Absolutely one of my favorite kinds of cookbooks, and an excellent one at that! It is beautifully photographed, the recipes are well written, and the stories that accompany the book are interesting and engaging. The recipes themselves really do come from around the world, and provide exciting and accessible introductions to cuisines many Americans never get the chance to encounter.

It makes you want to live near Queens. A night market that blends families and cultures and food. Bliss. Each stall tells a tale of tradition and structure,and love. Pride of place is first here. I drooled and could almost smell the sizzling chilies and spices. A well thought out manuscript of how a community can come and eat together while sharing their history with the public. A great staycation in this time of self exile.

The World Eats Here by John Wang and Storm Garner is so much more than just a cookbook. It IS a cookbook, with 88 recipes from around the world that are served at the Queens’ Night Market, pictured in charming illustrations and vivid photography. But it’s also a non fiction book documenting and depicting the world and people of the Night Market, chock full of short biographical essays from the various contributors, as well as from John Wang, the creator of this Night Market and Storm Garner, his partner, who got to know him while collecting these oral histories from the vendors. This book is a labor of love, apparently funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and is an ode to the diverse, tempting market and the people from more than 40 countries around the globe who make the market possible. It’s also an illuminating but not preachy reflection on the nature of the immigration experience, how it affects individuals and families and international and local cuisine.

There’s a wide range of recipes, from breakfast to baked goods to beverages, with entrees and snacks and street food and candy. The food seems to come from all corners of the world, from a local Jewish pastrami expert to family recipes from every continent other than Antarctica. There’s a portrait of each featured vendor, along with a biographical essay about them, their families, their business, their ethnic background and family immigration experience, and their relationship to the food from the culture(s) of their heritage, as well as how they became involved in this Night Market. Then there are one to three recipes from the vendor, sometimes complimenting each other, but sometimes unrelated. The vendors are grouped throughout the book by continental region, but there are also maps at the beginning of the book illustrating where the recipes come from, and a useful index of the types of recipes.

A lot of the recipes are pretty heavily animal product oriented, especially meat, and many are fried and/or very fatty. There were actually recipes included that were naturally gluten free, and described as such in the introduction to the recipe, like how the Masala Noodles were made with rice noodles, although that isn’t strictly traditional, because then the recipe was gluten free but still delicious Given the nature of the recipes, there weren’t a lot that suited my dietary restrictions, but there were so many that sounded delicious and/ or interesting. I think the easiest way to convey that is just to share some of the recipes that caught my eye:

Huaraches are a sandal shaped corn cake, like a tortilla, but stuffed with refried beans and covered with a variety of toppings, including nopales, a sauteed mix including cactus leaves.
Salvadoran Quesadillas, which, unlike Mexican quesadillas, are actually more like a cheesy version of a pound cake, made with cuajada cheese and rice flour.
Champurrado is a Mexican hot chocolate involving lots of cinnamon and thickened with corn meal.
Doubles are a Trinidadian street sandwich comprised of chana (chickpea) curry between spiced flatbreads.
Haitian Black Mushroom Rice
Guyanese Pine (Apple) Tarts, a regional recipe apparently unique to its continent.
Chicory Coffee, served with Chimney Cakes, cakes that are wrapped around rollers and baked over open flame, served with or without filling.
Nigerian Brown Bean Fritters
Sudanese Eggplant Salad, which incorporates peanut butter and fried eggplant, among other things, into a baba ghanoush-like spread.
Persian Halwah, a saffron-flavored fudge based on pistachios and flavored with rosewater as well as saffron.
Bangladeshi Spiced Puffed Rice Snack, a popular street fod.
Bangladeshi Chot Poti, a chickpea and potato stew.
Thai Son-in-Law Eggs, which are like devilled eggs, but better, with sweet and tangy flavors instead of mayonaisse.
Vietnamese Avocado Smoothie, with avocado, half and half, AND condensed milk, as well as sugar. Basically a super creamy fat bomb.
Cambodian Caramelized Sweet Potatoes
Malaysian Pandan Key Limeade, which uses key limes and pandan leaves, which apparently have an herbal sort of vanilla flavor.
Singaporean Fried Radish Cakes, savory cakes including shredded daikon radish.
Taiwanese Soy Sauce Pan-Fried Noodles
Magic Soy Sauce is a condiment, a soy sauce infused with a multitude of flavors, including ginger, carrot, onion, kelp, shiitake mushrooms, peppercorn, apple, Asian pear, lemon juice, and sugar.

There’s also a number of more familiar recipes, or at least recipes I’ve heard of before, whether Laksa Noodles, inspired by the same kind of Singaporean food markets as depicted in Crazy Rich Asians, or Ukranian Borscht, or Antiguan Ginger Beer, Ethiopian Injera, or even Falafel.

Reading this book during a pandemic was extra challenging, because I now have a very strong desire to go visit Queens and experience its Night Market, but will have to wait until that is a safe thing to do again. Because, wow, so much of that food sounds amazing. A few recipes, like the Burmese Fermented Tea Leaf Salad, sound curiously worth a try, although possibly not to my taste. The vendors’ stories are fascinating, and their passion for their culture’s cuisine is infectious. This isn’t a book to just pick up for the recipes. DO pick it up for the recipes. But also read the founder and vendors stories, and enjoy learning about food and culture around the world. I felt like I traveled somewhere else for the few hours that I read it, and it was a nice getaway.

Thank you to #NetGalley and The Experiment for allowing me to read a temporary advanced reader’s copy. This is my honest opinion.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I haven't had much desire to visit NY City but this place sounds amazing. It would go great in the travel books.

The summers I spent in Queens while attending some graduate classes were so jam packed just getting to know daytime Queens, I never made it to the Night Market. Just taking the 7 train and getting off at different stops was like visiting another country. Now when life returns to normal, I want to go back and visit the Night Market. The collection of stories about the vendors and from where they came was interesting enough, but add recipes that I can make at home along with the photographs make this a book I’m keeping on the coffee table and dreaming about going back to Queens. I got the Kindle version through NetGalley, but this book needs more than Kindle to make it come alive. It needs the paper version.

The World Eats Here by John Wang is an interesting look at the Queens Night Market and its many vendors. The recipes that are included encompass a variety of cultures and the images reflect the spirit of coming together to enjoy both food and community. Definitely a book that gives bit of wanderlust and a look back to a time where we once gathered to enjoy a bite to eat.

REVIEW: THE WORLD EATS HERE BY JOHN WANG

It has been quite some time since I have visited New York and one day I would love to go back just to visit the Queens Night Market. This book gives a backgrounder and some really wonderful stories about the people and the food that make up this incredible market experience that is affordable and friendly. The recipes are reflective of many different continents and are quite unique, although some may not be easy to recreate without special equipment and hard to find ingredients.

❀ FANTASTIC LAYOUT

The layout of the book makes for a great read for anyone wanting to learn more about different cultures and their foods, or just by type of recipe. The contents of the book are:

Introduction
The Americas and the Caribbean
Europe
Africa and the Middle East
Asia
❀ INCREDIBLE AND AWE-INSPIRING

If you are missing outdoor festivals and eating out, this book will provide a small taste of that. The history and the people that are described within the pages of The World Eats Here are both incredible and awe-inspiring. As well, the recipes that are included can help to bring some of the Queens Night Market home while we wait for things to open up once more.

This book came at a perfect time. My family is still quarantined and we've decided to do cuisine themed nights at least once a week. So far we've done Cuban, with French, Spanish And Puerto Rican on deck. Enter this book with recipes coming from The Queens Night Market in NYC. Recipes include Mexican and Italian, commonplace in my rotation to more unique ones from El Salvador, Romania and Pakistan.

The book is organized by region and country, however there is a separate table of contents which groups recipes by type (small bites, mains, sandwiches, sweets, drinks, etc.)

This is a great cookbook but also a great coffee table book full of stories and unique recipes. There are pictures included in every recipe, although some are illustrations versus photos. I do wish there were more photos.

A huge thank you to The Experiment and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The World Eats Here is a glorious celebration of street food at the Queens Night Market. Due out 12th May 2020 from The Experiment, it's 256 pages and will be available in flexibound and ebook formats.

This is a lovingly crafted tribute, wonderfully photographed, with recipes (yay!) about the Queens Night Market in NYC. The recipes are listed grouped by continent (with a second table of contents listing recipes by type of dish - finger foods, main dishes, sandwiches, crepes, etc) and each of the listings includes a story about the cook and a recipe from their menus. I'm 100% serious. I had to stop and go eat because the book made me so hungry. Everything looks amazing and I fully intend to work my way through the recipes.

Each of the listings include a picture of the cook, recipe introduction with ingredients in the sidebar (measurements in US standard and metric), and step by step instructions. The ingredients are mostly relatively easily sourced and should be available from any well stocked international grocery or large supermarket. The foods themselves are mostly not photographed but the illustrations are very well done and easy to follow.

This is such a vibrant book full of world cuisine and entrepreneurial spirit. The bios are fascinating and the food is just gorgeous.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Great book for people that loves trying food from around the world. This book has great street food recipes, well explained and it has photos of real people, making it more special. I enjoyed reading reading about the countries and I can't wait to try some of the recipes. I just found it a little bit messy but overall great book! I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

The World Eats Here by John Wang and Storm Garner offers readers beautiful stories, photographs, and recipes from New York City’s night market. This book is a wonderful edition to any collection.

Numbers are important in this book, which brings together 88 recipes from 50 of the 300 food vendors from more than 90 countries that have participated in the Queens Night Market in New York. More important, however, are the individual stories collected from those 50 vendors. These are immigrants' stories, stories of new Americans and what it means to be an American, as well as what it means to be proud steward/advocates of the distinct cultures represented, from countries all over the world. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in epicentral Queens, New York City, these stories are both heartening and heart-rending to read. I can't help but wonder how these people --people determined to feed their community -- are faring right now, April 17, 2020. According to an author interview at queens museum.org: "We were scheduled to open up our 2020 season this week (April 18th), and very disappointed that’s not happening. But lately we’ve been working with the Queens Borough President and the Queens Economic Development Corporation on our FUEL THE FRONTLINES initiative. What we’re doing is raising funds to hire Queens Night Market vendors to provide meals for hospital workers in Queens. This gives numerous small businesses a modest but important stream of revenue during these tough times, and also feeds those on the frontlines who are risking their health and lives to help those in need."
More power to them, and to this charming, compelling cookbook slash interview project.

[I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

I adored this book and can't wait to get my hands on a copy so I can flip through the pages. The World Eats Here explores the late night food industry of NYC. While Covid-19 is keeping me far from NYC, I love the city and cannot wait to experience some of these delectable places! Would make a great gift.

I received an electronic ARC from The Experiment through NetGalley.
Amazing photographs compliment the stories about the people who share the Queens Night Market. Wang captures the energy and diversity involved in this environment. Each vendor shares their story - where they're from; why they're there; how they got here. The oral history transcripts are connected to the recipes for food from their stalls so readers can try a wide variety of flavor profiles.
So many inviting foods to try. More than a cookbook with the human story connections.

Great intro into the worldly backgrounds of the vendors that make up this market. I love that you can experience the great diversity of food in a place that brings people together. I also like the cute mix of illustrations and photos. The book is organized by region.

I absolutely love this book!! Not only a recipe, but the story behind the recipes is what makes this book such a hit with me! It touches my heart and motivates me into the kitchen to try some of these recipes! I'd give this 10 stars if I could. This is heart & Soul stories and recipes!

This would be perfect for a family looking to try out recipes from across the world. I really enjoyed this and look forward to having it on my shelf. I particularly liked how similar regions were grouped together for continuity. The stories behind these people and their businesses is the most interesting part of the book, A lot of the recipes you can find other places, but the people are the gold in this book, If you have ever been interested in food or food cultures other than your own, buy this book. Delicious recipes,.

While pouring through this book and reading each story and recipe, I found myself texting and calling my NYC friends and family to make sure they knew about this authentic foodie spot in Queens. Having traveled the world and sought out the food night markets, I want to support any movement to expand this global gastronomical community building experience.

For cooks who enjoy traditional and fusion international cuisine, cookbook will be a top pick. There are also basic recipes that have easier to find ingredients for those who do not live in an urban area with a variety of grocery options.

The photos, the jazzy font and the back stories are really what make this book. The recipes are interesting, but unfortunately there is no nutritional information. Some of the ingredients are not readily available in smaller or non-metro cities and ordering online may be cost-prohibitive. Having said that, this book has a GREAT vibe and I enjoyed reading it.

So I a copy of the Grand Central Market LA cookbook and when I saw this book, I immediately gravitated toward it because I felt it would be very similar to the GCM LA cookbook.

I really like this book, not necessarily because it's published by a known publisher or a super duper coffee table book but I like it because this book was put together by the people who started this Food Night market in this neighborhood in NY and the recipes are from the stands in the market.

They are recipes which have been handed down for some, some a reminder of their culture and some from what they created. It's "regular" people cooking for others.

I really like each recipe is accompanied by story of the vendor. Their background and how they ended up at the market.

Most recipes are easy to make at home, healthy probably not but delicious.