XO Soused - female chefs in the professional Chinese kitchen

Who are the iconic female chefs in Chinese food history? What influence did they have on Chinese cuisine? And why are they not more prominent in the histories?

What are the gender dynamics that Andrew encounters in professional kitchens in China and in the UK? And does he think about gender when he recruits or supports his kitchen team?

And take a look at the book that Andrew has a hankering for: Johnson, Ian, 2021, Forbidden City: The Palace at the Heart of Chinese Culture. New York: Assouline

How many women are there in this hand drawn reproduction of a Han tomb mural, excavated in Zhucheng in Shandong? Reproduction by 任日新 (1981) in Wen Wu; .98 • (10), 14-21 and included in HT Huang’s (2000) Part IV Fermentations and Food Science. CUP. p87.

XO Soused is a fortnightly audio newsletter.

Intro and outro music: 遊子 [wanderer] by mafmadmaf.com