Be My Guest
By: Hephzibah Anderson, The Observer Books, Sun 27 Oct 2019 Reading this slender, rich exploration of what it means to cook for others is like pulling up a chair at the ideal dinner party. The food is mouth-watering – creamy curries, candied baobab seeds, fat slices of homemade pizza – but just as nourishing is the conversation, which embraces hospitality in its many guises, from the strained welcome received by Syrian refugees in the author’s adoptive Germany to the langar, a free meal served in Sikh temples. We’re treated as well to encounters with her grandmother, Mumji, a doler-out of tyrannically large portions who deploys her culinary gifts first to impress her husband, then to oppress him. Add a pinch of Derrida and a slug of retro pop culture, and you’ve got an irresistible amuse-bouche. Comments are closed.
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