Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia's Regional Chinese Restaurants

by Jennifer Wong, Lin Jie Kong

Chopsticks or Fork? is a collection of stories and recipes from Chinese restaurants in regional Australia, based on the six-part ABC series created by Lin Jie Kong and Jennifer Wong. The book lovingly captures the stories of ten very different families who run Chinese restaurants, from Queensland's Hervey Bay to Western Australia's Dunsborough, and features 32 classic Australian Chinese recipes. As well as revealing the secrets behind everything from sizzling Mongolian lamb to deep fried ice cream, Chopsticks or Fork? includes trivia on the lazy Susan, encounters with the country's biggest Chinese restaurant fans, a game of Chinese restaurant bingo just waiting to be played on your next night out, and more Chinese restaurant 'takeaways' than you can poke a (chop)stick at. This is a unique celebration of an integral part of Australian cultural and culinary history.

Genres: History, Cookbooks

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Clare Rhoden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting overview of the history of Chinese restaurants in Australia, with snippets of stories from the families involved and longer pieces about ten regional restaurants. There are also recipes for Australian 'Chinese' favourites like Lemon Chicken, along with actual Chinese recipes and some information on the original dishes from which the much sweeter Western versions were developed.
And if you want to make Deep Fried Ice-cream at home, this is your go-to book.
This evoked great memories of childhood when we would traipse up to the local Chinese restaurant with our saucepans to get take away fried rice, chop suey (what even is that???), steak and pineapple and lots of fried dim sims.
Good photos too. A book that will live on my cookbook shelf.

[Julz Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and all of the stories, recipes and tidbits from families and the ‘oh yeah’ moments as I recall my local Chinese restaurant. The only letdown was that there was no restaurant from Bendigo (with its huge Chinese history) or Ballarat. Otherwise it was a lovely window into a world of memories and food!

[Susan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to a Chinese restaurant was something I only started to go to in my 20s. It wasn't that I had a pale, stale, Australian palette; if anything it was the opposite. You see my father was a Chef, he worked in all sorts of restaurants learning other cuisines from other chefs, but in one particular restaurant two of the other chefs were Asian, they taught my father how to cook Asian food they way they liked to eat it. He then started buying Asian cookbooks and there was a regular pilgrimage to Brisbane to stock up on ingredients in Chinatown in Fortitude Valley. Getting to know those ingredients that we now take for granted in our supermarkets was an eye opener and I think I instinctively knew that the menu on the Rose Restaurant (my town's local 'Chinese') was Australian-ized and bore nothing like the food that dad was producing at home on his nights off. In fact I wondered how much was 'developed in Australia for Australians'.

It was quite a surprise to read in this book that if anything, the favoured Chinese dishes, all descend from Cantonese cooking, adapted to accommodate Australian tastes and availability of ingredients. As much as their flavours may be removed by the Cantonese traditions, they still introduced Australians to flavours and cooking styles beyond European cooking. The deep fried spring rolls, have been a gateway to the flavours of the rest of Asia.

This book celebrates those culinary pioneers, those brave souls who came to Australia and shared their cuisine. But it's also a bit of a time capsule. Go to any Chinese Restaurant in the Chinatowns of any capital city and you will see Chinese restaurants worthy of a Michelin Star, nary a Sweet and Sour Pork, or Lemon Chicken on the menu. Its not uncommon to see restaurants that cater to Europeans in this setting having two menus, one featuring the aforementioned Pork and Chicken dishes, but having other dishes handwritten in Chinese script featuring the cost of the item (so you know is more likely to be a menu item, not a help wanted sign) on signs around the reception desk or walls of the menu. There may even be a formal menu, but as a 外 I was always handed the English version, and a fork.

The book also features a bevy of recipes, often popular dishes from the highlighted restaurants. But I must admit I tended to skip them when I got to the cooking instruction 3/4 fill a pot or wok with oil and heat to ... Wondering if the popularity of fried foods, Chinese style, is part of the cuisine's acceptance into Australian culture. Food for thought.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like the show, this book is full of delight and joy. Highlighting some regional Australian Chinese restaurants and the people behind them and their recipes, this is truly a book that invokes the nostalgia that was going to the local Chinese restaurant for a celebration or just a weekly outing. I appreciated the history of the evolution of Australian Chinese cuisine, from Goldfields popups to the sticky neon yellow gloriousness of Lemon Chicken to the today of more adventurous palates that can range from more authentic Asian dishes to Portuguese by way of East Timor inspired fusion.

The recipes included are mostly the classics with a couple of newer favourites. Most of them appear to be quite attainable for the home cook. I'm even willing to give the spring rolls a go despite being inexperienced with a deep fry. The reflections of Chinese restaurant decor as well as the anecdotal memories of running the local or growing up in the local, or just going for a ride to pick up the takeaway in a billy can were just gorgeous. Just lovely.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What are there so many Chinese restaurants in regional Australia? Chopsticks or Fork? shares the stories of immigrant and refugee families who run Chinese restaurants in regional Australia. This is a collection of stories, recipes, memories, history and trivia - based off the six-part ABC series of the same name.
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I adore this book- it’s so much more than a cookbook; it’s a salute to the endless Chinese restaurants and families who operate them across the country. It places faces with the history, culture and cuisine which many of us enjoy. The recipes have been adapted for the average Aussie cook, with photos which will have your mouth watering. This book has a bit of everything - and I absolutely love how it has been put together. This would be a beautiful gift for any foodie!

[Okimura1170 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book especially the STORIES part (rather than recipes)
Wonderful new and old nostalgic photos form when owners first set up the restaurants
Loved the stories of how owners first settled into Oz, and the stories of the restaurant kids remembering how they helped out
Easy read - lots of photos, nice dark font
Just want to eat at these restaurants
Great History Book even though it does not say it is a history book
5 stars

[sickbobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wong and Kong have continued the great work that they put in in the TV series of the same name into this book: stories of Chinese restaurants all across Australia and the people who run them. Coming from similar backgrounds, Wong and Kong are nothing but respectful to these stories: they present stories of back breaking hard work, the isolation and loneliness of being half the world away from home, the racism of being the only minority in a small community, and the magic of how food ties people of all walks of life together. As far and wide as these stories are, there is no distance nor is there any exoticism as Wong and Kong applaud the important part that the humble Chinese restaurant played in Australian society in the 20th century.