The Other Milk

"An excellent book for scholars interested in soy in particular, but also for those interested in food in general. It clearly traces the links between soybean milk production, nutrition scientists, and social issues to create new meanings and understanding about food, the body, and nationhood."

"The Other Milk presents a case study on the drink as a modern, science- and nation-building enterprise for these nutrition activists."

"[A] fascinating intellectual history of soy in China from the early 1920s to the late 1930s. The key strength of the book is Fu’s success at challenging the dominant narrative of a ubiquitous nature of soy as an undeniable good for all."

"The Other Milk: Reinventing Soy in Republican China presents a prototype of the transition between animal and plant milk, albeit one that occurred in the other direction, and arguably more in aspiration than in reality. The Other Milk traces early twentieth century China’s newfound interest in soy milk (doujiang), a simple product of ground soybeans, and familiar feature of Chinese breakfasts."

"[A] great read for historians of modern China and anyone who is curious about how diets are shaped by historical actors...The book is a generous contribution to the fields of Asian Studies and Food Studies, sharing the previously underexamined history of soy milk as an attempt to elevate Chinese nationhood via nutrition."

"Based on solid research Fu has provided us with a stimulating biography of soybean milk in China...The book also has plenty of fascinating details, intriguingliterary anecdotes and some thoughtful discussion of the entanglement of nutritional science and Chinese nationalism. In all, it is a valuable contribution to food history and to the history of science and medicine in modern China."

"[S]killfully charts the transnational networks, political imperatives and social conditions that led to the rise and brief apotheosis of soy milk as the food of the future in Republican China."

"Fu does an excellent job at introducing us to a variety of lesser-known figures in Chinese history while also presenting the material in a way that is accessible to a general academic audience. The Other Milk is a satisfying dive into the world of soy that will appeal to those interested in Republican China, food history, and the history of science, technology, and medicine."

"The book will be essential reading for historians of science and food studies scholars, focused on China and beyond."

"Jia-Chen Fu writes eloquently and convincingly about the development of nutrition sci-ence and activism in Republican and wartime China that led many to regard the humble soybean as a foundational remedy to China’s problems."

"A creative and interdisciplinary approach to understanding how soybeans became a solution to the newly perceived nutritional deficiency of the Chinese diet during the late 1930s and early 1940s."

"A pioneering work encompassing nutrition science and nationalism in the field of modern Chinese history."

"Today soy milk is a fixture in every supermarket and every coffee shop, yet for hundreds of years after the Chinese discovered how to make it, it remained a minor food even in its homeland. In this delightful and timely book, Jia-Chen Fu weaves together stories about the ascent of milk in the western diet, growing Chinese anxiety about their traditional food supply, the tumultuous political changes in twentieth-century China, and the incorporation of soy beans on American farms to explain this global culinary revolution. Authoritative and fascinating."

"The Other Milk tells a fascinating story—how nutrition science transformed the place of soybeans in the Chinese diet from humble components of traditional cuisine to instruments of physical and social development, only to be replaced by dairy foods as markers of modernity. This book is a superb example of how cultural history, cuisine, science, and globalization intersect around one food—soybeans."

"An outstanding contribution to food history, which exemplifies just how dynamic and vital the field has become. Soy milk will never look, or taste, the same."