Hi -

You might be interested in a novel I just finished: The Last Chinese
Chef, by Nicole Mones (see http://nicolemones.com/).

Its about a recently widowed food writer who travels to China to contest
a paternity lawsuit and gets pulled into Chinese high-cuisine
consumption and the Chinese way of life - how the sharing of food shapes
the way life is conducted, the connectedness of people to each other,
and how it interacts with the culture.

There are liberal quotes from a fictitious classic book about Chinese
Food, and a deep exploration of what Chinese people look for in their
food in terms of all the senses, all the tastes and textures, and all
the poetic and cultural commentary it can carry.

There is a small mystery involved, to do with the paternity suit, but
the larger mystery depicted is that of the heart - and the stomach!

Its a very satisfying novel, and the only drawback is that we can't be
there too, actually eating these meals.

Cheers,

Ian