Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Late last year I read Lucy Knisley's travelogue/graphic novel French Milk. Whilst I didn't really love it, mainly because of the precociousness of 22 year old Lucy, I did like the style of the book. When Relish became available on my library catalogue I decided to give her another go and boy am I glad that I did.

This foodie memoir is a delight. Whilst there is still a hint of the precocious Lucy that we met in French Milk, it is much less of an obstacle to enjoyment, or at least it was for me. I think it also helps that rather than focusing on just one place (albeit Paris) for a very short period of only five weeks, this is an exploration of  a life long obsession with good food.

Knisley makes no apologies for the fact that she was introduced to really good food from a young age. Her mother is a chef and her father a foodie from way back and she spent her childhood years in the kitchens of restaurants. She remembers other kids bringing cupcakes to school for their birthdays but her mother would turn up with a blow torch to give the creme brulee a perfect crunchy top.

Lucy lived in New York with her parents until they divorced and Lucy and her mother moved to rural upstate New York - quite the shock to city girl Lucy. It wasn't long before Lucy's mother was involved in food again through farmers markets, catering companies and more, and therefore so was Lucy!

As well as talking about more exotic food and adventures, the author tells of her parents mortification at the fact that she still enjoys junk food like Maccas (McDonalds just in case you didn't get the Aussie vernacular), batches of chocolate chip cookies instead of anything more gourmet, of her shock at finding bits of marshmallows in breakfast cereals (I must confess I find this a bit shocking still!) and more.

We follow Lucy from New York to the country, to Japan, France and Mexico (which was a really fun story), to Chicago and then full circle back to New York. The one thing that stays constant is Lucy's love of good food, of being willing to try new foods, and of trying to recreate those foods. I loved the chapter where Lucy tried to recapture the elusive taste of a croissant that she bought in Venice to the point of being obsessed!

The thing that pleased me most as I was reading was how much it made me smile. In nearly every chapter there was some little quirky addition to the drawing or some tale that just made me happy to read. In one of the chapters, the author talks about going to Japan to visit friend and at the end of that chapter she gives a pictorial demonstration of how to make sushi rolls. In a very small corner, there are three pictures - one of a sushi mat furled, then unfurled and then worn as a hat. They are all tiny pictures, but it is the kind of detail that makes it worth the time to look at all the images closely!

As another example, there is a chapter about why Lucy Knisley doesn't feel guilty about eating foie gras. Let's just say it involves an incident with very aggressive geese. There were echoes of this story in my own family. My sister has a terrible fear of birds which has evolved over the years after being chased up a tree in our backyard by chooks, and then on another occasion being attacked by a black swan!

Here, as an example of what you might expect if you choose to read Relish, is Lucy Knisley's recipe for Pasta Carbonara (click on image to enlarge!)

I am always a bit reluctant to use words like charming when describing a book, but sometimes there is just no better word, and this is one of those occasions. Relish is a charming, delightfully fun foodie memoir and I recommend it highly!


Rating 4.5

Synopsis

Lucy Knisley's mouth-watering graphic memoir will make you hungry.

Whether she's injuring herself - again and again - in pursuit of a perfect croissant or bankrupting herself on fancy cheeses, Lucy Knisley know what she wants: a good meal. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, she comes by her priorities honestly. In this Technicolor love letter to cooking and eating, Knisley presents her personal history as seen through a kaleidoscope of delicious things.

Defying the idea of eating as a compulsion and food as a consumer product, Relish invites us to celebrate the meals we eat as a connection to our bodies, and to each other. Knisley's intimate and utterly charming graphic memoir offers reflections on cooking, eating and living - as well as some of her favourite recipes.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.

Bookish Quotes: The library as a refuge

This week I read and thoroughly enjoyed Hate is Such a Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub. This is a debut YA novel that looks the experiences of a second generation Australian whose Lebanese parents have very set ideas of how a young lady should behave. It is an excellent book, a fact I hope to show if/when I write a review of it! In the meantime, if you want to know more head over to Bree's blog as it was her review that convinced me to give this book a go!

Today I wanted to share a passage from the book where the author name drops another book, one that I have happened to have read. It is not the only time it happens in the book. One of the other books mentioned is one of my absolute favourites, The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, although I have to admit I was a bit surprised that it was one of the male characters that was reading it.

However, the passage resonates for more than just the book name dropping. Is there anything better than having your library buy a brand new book that you have requested and you get to be the first person to read it? How mind blowing to have a librarian purchase a book specifically with you in mind!

The quote comes from pages 123-125.

Across the quad, Shehadie is reading a book under the pergola, like he's done every day since he came to CSC. Zayden and a few other boys from our class are playing football, and as usual they don't ask him to join in. Instead, they ignore him, or occasionally throw a snide remark his way. My eyes meet Shehadie's and he smiles. I smile back awkwardly, and look from him to Vanessa's group, like we're all part of some confusing game.

I start to walk over to him, but my fear gets the better of me and I go into the toilets instead. I sit in a cubicle, take out my journal and doodle over some of the pages.

After five minutes, I'm over being pathetic and make my way to the library. Mrs Morton, the librarian, sings out my name as I walk in."

"Back again today?" she says.

I nod, embarrassed.

"Don't worry, we'd rather have thirty of you than half the other kids in here." She gestures to the noisy juniors milling about. "Plus, I bet we're good for you too. You must be making headway on all your assessments."

"Something like that," I say. "Got anything new for me?"

"Actually, I ordered something that I think you'll really love," she says. "If you mind the sign-in book for a moment I'll go find it. Mrs Richards is at the canteen stocking up on chocolate for her 2pm craving so I'm on my own right now."

She returns holding a novel for me and my face lights up. There are definite perks to having a good relationship with the librarian.

"Diane Armstrong's Empire Day," she says. "As soon as I read the blurb I knew it would be perfect for you. It's set in Sydney in 1948 and looks at some of the issues around post war migration. It'll be useful for your Society and Culture assessment, but I thought the themes - identity, ethnicity, belonging - would interest you anyway."

"Wow, Mrs Morton, am I that transparent?"

She smiles. "Let's just say that your borrowing record says a lot about your interests. Now, it's not officially on the system yet, so please take care of it and bring it back as soon as you're done."

"I always do," I say, grinning. "Thanks heaps. I appreciate it."

And just like that, I have even more of an excuse to spend the rest of the week in the library. Books, unlike people, never let me down.

Library Loot: March 5

What's that saying about London buses that you wait for ages for and then three come along at once? That's what it has been like at the library for me over the last week or so.

This week, for example, not one but three audiobooks came in for me at the same time. That is more than 40 hours of listening time to get through in four weeks! Not sure it is going to happen. In next week's loot I am going to be talking about at least eleven books and it could still be more!

Here's what I picked up from the library this week:

Hope Flames by Jaci Burton - I am a big fan of Jaci Burton's sports romances so I thought I would give her new series a go too.

Frantic by Katherine Howell - I saw someone mention that this was one of their favourite Australian crime writers so I thought I would give this book a try.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - It's been years since I read a Maggie Stiefvater book. There's no real reason for this other than it just happened. Time to rectify this.

An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear - It's been a while since I read my last Maisie Dobbs book too. Time to catch up.

Eyrie by Tim Winton - The first of the audiobooks. I listened to another Winton book earlier this year. I didn't love it, but I can't really work out why. Maybe this book will be the book that helps me understand why Tim Winton is such a popular Australian author.

1914 the Year the World Ended by Paul Ham - I went and heard Paul Ham speak at my local library earlier this year. This is the second audiobook. I started listening to it yesterday and so far it is very interesting.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - I did have the book out from the library but I didn't get to read it. Because I thought I had a while before the other audiobooks I had on request would come in I requested this one too. Whoops!

The Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith - I hadn't heard much about any new books from Alexander McCall Smith until I saw something saying that AMS was coming to Australia soon.

Jack of Fables Vol 2: Jack of Hearts by Bill Willingham - The next Jack of Fables graphic novel.

The Sandman Vol 2: The Doll House by Neil Gaiman  - The next Sandman graphic novel. I didn't love the first one, which was a prelude, so I am hoping that once the story gets going I will enjoy it more.

The Heist by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - I didn't really think about getting this CD until I saw these artists perform at the Grammys.

Library Loot is hosted by Clare from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief. Linda should have  the Mr Linky this week so head there to share your loot links.

Joint review: The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck

Today I am pleased to be participating in a discussion style review of The Debt of Tamr by Nicole Dweck with Kelly from The Written World. My thoughts are in black and Kelly's in purple. Don't forget to head on to Kelly's blog to read the second part. Alternatively head over to Historical Tapestry where you can read the whole thing and there is a also a chance to win a copy of the book (open to US residents only).

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its been a while since we have done one of these Kelly!

I thought I would start this discussion by talking about the story and hopefully along the way we will be able to touch on how the book is structured and how that helps or hinders the plot.

The book opens in 16th century Spain. Dona Antonio Nissim is friend to royalty, well respected and wealthy but none of that will protect her when she upsets royalty by refusing a match for her beautiful young daughter. And there is especially no protection when it is found that you are actually Jewish, something which comes as something of a surprise to her daughter Reyna and her nephew that she has been raising to become the head of her family, Jose. Forced to flee, the family is accepted into Turkey under the auspices of the sultan Suleiman and the family settles into a new life which is complicated by the fact that Reyna and Jose fall in love.

The action then moves forward a few years as their daughter Tamar is given the great privilege of being educated within the walls of the sultan’s harem, where she meets and falls in love with the heir, Murat. But theirs is a love that crosses culture and faiths and it isn’t long before the young lovers are torn apart but not before he gives her a ruby ring that ends up being passed from generation to generation. Murat goes on to rule the realm, but he and his descendants are forever to be cursed, in effect the debt of Tamar that the title of the book refers to.

I have to admit, I think I was confused about the curse when it was first mentioned in Murat’s part of the book. I think it was only when the book shifted to the Present Day that I fully understood. I guess that’s because I thought if anyone should be cursed, it should be her father because it is him that sends her away.

What did you think of the curse?

I was a bit confused by the curse at first too, almost as though the injured party was cursed rather than the injurer (is that even a word?). It did work itself out by the end of the book though!

But, after Murat’s time has come to an end, the book flashes to the present day. The Sultan’s reign has come to an end and now Selim Osman, the grandson of the last Sultan, is a successful business man. He is still living in the shadow of his ancestors. His father and brother are deceased and his mother left to go live with her aunt. He is essentially an orphan who finds himself diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. When he goes to New York to seek treatment, the stories of his ancestors and Tamar start to intertwine. Then, the time changes again, and we are in WWII-torn Paris, France.

In Paris we meet Davide. His parents were the victims of the Holocaust and he was raised by a kindly baker and his wife. Unfortunately, he can not live that idyllic life forever and his ancestors catch-up with him. He quickly changes his entire life to embrace his heritage and decides to leave Paris behind to visit the land of his ancestors. Then it is back to the future again for the stories to come together. I will leave it there for readers to get a taste of how things are going to come together.

What did you think of the characters? Did you have a favourite?

As we will discuss below, I find that the characters didn’t have a time in the book to really stand out. I thought that Reyna and Jose’s relationship was sweet, but it was so rushed there was no build up or drama. And, I really liked Reyna’s mother, but again, I didn’t really get a chance to get to know who she was. She was a strong and intriguing character that I would love to see an entire book about! Again, Murat and Tamar, sweet relationship, but for having lasting consequences through a curse it was again rushed. I didn’t get the tension because there was no time to get to feel it. Basically, though, the characters are all interesting. I just wish we had got to know them a bit better.

I am probably the same as you. I didn’t feel connected enough to any one story to say I had a favourite character.






Head over to Kelly's blog for the second part of the discussion where we talk more about the structure of the book and out overall reactions to the book.

About the tour

Link to Tour Page: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/thedebtoftamartour
Tour Hashtag: #DebtofTamarVirtualTour
Nicole Dweck's website
Nicole Dweck on Twitter
Nicole Dweck on Facebook

About the book

Publication Date: February 4, 2013
Devon House Press
Paperback; 332p
ISBN-10: 061558361X

During the second half of the 16th century, a wealthy widow by the name of Doña Antonia Nissim is arrested and charged with being a secret Jew. The punishment? Death by burning. Enter Suleiman the Magnificent, an Ottoman “Schindler,” and the most celebrated sultan in all of Turkish history. With the help of the Sultan, the widow and her children manage their escape to Istanbul. Life is seemingly idyllic for the family in their new home, that is, until the Sultan’s son meets and falls in love with Tamar, Doña Antonia’s beautiful and free-spirited granddaughter. A quiet love affair ensues until one day, the girl vanishes.

Over four centuries later, thirty-two year old Selim Osman, a playboy prince with a thriving real estate empire, is suddenly diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. Abandoning the mother of his unborn child, he vanishes from Istanbul without an explanation. In a Manhattan hospital, he meets Hannah, a talented artist and the daughter of a French Holocaust survivor. As their story intertwines with that of their ancestors, readers are taken back to Nazi-occupied Paris, and to a sea-side village in the Holy Land where a world of secrets is illuminated.

Theirs is a love that has been dormant for centuries, spanning continents, generations, oceans, and religions. Bound by a debt that has lingered through time, they must right the wrongs of the past if they’re ever to break the shackles of their future.

Sunday Salon: February Reading Reflections

From a pure numbers perspective, February was a much better reading month than January! From a quality perspective, it was a mixed bag. There were a few really good reads in there. It may be a good thing that I am now all caught up on Laura Florand's Amour et Chocolat series otherwise I could well end up overdosing on delicious French chef heroes for yet another month!

Here's what I read:

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey 3/5 (audiobook)
Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett 3.5/5
Jack of Fables, Vol 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape by Bill Willingham 3/5
Anything for You by Jessica Scott 3.5/5
Outback Dreams by Rachael Johns 4.5/5
I Kissed an Earl by Julie Anne Long 3.5/5
The Chocolate Touch by Laura Florand 4/5
The Chocolate Heart by Laura Florand 3/5
Sisters of Mercy by Caroline Overington 4/5
Merle's Country Show Baking by Merle Parrish 4/5
The Sandman Vol 1: Preludes & Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman 2.5/5
The Book of Lost Threads by Tess Evans 4.5/5
Half Moon Bay by Helene Young 4/5
The Chocolate Temptation by Laura Florand 4/5
For Your Eyes Only by Sandra Antonelli 3/5
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 4/5

In terms of challenges. the only one that I read for was the Australian Women Writers challenge but I am pretty happy with the fact that I read six books in a month for that challenge. Those books were Outback Dreams, Sisters of Mercy, Merle's Country Show Baking, The Book of Lost Threads, Half Moon Bay and For Your Eyes Only.

Currently Reading

The Debt of Tamar by Nicole Dweck and listening to Floodtide by Judy Nunn.

Up Next

Hate is Such a Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub or Bitter Taste by Annie Hauxwell.

Weekend Cooking: Great British Bake Off (aka how I spent my Saturday)

Every now and again I go through phases where I put the TV on the Food Channel and basically just leave it there. I then tend to gorge on the shows that have caught my attention and then not watch much again until the next time that I need to gorge.

Recently I have been watching My Kitchen Rules with my son which is on one of our commercial challenges, but when I have the TV to myself my viewing has been focused on The Great British Bake Off on our Food Channel. I think it is season 3 and to be honest I am kicking myself that I haven't seen the earlier seasons. Today, I spent most of the day watching season 3 which was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Saturday. In fact, the only down side is the fact that I was left craving something delicious to eat. Need to remember this for future notice. Don't watch while hungry!

I assume that the show is showing on food shows around the world, but just in case I thought I would mention the structure.

The first segment that the contestants participate in is the Signature Bake where they bake what they consider their signature bake is that will meet the criteria set out. The second segment is the Technical Bake where they are asked to create a specific dish that they have been given a partial recipe for and the third segment is the Showstopper. This is where they are asked to produce something that fits within the theme of the episode but shows great skill in both cooking and presentation.

Whilst like so many other shows this is primarily a cooking show, I love that it is more than that as well. I love that they also include some historical information in the show, some instructional information and also segments relating to regional specialities. It makes for a good mix of cooking, personal drama as the contestants stress their way through each episode, entertainment and history!

Here, for example, is a segment on the history of donuts and their place in WWII history which is from one of the episodes that I watched today.

and here is a video of one of the judges, Mary Berry, showing how to make Sachertorte

And finally, here is a Showstopper segments about hidden designs in cakes. I can't imagine making cakes that look anywhere near as externally impressive as these cakes do without having to have a hidden design as well.

One of the things that I enjoy in the British show is the hosts. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. Mel and Sue had just started to come to prominence on UK TV back in the late 1990s when I lived there and they have a great chemistry together in terms of the comic timing. They also bring a lightness to the sometimes tense kitchen environment. This isn't the first time that I have mentioned Sue Perkins here on the blog. She is also one of the hosts of Supersizers Go which I posted about a couple of years ago.

They did attempt to make an Australian version of this show last year, but to be honest I don't think it was that successful. I only watched the first episode, and I wasn't overly impressed. I didn't not intend to watch more (if you know what I mean) but I didn't end up seeing any more. In fact, I am not even sure if the whole series was shown or if it was pulled after a few episodes.

I have just noticed that my library has both the Great Australian Bake Off book and The Great British Bake Off book so I have requested both and might do a comparative post at some point in the future. I did also see that at least one of the contestants in the British version has ended up with a book deal out of it, so that might be interesting for future reference.

And now I need to get back to the book that I was planning to be reading today and not watching food on TV!

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.

Library Loot: February 26

Whilst I am still participating in Library Loot it won't be every week now that I am not one of the co-hosts. I am therefore changing the post title format a little bit. Rather than having the upcoming week's dates the post will be just dated with the actual date and the loot mentioned will be those items that I have borrowed since the last Library Loot post. For example, the loot listed below was actually borrowed over a coouple of weeks rather than just this week.

Clare is hosting Mr Linky this week so head over to her blog to share your loot post.

A mix of books and music in my loot this time around!

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen - I am not sure why I requested this one from the library catalogue seeing as I already have it on my ereader. I think maybe it is because I was just so excited to even see it on the catalogue in the first place. Oh wait, it could be because it was on order on the catalogue even before I was approved for the digital copy.

Matilda is Missing by Caroline Overington - I have read a couple of this author's books and this is the nex one I am going to be tackling from her back list.

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams - reloot. I am determined this is the time that I am going to read this book!

The Memory Tree by Tess Evans - I recently read The Book of Lost Threads by this author for my book club and really enjoyed it so requested this one straight away.

Swing Both Ways by Robbie Williams - Robbie is coming to Australia on tour!!!! I am really hoping to go and see him this time. I have been waiting for nearly 13 years to see him in concert (long story).

Random Access Memory by Daft Punk - My new dancy music fest continues unabated!