Food and Memory

Translated by George Dudley

In “Food and Memory,” author Hong Ying describes scenes of food and family from her childhood in late 1960s Chongqing. With her siblings sent down to the countryside, her father nearly blind, and her mother out working, the young Hong Ying was tasked with cooking the family meals despite only being as tall as the stove. She takes us back to a time of communal kitchens, when scarcity of resources meant cooks had to get creative, and many desired foods existed only in conversation. As the title suggests, “Food and Memory” shows us how food can play a prominent role in our personal memories, particularly how certain special dishes can be tied deeply to memories of loved ones.

Hong Ying is one of China’s most celebrated modern authors, and many of her previous works have seen widespread success internationally. Some of her best known works in English translation include the novels K: The Art of Love, The Concubine of Shanghai, Summer of Betrayal, and the autobiographical Daughter of the River.