Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You. A Memoir of Food, Family and Finding Love

Candice Chung’s memoir, *Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You*, offers a poignant and insightful exploration of familial relationships articulated through the shared experiences of dining. In this beautifully composed narrative, Chung delves deeply into how family meals serve as a medium for communicating unspoken emotions and desires. She reflects, "A meal is a shape. It is a container into which we pour our cravings.” Although she feels somewhat estranged from her Cantonese parents, being a food journalist gives her the opportunity to reconnect with them through restaurant visits in Sydney, after ending a long-term relationship with a man her parents never met.As they come together over numerous dinners, they start to bridge gaps, expressing love without uttering the word itself. Chung’s writing, marked by wisdom and authenticity, draws on insights from various writers and philosophers. Her personal journey also includes finding a new partner, referred to as "the geographer," during the pandemic. Throughout it all, shared meals become the thread that weaves their emotions and connections, with Chung noting, "In Cantonese, the word cooked or ripen is also used to describe the closeness of a relationship. Close friends or family members will describe their bond this way, as in ‘we are very cooked’. I like the idea of waiting for intimacy to ripen. Some things can’t be rushed.”Readers seeking profound reflections on life and relationships will be drawn to this exceptional and heartwarming book, which offers a touching reminder of how food can forge deeper connections with those we cherish.