SC - A Soup for the Qan

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Khadijah wrote:
>     I've heard this resource mentioned frequently, but I can't ever find a
>synopsis of what it actually refers to, or the information needed to get it
>from a library.
>
>     Could someone please let me know what time period/culture/region this
>covers and perhaps the author's name, or ISBN number so I can get ahold of a
>copy?

from the amazon.com website:

A Soup for the Qan (The Sir Henry Wellcome Series)
by Paul D. Buell, Eugene N. Anderson
Price: $225.00, Hardcover, 700 pages
Kegan Paul International
May 15, 2000
ISBN: 0710305834

>From Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR    
In 1330, the Mongol Emperor of China-- a descendant of Qubilai Qan 
(Khubla Khan)--was presented with a dietary manual, the Yin-shan 
Cheng-yao of `Proper and Essential Things for the Emperor's Food and 
Drink' written by the imperial dietary physician. Arguing that the 
work is a valuable window into the foodways of China (especially its 
medicinal aspects), the authors present the full English translation 
of the 1456 edition, along with the facsimile Chinese. Also included 
is a 158-page explanation of historical, cultural, and 
anthropological aspects of the text, especially related to the 
influence of other cultures and the Chinese view of the medicinal 
value of food. Distributed by Columbia U. Press.

Book Description
This is a complete translation of the medieval Chinese dietary 
Yin-Shan cheng-yao (1330) with full notes and supporting text, along 
with a monograph-sized introduction. The Chinese original is the 
first dietary manual of its kind in Chinese history, and is of 
particular interest on account of substantial Mongolian, Turkic, and 
general Islamic influences. The translation makes an important work 
for the Chinese herbal tradition generally available makes an 
important work of the Chinese herbal tradition generally available, 
placed in its historical and cultural context, and also makes a 
significant contribution to the study of traditional East Asian 
foodways in a broader context. The translation is the first of its 
kind, and will substantially alter previously held views on Chinese 
interactions with non-Chinese cultures, including China's conquerors 
and their Turkic allies.

About the Author
Paul D. Buell, translator, writer, indexer and programmer, holds a 
Ph.D. from the University of Washington. Eugene N. Anderson is 
professor of anthropology at the University of California at 
Riverside. Charles Perry is a food critic for the Los Angeles Times 
and holds his Ph.D. in Arabic from the University of California at 
Berkeley.

- ----- end quote -----

Anahita
who would also like this book,
but not for 225 US dollars!