Double cup love

Eddie Huang is edging into adulthood and starting to doubt how Chinese he really is. The question presses harder as he considers proposing to his girlfriend, who is Italian-American.

He decides to go to China, the country his ancestors left behind, and brings his brothers Emery and Evan along. Their route runs from four-star restaurants in Shanghai to street vendors in Chengdu.

Food gives the trip its practical plan. Eddie eats his way through the country's best, then sets up his own stand to find out whether his cooking can satisfy Chinese diners.

Underneath the eating sits a harder set of aims. He wants to reconnect with his homeland, mend strained ties within his family, and settle whether to marry his girlfriend. Behind all of it is a larger question about where he can find meaning in his life.

The answer has to come from a trip that runs on meals, markets and three brothers traveling together, with a proposal still waiting at home.