How I discover a distant family member, Janice Wong, who has just written a Chinese Canadian cookbook called “Chow From China to Canada: Memories of Food and Family”

Funny how things happen… discovering distant family members you never
knew you had.  In 2000, we planned a family reunion for the
descendents of Rev. Chan Yu Tan, my great-great-grandfather who came to
Canada in 1896.  We discovered the descendents of his elder
brother Rev. Chan Sing Kai who had arrived in 1888, and their younger
sister Naomi – both whom had moved the United States.

Janice Wong introduced herself on e-mail to me last month, as the niece of my grandmother's cousin in Victoria.  She is a visual artist
and shares with me a deep interest in Chinese Canadian history. And…
she has written a cook book based on family stories and recipies. 
I can hardly wait to see the book… and to meet her too… of course!

Book launch will be October 12th at Sylvia Hotel, Vancouver BC.
For book details contact www.fireflybooks.com
or try the publisher Whitecap Books
Here's a link to find the book distributed in UK, USA, France, Germany or Canada

A cookbook and a fascinating glimpse into Canadian history.

Born a two-pound preemie in 1917, Dennis Wong may have begun his love
of food after spending the first months of his life keeping warm in his
mother's cooking oven.

Miraculously surviving his tenuous beginning, Dennis went on to
pursue an ambitious culinary career, opening two Chinese-Canadian cafés
in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, to introduce countless adventurous
Canadian diners to Chinese food.

In Chow, Dennis's daughter Janice Wong tells her father's tale through heart-rending stories and traditional Chinese village recipes.

A collection of more than 50 simple family fare dishes, Chow
contains early photographs, immigration documents, 1940s restaurant
menus, and handwritten recipes that trace the history of some of
Canada's first ethnic restaurants. Written with refreshing sincerity, Chow is both a terrific cookbook and a detailed record of an intriguing chapter in Canadian history.

It includes recipes for:

  • Dungeness Crab with Black Bean Sauce
  • Steamed Chicken with Rice, Sausage and Mushrooms
  • Asparagus, Mushrooms and Pork
  • Chinese Barbecue Duck
  • Peking Doilies
  • Wong's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

About The Author: 

Janice Wong is a visual artist whose work has received numerous
awards. The daughter of a restaurateur, she was born in Prince Albert,
Saskatchewan. She now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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