Typical American

Book menu for Typical American by Gish Jen

Food mentioned in Typical American:
Preserved plums, 4
Mooncakes, 4
Rice wine, 5
Banana splits, 14
Coffee, 18
Doughnuts, 18
Pork buns, 32
Peanuts, 39
Pretzels, 39
Hot dogs, 44
Oxtail soup, 57
Steamed fish with scallions, 57
Crystal chicken, 57
Shredded beef with peppers, 93
Squid with button mushrooms, 93
Strange-flavored chicken, 95
Shrimp in hot sauce, 95
Hamburgers, 102, 112, 239
French fries, 102-103
Ice cream sodas, 102, 112
Fried clams, 103
Salisbury steak, 103
Onion rings, 103
Potato salad, 103
Coleslaw, 103
Chocolate milkshakes, 103
Bacon and eggs, 103
French toast, 103
German pancakes, 103
Chinese pancakes, 103
Ice cream, 132
Dabao, 132
Cha Shao, 132
Zongzi, 132
Jiaozi, 132
Champagne, 169, 171
Plum juice, 179
Iced tea, 179
Tea eggs, 179
Cheeseburgers, 188
Club sandwiches, 192
Fried chicken, 200, 205
Shrimp and peas with ham, 204
Onion cakes, 205
Pizza, 238
Egg rolls, 239
BBQ ribs, 239
Lemonade, 296

Music mentioned in Typical American:
"Some Enchanted Evening" / Oscar Hammerstein & Richard Rodgers, 203
"One Hand, One Heart" / Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim, 203

Plays mentioned in Typical American:
South Pacific, 106, 123
The King and I, 123

Discussable Passages from Typical American:

p. 33: "And then there was another pain too, quieter, weightier, its roots in what everybody knows -- that one day a person looks back more than forward, that one day he'll have achieved as much as he was going to, loved as much as he was going to, been as happy as it was granted to be. And that day, won't [Ralph] have to wonder -- was it enough, what he's lived? Can he call that a life and be satisfied?"

p. 81 : "What different kinds of intelligence there were in the world! Who was to say which mattered most?"

p. 183 : "Ralph drove on, feeling his good fortune. Freedom and justice for all, the greatness of America, but a man living in a country sending satellites into space could still end up a heap in a doorway. "

Page numbers refer to the hardcover edition (ISBN: 0395546893)

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The Leftovers

Book Menu for The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

Food mentioned in The Leftovers:
Pretzels, 38
Tea, 51, 319
Wine, 51, 176, 143, 319, 325
     Chardonnay, 211
     Champagne, 397
Coffee, 58, 63, 297, 319, 325-327, 429
Omelettes, 58, 60, 62
Crullers, 60
Glazed donuts, 62
Jelly donuts, 62
Pop tarts, 66
Hot Pockets, 66
Ramen noodles, 66
Pizza, 95, 230, 241, 294, 482
Hot dogs, 99, 319
Beer, 130, 298, 319
Bourbon, 139
     Jim Beam, 248
Vegetarian lasagna, 176
Blueberry pound cake, 183
Butter pecan ice cream, 183
Dark chocolate with almonds, 183
Strawberries, 186, 397
Sesame bagels, 186
Banana nut muffins, 186
Blueberry muffins, 266
Veggie burgers, 266
Roasted chicken and potatoes, 273
Chicken wings, 298
Applesauce, 306
Sour cream & onions chips, 307
Burritos, 321
Blueberry pie, 321
Salami & cheese sandwiches, 327
Hershey's Kisses, 327
Macaroni & cheese, 362
Oatmeal raisin cookies, 377
Chai latte, 385
Grapefruit, 398
Mushroom ravioli, 411
Roasted beet salad, 418
Turkey & cheddar sandwiches, 446

Books/Authors mentioned in The Leftovers:
Our Town (play) / Thornton Wilder, 72
The Shopaholics series / Sophie Kinsella, 161
War and Peace / Leo Tolstoy, 246
American Lion / Jon Meacham, 273
Jack London, 386
The Scarlet Letter / Nathaniel Hawthorne, 451

Music mention in The Leftovers:
Hawaii Five-O theme song / Morton Stevens, 34
"Buffalo Solider" / Bob Marley, 70
"Fire and Rain" / James Taylor, 72
John Mellencamp, 81
Jennifer Lopez, 81
"Paperback Writer" / The Beatles, 84
Bruce Springsteen, 100, 283
"Rhinestone Cowboy" / Larry Weiss, 187
"Little Red Corvette" / Prince, 204-205
"Burning Down the House" / Talking Heads, 220
"Love Shack" / B-52s, 232
"Brick House" / The Commodores, 232
"Sex Machine" / James Brown, 232
"I Will Survive" / Gloria Gaynor, 232
"Turn the Beat Around" / Gerald and Peter Jackson, 232
"Surfer Girl" / Beach Boys, 232
"Rock the Cashbah", The Clash, 307
Grateful Dead, 385
Bob Marley, 510

Movies mentioned in The Leftovers:
Bolt, 245
It's a Wonderful Life, 315, 317

TV shows mentioned in The Leftovers:
The Bachelor, 82
SpongeBob Square Pants, 150, 346, 348
Dora the Explorer, 151
Curious George, 151

Magazines mentioned in The Leftovers:
Glamour, 335
Elle, 336

Page numbers refer to the large print edition: ISBN 9781611732542


This site has links to books sold on Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. We receive a small commission for all Bookshop.org purchases that originate from this page. Thank you for supporting Book Menus and independent bookstores.