I think this book is like an all-you-can eat Chinese buffet. The dishes are plentiful, there's more than enough to go around and it takes you a while to figure out what the rhyme and reason of the set-up is. But you can sample a little of everything and try things that you've never come across to give you a well-rounded image of Chinese food's place in American culture.

Lee, a journalist, does have a journey through this book. Among the impeccably researched chapters about the origins of 'Chinese-American' dishes like General Tso's chicken and the fortune cookie (though this remains a controversial figure among Asian restauranteurs), she travels across the world to discover how Chinese cuisine has permeated American culture and the key differences between Chinese food and 'Chinese food'. She analyses the Americanization of classic dishes and how, more often than not, dishes are played down for a Western palate.

There is a lack of personality to this writing. Lee does not invoke personal memories very often and it can read like a detached academic essay rather than a journey undertaken by one person. I did appreciate that she spoke to people, those who ran the restaurants, who made the machines, make the products, eat the food- and got an almost micro look at a really macro issue. It's a very dense book, packed full of information, but it's still very readable. I suspect that it needed just a bit more editing, but otherwise, it's a excellent overview of a fascinating subject.

I will say that after I read this book, I started noticing Chinese restaurants EVERYWHERE. And my brain ran with all this new information. Next time you're ordering from your favourite place, have a think about this book. It might tell you more than you ever thought you'd know.