SBU Press Release edited by SBU AA E-Zine

STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
HOSTS CHINESE COOKBOOK EXHIBIT

View Selections of The World's Largest
English-Language Chinese Cookbook Collection

Savor and digest the history of Chinese cuisine at a dramatic new exhibition of the Jacqueline M. Newman Chinese Cookbook Collection. SBU's collection includes more than 3,000 cookbooks "from the oldest to the smallest to the longest, and everything in between" as well as many other fascinating culinary items. This largest collection of English-language Chinese cookbooks in the world was a gift from Jacqueline Newman, a lifetime collector of Chinese cookbooks and a Queens College professor. Don't miss this one-of-a-kind visual banquet for everyone interested in one of the world's greatest civilizations. 

The exhibit runs from April 28 through May 30 at the Charles B. Wang Center Celebrating Asian and Asian American Cultures.

The opening reception is Tuesday, May 6, 5:00 pm in the Wang Center Theatre. It is free and open to the public but seating is limited. To RSVP or for more information, call (631) 632-6320.

The collection was donated in January, 2006 and is housed in the Special Collections Department of the Melville Library. In addition to the 2,626 cookbooks, Dr. Newman also donated collections of haute cuisine magazines, archival materials, videos, CD-Roms and more than 4,000 slides. She also contributed 12 extensive sets of leading cooking magazines, 175 books on Asian foods and cooking, and a collection of 125 Chinese herbal medicine books. The selection of volumes range from the smallest Chinese cookbook, only two inches square with eight pages of text, aptly named A Little Chinese Cookbook, and the largest by page-count, the 927 page tome, The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook.  The total donation of more than 7,000 items is valued at $400,000.

Approximately 22% percent of Stony Brook's undergraduates are Asian or Asian American. The University is home to a new Asian and Asian American Studies Department, the fastest growing at SBU, reflective of Asia's rapid growth as the economic powerhouse of the 21st century. It also houses the Charles B. Wang Center Celebrating Asian and Asian American Cultures. The Wang Center opened in 2002 and was constructed with a gift of more than $50 million by software entrepreneur and NHL NY Islanders owner Charles B. Wang. At the time it was the largest single donation ever presented to a SUNY institution.

"I hope that this collection does more than just produce interest in Chinese cuisine," Dr. Newman said. "Food is a lot more than cooking. I'm looking to broaden the conceptualization of food because it has anthropologic, sociologic, cultural, and historical significance, and more."

"This is as special as it is important," said Stony Brook President Shirley Strum Kenny. "It is a very important collection for understanding the Asian American community and it will help support our curriculum. It fits perfectly into our development of a comprehensive Asian and Asian American Studies Department. This will be the nucleus for building very important surrounding collections."

The collection is being used by the famed P.F. Chang's China Bistros to inspire and train chefs at the highly-acclaimed restaurants nationwide.

"The collection at Stony Brook is amazing," said Bob Tam, Research and Development Chef for China Bistros. "I will definitely use it in my future research."

Dr. Newman has collected Chinese cookbooks for about 50 years, ever since she got her first Chinese cookbook as a wedding present. Chinese cooking has since developed into her area of research and special interest and she wrote her doctoral thesis on changing Chinese food and habits in New York City. She is editor and publisher of Flavor & Fortune, a quarterly about the science and art of Chinese food. In 2004, she authored the book Food Culture in China and edited Chinese Cuisine & American Palate: The Art & Science of Chinese Cooking. Dr. Newman is a retired Professor of the Family, Nutrition, and Exercise Department of Queens College.

"Historians and social scientists are increasingly interested in daily life," said Kristen Nyitray, head of Stony Brook's Special Collections. "These cookbooks open a window on immigrant lives that otherwise would remain hidden. We are honored and delighted that Dr. Newman has chosen Stony Brook as the repository for her significant collection."

For more information about this rare collection of Chinese cookbooks and to access the cookbook database, please visit the Special Collections website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/libspecial/collections/manuscripts/newman.shtml .

 

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