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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
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
There are five people in my house and as come meal times it is like feeding the 5000. We eat together almost every night, and if I can drag the teenagers away from their phones, we often have conversations about all sorts of things, including politics. It is the hospitality provided over those shared dinners where long term friendships are formed.
Priya Basil has grown up in a family of food fanatics and she probably thinks that it goes way back past her grandmother. She has provided for years for her family, ensuring that all those that sit at her table struggle to get up after. This greed-gene flew in the face of her mothers aim to get her and her sister to sit and eat politely, as every time temptation loomed, she abandoned all that she had learnt, just to eat. When it comes to her mothers kadhi though, she still experiences pure greed.
Recipes are the original open source … You only need to successfully make a recipe once to feel it is your own. Make it three more times and suddenly it’s a tradition.
The etymological origins of the word hospitality are from ghosti; the word hostility also shares these same roots and Basil traces the history of food being used as a weapon against populations to starve them or force them to migrate against their will. Sadly, we are in a time where hostility seems to be on the rise and places where people once looked after each other have become places of tension.
Thankfully, this is a book that concentrates about the shared pleasures of good conversation and even better food. It is also a call to say rather than being selfish, sharing mealtimes with friends and neighbours will help people belong in that community. We can play a part in reducing the friction that seems to be growing, by becoming a generous and selfless host. A slender volume, full of wisdom and is very much worth reading.
Priya Basil has grown up in a family of food fanatics and she probably thinks that it goes way back past her grandmother. She has provided for years for her family, ensuring that all those that sit at her table struggle to get up after. This greed-gene flew in the face of her mothers aim to get her and her sister to sit and eat politely, as every time temptation loomed, she abandoned all that she had learnt, just to eat. When it comes to her mothers kadhi though, she still experiences pure greed.
Recipes are the original open source … You only need to successfully make a recipe once to feel it is your own. Make it three more times and suddenly it’s a tradition.
The etymological origins of the word hospitality are from ghosti; the word hostility also shares these same roots and Basil traces the history of food being used as a weapon against populations to starve them or force them to migrate against their will. Sadly, we are in a time where hostility seems to be on the rise and places where people once looked after each other have become places of tension.
Thankfully, this is a book that concentrates about the shared pleasures of good conversation and even better food. It is also a call to say rather than being selfish, sharing mealtimes with friends and neighbours will help people belong in that community. We can play a part in reducing the friction that seems to be growing, by becoming a generous and selfless host. A slender volume, full of wisdom and is very much worth reading.
whatsbookinjenni's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A brief collection of Priya Basil's ruminations on the meaning and purpose of hospitality, both in the personal and political sense. Basil begins with a discussion of the meanings of food for her and her family growing up as a British Indian in Kenya, but meanders through a myriad of topics such as colonialism; philanthropy; her Sikh religion and its community-food-sharing traditions; and, most substantially, hospitality as it relates to immigrants and refugees. I loved the connections between her personal reflections on what it means to serve guests', but also her larger thoughts on her experiences feeling welcome (and unwelcome) in Berlin (where she now calls home) in juxtaposition with the experiences of recent immigrants to the European Union. If you like personal essays and food writing, I think you would get a lot out of this short work.
Thank you to Knopf for providing me with an early e-copy of this work through Netgalley. Be My Guest is out now.
Thank you to Knopf for providing me with an early e-copy of this work through Netgalley. Be My Guest is out now.
ambero's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
2.5
Didn't think it was v good
lots of short vinaigrette
very pro-EU
lots of short vinaigrette
very pro-EU
tasmin's review
4.0
Das Buch erschien im Original auf Deutsch und ist super interessant, es reflektiert auf Gastfreundschaft und was gemeinsames Essen für uns kulturell und emotional bedeutet, aber zB auch auf die Erfahrung einer Einwanderin in Deutschland.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
There are five people in my house and as come meal times it is like feeding the 5000. We eat together almost every night, and if I can drag the teenagers away from their phones, we often have conversations about all sorts of things, including politics. It is the hospitality provided over those shared dinners where long term friendships are formed.
Priya Basil has grown up in a family of food fanatics and she probably thinks that it goes way back past her grandmother. She has provided for years for her family, ensuring that all those that sit at her table struggle to get up after. This greed-gene flew in the face of her mothers aim to get her and her sister to sit and eat politely, as every time temptation loomed, she abandoned all that she had learnt, just to eat. When it comes to her mothers kadhi though, she still experiences pure greed.
Recipes are the original open source … You only need to successfully make a recipe once to feel it is your own. Make it three more times and suddenly it’s a tradition.
The etymological origins of the word hospitality are from ghosti; the word hostility also shares these same roots and Basil traces the history of food being used as a weapon against populations to starve them or force them to migrate against their will. Sadly, we are in a time where hostility seems to be on the rise and places where people once looked after each other have become places of tension.
Thankfully, this is a book that concentrates about the shared pleasures of good conversation and even better food. It is also a call to say rather than being selfish, sharing mealtimes with friends and neighbours will help people belong in that community. We can play a part in reducing the friction that seems to be growing, by becoming a generous and selfless host. A slender volume, full of wisdom and is very much worth reading.
Priya Basil has grown up in a family of food fanatics and she probably thinks that it goes way back past her grandmother. She has provided for years for her family, ensuring that all those that sit at her table struggle to get up after. This greed-gene flew in the face of her mothers aim to get her and her sister to sit and eat politely, as every time temptation loomed, she abandoned all that she had learnt, just to eat. When it comes to her mothers kadhi though, she still experiences pure greed.
Recipes are the original open source … You only need to successfully make a recipe once to feel it is your own. Make it three more times and suddenly it’s a tradition.
The etymological origins of the word hospitality are from ghosti; the word hostility also shares these same roots and Basil traces the history of food being used as a weapon against populations to starve them or force them to migrate against their will. Sadly, we are in a time where hostility seems to be on the rise and places where people once looked after each other have become places of tension.
Thankfully, this is a book that concentrates about the shared pleasures of good conversation and even better food. It is also a call to say rather than being selfish, sharing mealtimes with friends and neighbours will help people belong in that community. We can play a part in reducing the friction that seems to be growing, by becoming a generous and selfless host. A slender volume, full of wisdom and is very much worth reading.
purlewe's review
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This is about food, religion, world politics, being an immigrant, generosity, mindfullness, being a guest, being a host, and how to care for others. It is a series of essays that have been blended and dovetail into one another. Priya Basil is a non-practicing Sikh whose family is from India but who has lived in Kenya, the UK, and now Germany. This book was good, but there were places I wanted her to go deeper. Food was the center of most of the book, but so was immigration. I feel like this book could start a lot of dialogue in different communities.