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tracydurnell's review against another edition
A series of short reflections, all flowing into each other, not always perfectly, but always in a way that makes sense for a shift in the train of thought. Ideas, sometimes expressed in a couple hundred words, others in a couple pages. She weaves in reflections on the value of hospitality at a societal level, and what it means to welcome others to our communities, especially when they are different than we are. What are the conditions of our welcome? Is unconditional hospitality possible today? Interesting collection that's short but I liked spreading over several days to let it sink in more.
beate's review against another edition
3.0
I especially liked the author’s reflections on food and family. However, her opinions of charity and the EU didn’t resonate with me at all.
howjessicareads's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of thoughtful, philosophical musings on hospitality -- both within a family and within nations. Full review coming for Shelf Awareness.
My first completed book for the social distancing readathon. #stayhome24in48
My first completed book for the social distancing readathon. #stayhome24in48
shankar's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Priya Basil, born to a British Sikh family, grew up in Kenya before returning to England as a teenager and then settling in Berlin, Germany. She playfully delves ,in this extended essay/ memoir, in a series of observations regarding hospitality which further stretches into various overarching themes and topics. She explores food as power and writes about women who cook to gain affection of the family simultaneously reflecting on colonial India (her home country) where in 1876 British administrators hosted a weeklong dinner in proclamation of Queen Victoria as Empress of India while an estimated 100,000 Indians starved to death in the same duration.
She also mentions her struggle while growing-up as a Sikh in a Kenyan-Indian community in Nairobi where she encountered and understood the religious practice of Langar in Gurdwaras, a post-worship communal meal, which foster a sense of equality and community among the human beings. Later, those experiences guided her to work with refugee advocacy groups in Germany. In these quick and short musings in which she goes through the philosophical wisdom of Plato, Kant, Arendt ,Derrida and other thinkers, Basil explores what means to be a woman, immigrant, host or guest through the backdrop of food.
While it’s an exceptional piece of writing, these conversational snippets touch on a lot of serious subjects such as racism, xenophobia, EU politics, Brexit, Refugee Crisis and Charity.
It becomes quite overwhelming to tackle with these range of subjects in such short book. I think some of the subject matter she tried to raise need further elaboration. I didn’t find that much about food in it yet hospitality was a prevalent theme throughout.
However, it did realise us the roles food and hospitality play in our personal life and in the broader world at large. It’s a welcoming tale that delves into true meaning of hospitality and emphasises that sharing food is not only for nourishment but a place for unification regardless of our religion, race or socioeconomic status.
nothingforpomegranted's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Priya Basil's reflections on food and community are exactly that: stream of consciousness reflections on the experience of hosting and being hosted in the form of what really seems to be a long-form essay. Born in England and raised in Kenya by an Indian family before moving back to England and eventually to Germany, Basil represents such a diversity of flavors and experiences, and this was a joy to read.
I loved the descriptions of Basil's grandmother, Mumji, who cooked absurd amounts for every meal, every day, leaving the family with five freezers full of leftovers that were never eaten. All the more so, I loved the honesty with which she was portrayed. Refusing to serve leftovers, Basil presents Mumji as constantly complaining about the responsibility of preparing all this food for her husband and family, a contradictory trait that seems to have been passed down to Basil's own mother and eventually to herself.
Basil describes herself also as something of a glutton, obsessed with flavors, spices, and whole eating experience, filling the book with memories of stuffing herself to the bursting at her mother's or grandmother's table or, especially, at the Sikh communal meal, where she and her siblings salivated over the sweet semolina-based bread that came before the meal itself.
And yet, this book is about more than food. Indeed, more than anything, this is a book about community. Basil smoothly incorporated linguistic details--did you know that hospitality comes from the same root as hostility?--and a broader analysis of society. The role of food in the experience of race, racism, and refugees is significant, and the exploration of national hospitality through the lens of the changing demographics of the E.U., as well as the oxymoronic "hospitality industry" was powerful.
Quick, wide-reaching, and sassy, this book made me smile; I only wish there had been slightly more text on the actual food! Recipes, descriptions, pictures--I love food writing because of the access to dishes that I have never experienced and may or may not enjoy actually eating. With so many different dishes in her personal background, Basil had such a wonderful opportunity for this kind of sharing, and I think she left a little to be desired in that respect.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley through Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and author Priya Basil. Opinions stated in this review are honest and my own.
Release Date: 3 November 2020
I loved the descriptions of Basil's grandmother, Mumji, who cooked absurd amounts for every meal, every day, leaving the family with five freezers full of leftovers that were never eaten. All the more so, I loved the honesty with which she was portrayed. Refusing to serve leftovers, Basil presents Mumji as constantly complaining about the responsibility of preparing all this food for her husband and family, a contradictory trait that seems to have been passed down to Basil's own mother and eventually to herself.
Basil describes herself also as something of a glutton, obsessed with flavors, spices, and whole eating experience, filling the book with memories of stuffing herself to the bursting at her mother's or grandmother's table or, especially, at the Sikh communal meal, where she and her siblings salivated over the sweet semolina-based bread that came before the meal itself.
And yet, this book is about more than food. Indeed, more than anything, this is a book about community. Basil smoothly incorporated linguistic details--did you know that hospitality comes from the same root as hostility?--and a broader analysis of society. The role of food in the experience of race, racism, and refugees is significant, and the exploration of national hospitality through the lens of the changing demographics of the E.U., as well as the oxymoronic "hospitality industry" was powerful.
Quick, wide-reaching, and sassy, this book made me smile; I only wish there had been slightly more text on the actual food! Recipes, descriptions, pictures--I love food writing because of the access to dishes that I have never experienced and may or may not enjoy actually eating. With so many different dishes in her personal background, Basil had such a wonderful opportunity for this kind of sharing, and I think she left a little to be desired in that respect.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley through Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and author Priya Basil. Opinions stated in this review are honest and my own.
Release Date: 3 November 2020