Buttermilk Graffiti

A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine

By: Edward Lee

Narrated by: David Shih

American food is the story of mash-ups. Immigrants arrive, cultures collide, and out of the push-pull come exciting new dishes and flavors. But for Edward Lee, who, like Anthony Bourdain or Gabrielle Hamilton, is as much a writer as he is a chef, that first surprising bite is just the beginning. What about the people behind the food? What about the traditions, the innovations, the memories?

A natural-born storyteller, Lee decided to hit the road and spent two years uncovering fascinating narratives from every corner of the country. There's a Cambodian couple in Lowell, Massachusetts, and their efforts to re-create the flavors of their lost country. A Uyghur cafe in New York's Brighton Beach serves a noodle soup that seems so very familiar and yet so very exotic - one unexpected ingredient opens a window onto an entirely unique culture. A beignet from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, as potent as Proust's madeleine, inspires a narrative that tunnels through time, back to the first Creole cooks, then forward to a Korean rice-flour hoedduck and a beignet dusted with matcha.

Sixteen adventures, 16 vibrant new chapters in the great evolving story of American cuisine. And 40 recipes, created by Lee, that bring these new dishes into our own kitchens.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2018 Edward Lee (P)2018 Tantor

Foodies delight

If you have an adventurous pallet, you’ll love this book. Great story well read absolutely fabulous. 

Fascinating and Unique Story- Absolute joy to hear!

I loved the approach to food! Having grown up in the family restaurant, I felt a strong connection and appreciation to so many of the stories. I truly admire Chef Lee's open-minded approach and desire to understand the story of the food. The eclectic stories that intertwined perfectly! It inspired me to try more restaurants that maybe I wouldn't have stopped by otherwise. This is beginning a new journey for me.

Good listen for the aspiring food snob

I like the book in general. Lee did a great job at telling his story, but I think it would have been better had he narrated it himself.

The variety in culture and foods

What a perfect book tying together the beauty of food, the people who prepare it and the cultures that produce it.

A fascinating way to look at, explore and better understand “American” food

I love Edward Lee’s culinary voice and insight into what is American food. As a chef myself, I have a hard time “defining” what style of food I do. It’s refreshing to hear a longtime accomplished chef talk about blowing the box apart and just doing food.
I would definitely recommend this book,
To chefs and non chefs.
I did struggle with the narrator. While the words he was reading capture the passionate enthusiasm for cooking we see in Edward On season 3 of the mind of a chef, I don’t think he was the right voice for it. Sorry.
Despite the last paragraph I wrote, I do Highly recommend this book.