By Megan Thomas
Angela Hui is a food and culture journalist who writes about the hospitality industry and on food justice, making her incredible memoir about her childhood in a Chinese takeaway in South Wales all the more interesting. Unfortunately, the book is interspersed with recipes, meaning you are constantly hungry when reading. But it’s worth it.
Growing up in Beddau, a village in rural Wales, Hui and her family were not treated like a part of the neighbourhood – and it wasn’t just because of the counter separating them. From local kids attacking their shopfront to racist abuse, the vital element of the community that comes in the form of the “local Chinese” was not enough to fully integrate the Hui family into it.
Hui talks frankly about her experiences, from school during the day with her friends to service at Lucky Star every night alongside her brothers, but also draws the reader in with a wider analysis of the history of Chinese food and culture as well as its relevance in British culture.
I had the privilege of reviewing this for Buzz Magazine, which is why this is a proof copy and the cover will look a little different to the ones you buy. Here’s a snippet: “Takeaway is not merely an angry detailing of all the times Hui was discriminated against or otherwise wronged – though this is certainly prevalent – nor does she suggest her early life and home were anything but happy. […] Rather, this book is a truthful, heartfelt plea for tolerance and humanity: a ‘fortune cookie of joy and an education to what goes on behind closed doors in the nation’s favourite takeaway’”.
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