Question 1: What does the New York Times book reviewer Michiko
Kakutani mean in her recent review of the book "The Coma" when she
states that the author uses the "chinese food trick"? Question 2: What
is Michiko Kakutani's e-mail address? Answer either question for the
fee. Answer both for a tip! Thanks!

Hello.

Okay, here's what Michiko Kakutani said:

"In the end the novel performs the Chinese food trick with alacrity,
vanishing from the reader's mind almost as soon as it has been read."


I believe that Michiko Kakutani is referring to an old
saying/joke/myth that after you eat Chinese food, you're still hungry
because it's like you didn't eat anything.

A web search produces numerous variations on this idea:

'"Every time I eat Chinese food I'm hungry an hour later." We've
probably all heard someone say this at one time or another.'
http://www.haoyah.com/english/food/health4.asp

" There are even jokes about eating a Chinese meal and being hungry an
hour later. "
http://www.pcanswer.com/fitness/padn_restaurants.htm

"It's the cinematic equivalent of Chinese food - gone in an hour."
http://www.epinions.com/content_141935939204

"Chinese food is said to not stick to one's ribs. That is, you eat
your fill, but an hour later you are hungry. "
http://www.dreamagic.com/bruce/gandw138.html

"It's the cinematic equivalent of Chinese food: one of those movies
you can't remember as soon as you leave the theatre. "
http://www.d.umn.edu/~tisbell/MyFilmReviews.html


Thus, the "Chinese food trick" in "The Coma" is that the book
supposedly vanishes from the mind in the same way that Chinese food
supposedly does from the stomach.

---------

search strategy:
"chinese food" hungry "hour later"
"equivalent of chinese food"

I hope this helps.

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Request for Answer Clarification by bigsticks-ga on 01 Jul 2004 09:08 PDT

geez, i would never have guessed that from the context! bonus
question: what is up w/michiko kakutani?

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 01 Jul 2004 11:12 PDT

Hey,


Well, I'm not really sure what's "up" with her, but it certainly isn't
Bill Clinton's book.  Her scathing review has been getting a lot of
publicity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/20/books/20CLIN.html

Anyway, here's some biographical information:

She won the Pulitzer Prize in '98. 
http://www.pulitzer.org/year/1998/criticism/bio/

She's one of the most feared book reviewers in the country.
http://archive.salon.com/media/1998/11/05media.html