Mr. Ding kocht Hühnerfüße

by Gillian Kendall, Andrea O'Brien (Übersetzer)

After accepting a job teaching English on a small engineering vessel traveling from Shanghai to Texas, Gillian Kendall embarks on a strange journey with no ports of call but exotic emotional landscapes. She is the only female aboard, surrounded by Chinese men. The cosmopolitan graduate student suddenly has to adjust to an alien world, thick with cigarette smoke, unusual sea creatures, and male sexuality. Kendall invites readers to travel with her across cultural divides as deep and mysterious as the Pacific while she explores her own culture, orientation, and heart.

Genres: Travel, China

271 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2006

Reviews

[B. Zucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I had unreasonably high expectations going in. It reads a little like an overgrown college admissions essay, with shallow insights, stunted self-awareness, outdated cultural attitudes, and too many nautical inaccuracies for someone who boasts about serving on Navy ships. Still, the memorable characters and vivid descriptions kept me turning the pages.

[Fairport Public Library]

March 2008

Recommended by Colleen B

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gillian Kendall, grad student, thought she’d found the perfect summer job – teaching English to Chinese crew members on a vessel sailing from China to Texas. Her Norwegian employer was initially hesitant, could she really be comfortable in close quarters for a couple of months surrounded by Chinese men? Yes, emphatically, yes, declared the desperate-for-cash Kendall. There were issues and setbacks and cultural differences, and homesickness to overcome, but overall Gillian handles the challenges commendably – adapting to last minute changes in schedule, and working with her students to improve their English language skills (most of the men spoke no English at all). Her journey also gave her time to think about her own goals and the path she was taking to reach them. Gillian’s interactions with her students and other crew members on the boat are the highlights of this book – her confusion concerning her sexual identity seemed a bit awkward, tacked on, and unnecessary to the story. On the whole, an excellent memoir of Gillian Kendall’s experiences.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Gillian Kendall, a struggling PhD student, is in dire need of cash to pay bills and eat, she jumps at the opportunity to teach English to Chinese sailors aboard a ship for 6 weeks. As the only woman on board and only one of two Americans, she has her work cut out for her, not only to teach English to 20 sailors, some from scratch, but to ward off unwanted advances from potential admirers. What she doesn't expect is to do some real soul-searching and figure what she wants from life. Humorous, witty, and melancholic, "Mr Ding's Chicken Feet" is a delightful read from Kendall's first taste of China in 1991 Shanghai to her first step on land after 6 weeks in Galveston, Texas, when she bids farewell to 20 new friends.

[Michelle Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grad student takes a job as an English teacher on a Chinese ship going from Shanghai to Texas. The men are going to be working in Panama and she needs to teach them enough English to communicate with other vessels. She is one of two Americans and she is the only female. I liked the story and her writing and I liked her. She was honest about what she liked and didn't like, feeling homesick, feeling funny about being the only woman at times, the description of her students, her plans for when she gets home, etc.

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[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author writes about her time spent on a Chinese boat from Shanghai to Galveston, Texas as an English teacher in 1991. Since it was so long ago, maybe she had to rely on her journals, so there was some depth missing in her stories. Some of the book touches on her confusion about her sexuality. She leaves behind a long-term boyfriend to go on this voyage, but during this journey she questions whether she wants to remain with the boyfriend or not, and her longing for a relationship with a woman. This book was interesting but closer to average than outstanding.

[Karen Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freelance writer Gillian Kendall recalls an unusual English as a Second Language assignment. As a graduate student, she is hired to teach English to Chinese crew members of a small engineering ship which is traveling from Shanghai to Texas. Kendall describes the tight quarters of the ship, long days and nights at sea, storms, and differences in language, customs, and food. This is quite an unusual and enjoyable travel narrative.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a lot of backstory here, but once the trip got underway I was hooked. Worth reading to find out how the author (ESL teacher to an all-Chinese crew) saves Mr. Ding's life if for no other reason!"

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little book and a very quick read. I enjoyed the story but felt it was too narrow. There seemed to be a lot more she was hinting at which could have been developed into a broader story.

[Allen Peckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly packed with action but some good one liners. deep, emotional stuff in places. A second read is a bit like watching Rocky as an adult, you realise what the story is really about.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cultural stuff was very interesting. The storytelling sort of slight. Doesn't dig too deeply.