A review by mmccombs
Slow Noodles: A Cambodian Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Recipes by Chantha Nguon

dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Truly an astounding piece of non fiction! Using a through-line of food in a memoir is a fairly common one that I often find to be just fine, but Nguon makes this approach fully her own. I loved that each recipe was both just a recipe and also deeply connected to her story and each chapter. Including instructions or descriptions for how to cook the food as it related to that moment in her life made each recipe and mention of food more interconnected to her life. Food also made the connectedness between her mother and her daughter more salient, I loved that this was a story about what we pass down (both the good and the bad) and what we must hold onto in the face of so much adversity. I also just learned a lot about Cambodia, its history and its food, and this book compels me to learn more. This was great throughout but really took my breath away in the last chapter that brought it all together, I feel so lucky to have found Nguon’s story!
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