Author Talk: Clarissa Wei, Sitting the Month: Postpartum Recipes for Rest & Recovery

We are thrilled to welcome author Clarissa Wei to the shop, all the way from Taiwan, to celebrate her new cookbook, Sitting the Month: Postpartum Recipes for Rest & Recovery. Clarissa will be here on Sunday, September 20th at 4:30pm for an author talk, Q&A, and book signing! The James Beard nominated author of Made in Taiwan brings us a nourishing and restorative guide to eating well after childbirth, with recipes informed by traditional Chinese medicine. With gorgeous photography and stories, Clarissa offers a holistic outlook on food specifically intended to nurture new mothers back to health, with 88 recipes any partner or relative (or a very tired mom) can navigate!

Reservations are non-refundable and can include a signed copy of the $37.99 book. Applicable sales tax and a $2.50 transaction fee are also included. Can't attend but still want a signed book? Order here for shipping or in-store pickup.

About the book: When Clarissa Wei gave birth to her first child, she was living in Taiwan, where the postpartum period lasts four weeks and is considered one of the most important periods of a woman’s life. The practice of “sitting the month” includes therapeutic herbs and warming meals—stir-fried pork liver, chicken simmered with rice wine and sesame oil, or steamed cod with goji berries—believed to help repair the womb and reenergize the new mom. There isn’t a lot of information in the English-speaking world about this practice, or its cuisine, and she set out to learn more.

With guidance from Stella Wang, a second-generation owner of a Chinese medicine shop, she introduces three stages of recovery. Each recipe is designed for solo meals or for sharing with a partner, and freezing advice plus notes on unique herbs make this ancient tradition accessible and doable for modern parents. There’s an old folk saying that sums up the East Asian attitude toward postpartum care: During pregnancy, nurture the baby. After pregnancy, nurture your body.

Clarissa Wei is the author of Made in Taiwan, winner of an IACP Award and finalist for a James Beard Award. Her writing has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Bon Appétit. The cofounder of single-origin soy sauce brand HEYDOH, she lives in Taiwan with her husband and two children.