l am fairly certain I own all their other books, so it’s nice to be able to give a look see to see if it’s worth buying.

[TicTac]

On 10/6/2022 at 10:26 PM, liuzhou said:

This is probably a long shot, but does anyone have a copy of, or access to, this book. I have an urgent question regarding its  content and there is no way to get hold of a copy here.

 

Many thanks in advance.

This one?

 

 

 

Happy to help out, if I can...I own about 10 cookbooks, so luck was on your side, in this case.

 

 

[liuzhou]

On 10/11/2022 at 10:10 PM, TicTac said:

This one?

 

 

 

Happy to help out, if I can...I own about 10 cookbooks, so luck was on your side, in this case.

 

 

 

Wow!

 

Thanks, but I now have the information I needed. I didn't realise more than one person here would have the book, never mind a signed copy.

Edited October 12, 2022 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

Who knew we had a topic on cooking from this book?

 Reading through the threads related to this book I became at some point a bit Walt Whitmanish! I both loved and was much disappointed in the recipe for Beef-Sauced Hot Lettuce Salad. 

 

 

Edited October 11, 2022 by Anna N (log)