{"product_id":"slow-noodles-a-cambodian-memoir-of-love-loss-and-family-recipes","title":"Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes","description":"\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChantha Nguon\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Cambodia, was a refugee for two decades until she was finally able to return to her homeland. Today she is the co-founder of the Stung Treng Women's Development Center (SWDC), a social enterprise that offers a living wage, education, and social services to women and their families in rural northeastern Cambodia. A gifted public speaker, she has appeared at universities and on radio and TV news programs, including NPR's Morning Edition. She cooks often for friends and family. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"I've never read a book that made me weep, wince, laugh out loud, and rejoice like \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles.\u003c\/i\u003e In Chantha Nguon's harrowing, wise, and fiercely feminist memoir, cooking is a language--of love, remembrance, and rebellion--and stories are nourishment.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e -- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A heart-lifting story of radiant compassion, \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e reminds us of a life-affirming truth: Even when all seems lost, who we most essentially are, like what we most unerringly love, somehow remains. We have never needed this beautiful book more.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMargaret Renkl, author of Late Migrations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"With hauntingly vivid and often surprisingly beautiful language and imagery, \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e tells an astonishing story of life--persistent, miraculous life--in a harrowing era. I'll never forget it.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e -- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMary Laura Philpott, author of Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A testament to the strength of women in times of war, a recipe book of memories, and a lesson in rebuilding after destruction, this memoir is a reminder that the world has ended many times over in different places, and that our teachers in survival walk among us every day.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e -- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThi Bui, bestselling author of The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Chantha Nguon connects to the joy of the sight, scent, taste, texture, and even sound of food, and when there is no food to eat she connects to the memory of food. In this potent narrative of unbreakable, inviolable, female power, each recipe is an act of grace, transformation, resistance, and reclamation.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e -- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlice Randall, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the NAACP Image Award for Soul Food Love\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Not only the remarkable story of Chantha Nguon's life, \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e is a beautiful glimpse into the hearts of women as they find each other over food.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLisa Donovan, author of Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"It is rare that a memoir and the meals it recounts truly depend on each other, each intrinsic to the other. Yet that is the case in \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e, where recipes reinforce the incredible, poignant, difficult, and often joyous tale of Chantha Nguon's survival. This book tells a story that must be heard, and offers the tastes of an extraordinary life.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e -- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTamar Adler, author of An Everlasting Meal and The Everlasting Meal Cookbook\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lyrical and visceral, perfumed by charcoal fires and fish paste, this call and response between narrative and cookbook shows us all how time in the kitchen can restore. \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e is food and life writing at its most profound.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn T. Edge, host of TrueSouth and author of The Potlikker Papers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Achingly beautiful. Nguon explores how food fuels love, preserves history, restores losses, heals trauma, and binds people and cultures together. This is a work of synesthesia. The flavors described in these pages become so potent that they transform into colors that can be seen, textures that can be felt, and music that can be heard. I have read many food memoirs but none have moved me, sated me, inspired and informed me like \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e.\" \n\u003cbr\u003e -- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmanda Little, author of The Fate of Food: What We'll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNamed a Most Anticipated Book of Winter\/2024 by \u003ci\u003eS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ean Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eReader's Digest\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eParade\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Zibby Mag\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The Best (and Most Anticipated) Nonfiction Books of 2024, So Far - Elle \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Best Books to Read in 2024\" - PEOPLE.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"[B]y turns, heart-wrenching, inspiring, harrowing, and mouthwatering... \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e is a rare gem of a story, gorgeously written, humble and stirring, and packed with tempting recipes. Shelf Talker: This memoir of food, family, feminism, and Cambodian history, which includes enticing cookbook-quality recipes, is breathtaking in its emotional resonance and lovely writing.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles \u003c\/i\u003eis a poignant memoir meets cookbook... This book is an act of resistance and reclamation filled with lyrical prose.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eParade\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Chantha Nguon reclaims the love and culture she lost with a beautiful collection of recipes knitted together with her personal story.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eReader's Digest\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"[A]n evocative, haunting memoir... those who dive in will find it a remarkable and important piece of work. A moving book that mixes horror and hope, disaster and good food, creating a poignant, fascinating read.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"An engrossing and evocative debut memoir... Nguon interweaves the hardships she endured with her favorite recipes and the memories attached to them, offering readers evocative glimpses of the bursts of light that sustained her through long stretches of harrowing darkness. This haunting yet hopeful account will appeal to foodies and history buffs alike.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Heartbreaking, exquisitely told.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook Page (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Demonstrating an exceptional sensitivity to the cultural, social, and political significance of food... this memoir is also a redemptive homecoming to parts of Cambodian history still fresh in many minds and a meditation on the beginnings of a new Cambodia.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Nguon's memoir about being a Cambodian refugee surviving a genocide to discovering hope and faith through her mother's recipes will move you to tears. It's not all down notes though and the story beams with hope, pride, and determination.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDebutiful\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"[A] gorgeous... deeply personal memoir... Interwoven with recipes and lists of ingredients, Nguon's heart-rending writing reinforces the joy and agony of her core thesis: 'The past never goes away.'\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eElle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Nguon's story is heart-wrenching, but her strength and ferocity shine through every page of \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eChapter 16\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The book is not only an impactful memoir of an extraordinary woman but a human-centered take on an era that has largely been defined by a lack of humanity.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Food is at the heart of this poignant memoir of war and displacement--food prepared, food shared, food longed for... a heart-shattering read, illuminating the atrocities and cruelty of war but also the strength of those who live through it.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Lyrical, harrowing, and fiercely feminist, Chantha Nguon's \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e is the gripping story of family, survival and food that blends poetic remembrances with 22 unique recipes.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSouthern Review of Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"With such descriptions and a strong sense of place, Nguon expertly captures the bittersweet feeling of her memories and makes \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e a moving reflection.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eEater.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003eYou will never read another food-inspired memoir like \n\u003ci\u003e Slow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBookReporter\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003eHer story is one of perseverance and resilience... reminding me (and readers) that the Cambodian diaspora is not a monolith and that we all have stories to tell.\"-- \n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNorthwest Asian Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA haunting and beautiful memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost her country and her family during Pol Pot's genocide in the 1970s but who finds hope by reclaiming the recipes she tasted in her mother's kitchen. \u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eRECIPE: HOW TO CHANGE CLOTH INTO DIAMOND \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eTake a well-fed nine-year-old with a big family and a fancy education. Fold in 2 revolutions, 2 civil wars, and 1 wholesale extermination. Subtract a reliable source of food, life savings, and family members, until all are gone. Shave down childhood dreams for approximately two decades, until only subsistence remains.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e, Chantha Nguon recounts her life as a Cambodian refugee who loses everything and everyone--her home, her family, her country--all but the remembered tastes and aromas of her mother's kitchen. She summons the quiet rhythms of 1960s Battambang, her provincial hometown, before the dictator Pol Pot tore her country apart and killed more than a million Cambodians, many of them ethnic Vietnamese like Nguon and her family. Then, as an immigrant in Saigon, Nguon loses her mother, brothers, and sister and eventually flees to a refugee camp in Thailand. For two decades in exile, she survives by cooking in a brothel, serving drinks in a nightclub, making and selling street food, becoming a suture nurse, and weaving silk. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Nguon's irrepressible spirit and determination come through in this lyrical memoir that includes more than twenty family recipes such as sour chicken-lime soup, green papaya pickles, and pâté de foie, as well as Khmer curries, stir-fries, and handmade bánh canh noodles. Through it all, re-creating the dishes from her childhood becomes an act of resistance, of reclaiming her place in the world, of upholding the values the Khmer Rouge sought to destroy, and of honoring the memory of her beloved mother, whose \"slow noodles\" approach to healing and cooking prioritized time and care over expediency. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ci\u003eSlow Noodles\u003c\/i\u003e is an inspiring testament to the power of food to keep alive a refugee's connection to her past and spark hope for a beautiful life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Nguon, Chantha\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Algonquin Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePub Date:\u003c\/b\u003e 2025-02-11\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC:\u003c\/b\u003e Biography \u0026amp; Autobiography|Asian \u0026amp; Asian American|Biography \u0026amp; Autobiography|Culinary|History|Asia|Southeast Asia|Cooking|Regional \u0026amp; Cultural|Asian\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.6 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781643756035\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eASIN:\u003c\/b\u003e -\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSKU:\u003c\/b\u003e SP-9781643756035\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Algonquin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51154314264854,"sku":"SP-9781643756035","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9781643756035_spiral.png?v=1774941519","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/slow-noodles-a-cambodian-memoir-of-love-loss-and-family-recipes","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}