A rising star in China, cartoonist Zao Dao makes her North American debut with Cuisine Chinoise: Tales of Food and Life, a delightful collection of food-themed short stories inspired by Chinese folklore and filled with monsters, demons, unusual heroes, and sumptuous dishes created with unlikely, sometimes disgusting, but magical ingredients. Dao’s drawings offer great variety, alternating between lively comic caricatures, richly illustrated street scenes, and moody vignettes full of magic and fantasy. In this 11-page excerpt from the story Hai Zi, a young overly creative chef, despondent because patrons have abandoned his restaurant's unusual fare and because his father is gravely ill, is thrilled when two mysterious and hungry visitors arrive at his door. Cuisine Chinoise: Tales of Food and Life will be published by Dark Horse in June.
