Book Review: Days of my China Dragon

Days of my China Dragon, Author: Chandrahas Choudhury Genre: Fiction

“Indians don’t read Books”

‘Indians don’t read books’, said a Russian traveler whom I met in Goa last year. I felt a little awkward and defensive about her comment. However, I quickly realized I wasn’t going to convince her otherwise and steered the conversation towards her favorite ‘The Master and Margarita’. Before our goodbyes, I recommended an Indian author’s book to her. It was my way of saying, ‘we not only read, but folks around here also know how to write amazing books!’ For the curious souls, that book is Ghachar Ghochar. It’s one of my favorites and I have gifted to at least 10 people, including some friends from Poland. Try Ghachar Ghochar – review here

I keep looking for hidden gems by Indian authors. Do you have any recommendations? (Please share in comments)

The quest for good Indian author writing led me ‘Days of my China Dragon‘. How I discovered this book eludes me, but I am glad I did. Reading this book was a new experience for me. As it was not the usual ‘be with yourself and read a book’ set up. In fact, my partner (Guddu) and I read this book to each other, taking turns. This was the first time we read a book together (rather to each other) and it was fun! Guddu generously discards my new ideas, like my advice to plan which books she wants to read this year! Fortunately though, looks like this one is approved as she on board to do this again. Woo hoo!

Have you tried reading a book to someone else? How did it go for you?

In this book, Chandrahas Choudhary has done a splendid job of crafting an intensely easy going, entertaining, realistic and engaging story. The plot revolves around China Dragon, a Chinese restaurant in Mumbai owned by Jigar Pala. This restaurant’s existence and ongoing operations are intertwined with absorbing stories which surpass the confines of a specific theme, capture the reader’s imagination and yet bring them back beautifully, like a perfectly presented plate of long smooth Hakka noodles garnished with fresh spring onions.

Why should you read Days of my China Dragon?

There is a strong indigenous appeal to this book. The nuances are relatable and reminiscing. There are several things to look forward to:

• Romance with Food: The author has romanticized food in a pleasingly gripping style. The vivid description of food, ingredients and cooking has the potential to make an otherwise ‘non foody’ feel a craving for food, Chinese or otherwise. Fancy reading a chapter named ‘A Meditation on Fried Rice’?
• Thought Provoking Yet Subtle: The story subtly touches upon a lot of important and key themes like religious riots in Mumbai, India-China war, train accident in West Bengal, politics and political parties etc. The author makes a point, doesn’t digress and craftily comes back to the China Dragon.
• A reader’s Delight: The writing style imbibes simplicity, is sprinkled with humor and satiates readers who like reading at pace. There is a momentum to the story and there are quite a few interesting characters who are relatable and quirky.
• Informative: After reading this book, I am more informed about restaurant trade, food business, Chinese cuisine and its history, an entrepreneur’s life and about the city of dreams, Mumbai.

Content Summary

214 pages of neatly structured content touch upon a variety of themes and coalesce around China Dragon. The descriptive writing style creates a credible visual of the story for the reader. The language is simple, font size is easy for eyes and the reader can pace through with ease.

The first part of the book focuses on the restaurant’s birth, history of Chinese food and Jigar Pala’s ambitious dreams. Then it transitions neatly to the day to day life of China Dragon and Jigar’s struggle to make it a successful business which entails training and retaining the staff while trying to improve the restaurant’s fortune through bizarre means like, finding a dragon statue as a good luck charm.

The story moves smoothly from one crisp chapter to another although some chapters could have been sharper, like the story of Shivbhakt Pintu Masarkar. The last few chapters induce pace and manage to create an emotional churn in the reader.

Recommendation

I recommend this book as a light hearted quick paced indigenous story. I enjoyed reading it and liked the writing style which is enticingly descriptive, makes you laugh with the wordplay and romanticizes the concept of food and restaurants appropriately to create a tease and a pull! I encourage you to fix your date with the China Dragon.

You can buy this book here on Amazon.

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