Don't let the cover of this book mislead you. This isn't completely a book about the namesake dish but about how the cultural diaspora of brown-skinned individuals have made it in the world through emigration, food and writing.
This book is about a dish that doesn't quite exist. But, as the author points out, a dish that doesn't properly exist can have infinite, equally authentic variations. It might even become a form of shorthand for brown identity itself.
This sharp, hilarious little book discusses history, culture, nostalgia and many other things - including food - with wide-ranging intelligence and subtle, thoughtful wit.
For me, this book was a love-hate relationship. I was quite dissapointed as I was conned into getting this book by the cover. The ingredients on the cover suggested a food-related book with only a few pages paying homage to what was on the cover. The rest was basically writing tropes in South Asian literature and how brown-skinned individuals react in foreign lands and such.
The love part for me in the book was the author's writing style. He juxtaposed many of his points against the backdrop of his homeland, Mauritius, and also portrayed the like-minded thinking of other famous writers like Jhumpa Lahiri and Anita Desai. The writing was evocative and gave a sense of how brown-skinned individuals are regarded in countries outside their own as well as the many nostalgias they would like to reconcile with in some point of their lives.
In all, it was a good read although the book could have done a little more justice for the curry so beloved by all around the world.
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