Written by Lekshmi Gopinathan, This Delicious Life is a delicious affair.
The book is uniquely written as each of the chapter has a particular dish specific to it. The story moves forward taking the essence of that dish with it. Till now, seeing food just as a source of energy to the grumbling stomach and a taste stimuli to uplift the mood , we often fail to see the other side of the story, which is the process, efforts and emotions poured to make the marvel ready to take you under its spell.
Talking about the story, the story is plotted in a small village named Iraalpatinam. The Sarpanch, Radha stands strong to lead her village, her responsibility towards development, The life there is something the residents are proud of. Vishal, the District Collector, crosses paths with Radha as he have to take charge of the developments aimed to happen. Gerry, a free spirited man needing something he can really connect him self with something he loves to do. Last but not the least, we have Matilda (May), a entrepreneur from Mumbai, finding solace to heal after a personal loss. All of the 4 will be your constant companion through the novel and all 4 , planned by the destiny to meet in the village, Iraalpatinam where food is a celebration, cherished everyday to every soul living there. All of them meet professionally yet, by the ending of the novel, the bond developed makes them all life-time companions. I feel I'll have to get a few recipe books mentioned in my list when I move out independently.
The story is beautiful and a story that will keep you gripped.
The writing style is quote appreciable and I would be putting down some of my favorite phrases and sentences penned down by the Author,
' Don't be greedy for time, don't expect everything to fall in place as per your schedule. Time is not like money, it never ends. Time is forever, grab as much as you wish for and make the best use of it.'
' The best coffee brews slow and bites the most.'
'Stay at a place for a while, be a part of the community and stick around to see what difference it makes to your life '
' To everything you create, add the touch of who you really are.'
'.....finding emotions in every flavor ............'
Definitely try the book if you are looking for something easy to understand, entertaining and who knows if you may end up getting some recipes added on your To-Make list , to give your tongue some amazing combination it has been deprived since ages.
If you are someone ordering food and looking somewhere else to get-you-moving-in-your-life, consider once the process of cooking. It could be healing.
Quoting Thomas Keller, "A Recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe."
Signing off..
ANU.
Beautifully written !!! Definitely one of your best ones.
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