Praise from Readers:
“Her writing is so flavorful it makes you hungry. The truest love is hidden in the simplest of foods.”
“The food leaps off the page, and her feelings tug at your heartstrings.”
“Everyday life comes alive with such warmth and charm. Healing and comforting.”
“The style is effortlessly masterful, connecting memories through delicious food that appeals to a contemporary palate. It made me so hungry…”

★ A reprinted bestseller from influential food writer Kitty in the Cloud (Xiao Yun Mao Mao), whose popular food column has garnered a loyal following.
★ Food as a medium for healing: a flavorful collection of essays about food and life.
★ 37 heartfelt essays, each centered around a dish or ingredient, exploring family bonds, love, and personal growth, offering comfort from the anxieties of modern urban life.
★ Featuring 47 original color pencil illustrations created by the author’s best friend, enhancing the healing experience.
★ English samples are available.

This is an emotional memoir written through the language of taste. In 37 essays, each centered on a dish or ingredient, the author weaves together stories of childhood, family, first love, and finding comfort in a foreign land.

From the simple egg fried rice of her grandmother’s kitchen, to a late-night fish head soup made by her mother, to the smoky barbecue skewers of youth and the solace of a warm bowl of noodles in a new city — behind every dish lies an unforgettable person or moment. Setbacks like business failures, the struggles of renting, and the loneliness of being away from home all find solace in the comfort of a shared meal.

“A single dish can make you think of a person, just as a person can remind you of a taste.”

Food and love are life’s warmest foundation.

Kitty in the Cloud (Xiao Yun Mao Mao)

She is a beloved writer on platforms like Douban and Weibo, known for her writing on food and the aesthetics of living. Her warm, healing prose is full of life’s vibrancy and a touch of artistry.

A lover of all things beautiful; an optimistic pessimist with a soft spot for food and the art of living. She writes honestly and lives earnestly. Her work has appeared in various publications and her popular food column, Green Salt Rice, has a loyal following.

Girl, Have Something Sweet / 001
Flavorful Pork Intestines / 006
Tsundere Garlic / 012
Wild Mushrooms / 018
Fried Small Fish / 024
Radish, Don’t Cry / 028
Eating Spring / 033
The Thing About Barbecue / 039
Chicken Meatballs and Chicken Fat / 045
Grandpa’s Triangular Stove / 051
Granny’s Sweet Soup / 057
A Dream of Ham Sausage / 061
New Year’s Pork Feast / 066
Fish Head Hot Pot / 072
That Bowl of Egg Fried Rice / 078
Spicy Crispy Rabbit / 083
Those Dandelions / 090
Fermented Soybeans / 095
Simmer a Pot of Clay Pot Rice / 101
A Nagging Sweet Potato / 106
The Terrible Braised Duck with Lotus Root / 110
Celery and Dried Tofu Rice Bowl / 115
Chili Oil / 120
Eating Rice Noodles with a Cold Face / 126
The Balcony Kitchen and Winter Melon Soup / 130
Xinjiang Notes: Big Meat, Big Bowls of Wine / 135
Chongqing and Pickled Pork Liver Noodles / 141
Add Some Sugar When Life is Bitter – Guangzhou’s Morning Tea and Desserts / 148
The Seafood Congee of Weizhou Island / 154
Hot Dry Noodles (Re Gan Mian) / 160
Diligent People Make “Lazy Tofu” / 166
The Taste of Words / 171
Breakfast, Breakfast, and More Breakfast / 176
Hot Wine for a Cold Moment / 182
Let’s Eat Together / 188
Little Forest / 194
Little Nori’s Bento / 199