The Culinary Institute of America Hosts Big Read

HYDE PARK – The Culinary Institute of America hosts a public culinary conversation on Wednesday, October 24 at 7 pm in conjunction with the Mid-Hudson region’s Big Read. As American as Chop Suey: A Conversation with Anne Mendelson and Hua Hsu is inspired by this year’s Big Read book by Celeste Ng entitled Everything I Never Told You.

Anne Mendelson is a culinary historian and food writer with numerous books to her credit including, Milk and Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey. Hua Hsu is a staff writer for The New Yorker, author of A Floating Chinaman, and Associate Professor of English at Vassar College. Dr. Willa Zhen, Professor of Liberal Arts and Food Studies at the CIA will moderate as Mendelson and Hsu explore American eating habits, our love affair with Chinese food, and how changes in tastes relate to themes presented in Ng’s novel.

This free event is part of the diverse menu of programs presented throughout the NEA Big Read by 35 collaborating community partners. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest and is designed to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. This is the twelfth year that the Poughkeepsie Public Library District has coordinated a community-wide literature program.

As American as Chop Suey: A Conversation with Anne Mendelson and Hua Hsu takes place onstage at the Marriott Pavilion on the campus of The Culinary Institute of America, 1946 Campus Drive in Hyde Park. For more information, contact the Dr. Zhen at the CIA at 845-905-4698. For other NEA Big Read events, follow the Library District on Facebook or check poklib.org/events/nea-big-read-2018/ for events now through November 17.