Target New ArrivalsGift Ideas for MomClothing, Shoes & AccessoriesHome & DécorKitchen & DiningOutdoor Living & GardenFurnitureGroceryHousehold EssentialsBabyBeautyPersonal CareHealthWellnessLuggageSports & OutdoorsToysElectronicsVideo GamesMovies, Music & BooksSchool & Office SuppliesParty SuppliesGift IdeasGift CardsPetsUlta Beauty at TargetShop by CommunityTarget OpticalDealsClearanceTarget New ArrivalsSpring OutfitsGift Ideas for MomWomen’s Festival OutfitsTop DealsTarget Circle DealsWeekly AdShop Order PickupShop Same Day DeliveryRegistryRedCardTarget CircleFind Stores
Dumpling Therapy - by  Miranda Brown (Hardcover) - 1 of 1

Dumpling Therapy - by Miranda Brown (Hardcover)

New at  target 
$30.00

In Stock

Eligible for registries and wish lists

About this item

Highlights

  • A delicious and moving memoir, tracing a family's journey through Chinese food.
  • About the Author: MIRANDA BROWN grew up in San Francisco with a Chinese mother and an Irish American father.
  • 352 Pages
  • Cooking + Food + Wine, Regional & Ethnic

Description



Book Synopsis



A delicious and moving memoir, tracing a family's journey through Chinese food.

As a teen growing up in San Francisco, Miranda Brown noticed her outspoken immigrant mother didn't act--or cook--like other Chinese mothers. Butter invaded coffee. Stinky fruits found their way into ice cream. Brown dreamed of making dumplings the way "normal" Chinese moms did.

Years later, after her mother's death, Brown became a mother herself. Determined to master the classic Chinese cooking her mother never taught her, she discovered something unexpected: even the dumpling may have foreign roots. The revelation propelled her deep into the hidden histories of China's most beloved dishes, tracing the lineage of everything from the chewy noodles of Beijing to her favorite braised Cantonese tofu to the chop suey she once scorned as a teenager.

But the search for culinary origins unlocked a more intimate mystery. From the fields of ancient China to the kitchens of 1980s San Francisco, Brown pieces together her family story across two millennia. Through secret letters and centuries-old recipes, she uncovers not just the histories behind beloved dishes, but her mother's own mixed heritage and adventurousness. The woman who once seemed to cook "wrong" left a richer inheritance than Brown had ever imagined.



Review Quotes




"A triumph of style and storytelling, Miranda Brown has fashioned an exciting memoir written in stylish, witty prose. Dumpling Therapy is a fascinating detective story as much as it is an ode to maternal love, and it made me very, very hungry."
--Carolyn Phillips, author of All Under Heaven and At the Chinese Table

"Miranda Brown's Dumpling Therapy offers the best of the new food history, serious scholarship written in a lively and accessible fashion. While uncovering the secrets of her own family history, she revisits some of the founding fables of Chinese food history. If you think you know the origins of noodles or tofu or chop suey, you will likely be surprised."
--Jeffrey M. Pilcher, University of Toronto, author of Hopped Up: How Travel, Trade, and Taste Made Beer a Global Commodity

"Like a dumpling itself, this book is much more than meets the eye--it's a rich and nourishing meal of history and personal memoir in one. As a dumpling aficionado, I gained so much more appreciation for this perfect food after reading it."
--Cathy Erway, author of The Food of Taiwan

"This enchanting quest in search of what it means to be half Chinese and one hundred percent Californian by pursuing the origin of Chinese dumplings opens up new vistas in world food history. The bonus: doable recipes."
--Rachel Laudan, author of Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History

"A luminous and deeply personal book, Dumpling Therapy weaves together memory, identity, and history through the intimate axis of mother, daughter, and granddaughter. Spanning three generations, it illuminates a story far larger than any single family. Rooted in the longue durée of Chinese history and the Chinese American experience, the book refuses to confine food within fixed ethnic boundaries. Instead, it traces how cuisines--like people--migrate, transform, and carry the weight of the past. Grounded in serious historical scholarship and enriched with recipes that invite readers into the kitchen, this beautifully written work nourishes both mind and appetite. With her graceful prose, Miranda Brown reminds us that what we cook and eat is always entangled with where we come from."
--Michelle Kuo, author of Reading with Patrick, visiting associate professor, National Chengchi University, Taiwan




About the Author



MIRANDA BROWN grew up in San Francisco with a Chinese mother and an Irish American father. A historian and professor of Chinese studies at the University of Michigan, she writes about food, family, and memory. In Dumpling Therapy and on her blog ChineseFoodHistory.org, and her newsletter The Curious Eater, she brings her research on recipes and personal history together to rethink authenticity and cultural inheritance.
Dimensions (Overall): 8.25 Inches (H) x 5.38 Inches (W) x 1.0 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.0 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Cooking + Food + Wine
Sub-Genre: Regional & Ethnic
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Theme: Asian
Format: Hardcover
Author: Miranda Brown
Language: English
Street Date: January 26, 2027
TCIN: 1010891190
UPC: 9781250396853
Item Number (DPCI): 247-41-9802
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
If the item details aren’t accurate or complete, we want to know about it.

Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 1 inches length x 5.38 inches width x 8.25 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
This item cannot be shipped to the following locations: American Samoa (see also separate entry under AS), Guam (see also separate entry under GU), Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico (see also separate entry under PR), United States Minor Outlying Islands, Virgin Islands, U.S., APO/FPO, Alaska, Hawaii

Return details

This item can be returned to any Target store or Target.com.
This item must be returned within 90 days of the date it was purchased in store, delivered to the guest, delivered by a Shipt shopper, or picked up by the guest.
See the return policy for complete information.

Additional product information and recommendations

Get top deals, latest trends, and more.

Privacy policy

Footer

About Us

About TargetCareersNews & BlogTarget BrandsBullseye ShopSustainability & GovernancePress CenterAdvertise with UsInvestorsAffiliates & PartnersSuppliersTargetPlus

Help

Target HelpReturnsTrack OrdersRecallsContact UsFeedbackAccessibilitySecurity & FraudTeam Member ServicesLegal & Privacy

Stores

Find a StoreClinicPharmacyTarget OpticalMore In-Store Services

Services

Target Circle™Target Circle™ CardTarget Circle 360™Target AppRegistrySame Day DeliveryOrder PickupDrive UpFree 2-Day ShippingShipping & DeliveryMore Services
PinterestFacebookInstagramXYoutubeTiktokTermsCA Supply ChainPrivacy PolicyCA Privacy RightsYour Privacy ChoicesInterest Based AdsHealth Privacy Policy