Mami King
How Ma Mon Luk Found Love, Riches, and the Perfect Bowl of Soup
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Rejected by the parents of the girl he loves for being poor, Ma Mon Luk strikes out from China and boards a steamship headed for the Philippines in 1918.
He vows to make a fortune and return for his beloved. Ma creates a chicken noddle soup he calls mami—"ma" for his name and "mi" for noodles—and peddles it as a street vendor. He eventually earns enough to open his own restaurant and wins the approval of the parents of his true love. Joyful illustrations from award-winning illustrator Kristin Sorra and heartwarming text from debut picture book author Jacqueline Chio-Lauri blend together to create a delicious story about creativity, perseverance, and the perfect bowl of soup.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A resourceful young man employs his cooking skills to make his fortune and assist others in this lively biography of entrepreneur Ma Mon Luk (1896–1961). In 1918, Ma leaves Canton, China, for the Philippines, after his courtship of Ng Shih is rebuffed by her wealthy parents. Aboard the boat, he witnesses how "the rich and the poor, like oil and water, didn't mix." After looking for work in Manila's Chinatown, Ma becomes a street vendor, selling mee soup, a dish that he misses from home. Snipping noodles to different lengths with shears depending on how much the customer pays, he ensures that "everyone, rich or poor, could buy Ma's noodles." He soon earns enough for a noodle stall, then a restaurant, and gives away food to those in need, growing business "as word of his good deeds and good food spread" and creating a place where rich and poor, "unlike oil and water, mixed." Sorra's digital illustrations shift from cool blues and grays to yellows, golds, and oranges. Includes a pronunciation guide, creators' notes, a recipe, and more. Ages 7–11.
