Midwestern Writers on Food with Peggy Wolfe & Bonnie Jo Campbell

The event that I attended was the Midwestern Writers on Food. Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into and had no idea what to expect other than the fact that it would have to do with food - obviously. However, I was surprised to find that the event had very little to do with literature at all and mostly had to do with food itself. What was discussed was food and different recipes as well as different ways of cooking things such as fudge or even what to use for the crust of pie (Crisco was agreed to be the best).

There was very little reading done or discussion over the book that the author held in her hand - a book I had never read - and so it was difficult for me, personally, to follow along. I did notice that the audience was mostly composed of elderly ladies who knew so much about how to cook - something I am nowhere near an expert in.

Something that did stick out to me, however, was that these ladies held experiences that were quite admirable. It is unfortunate that our generation was unable to experience the things that they did, the way that they tasted fudge in such a way that we did not. They were able to remember the texture, food making up a major part of their lives, unlike the generation of today where technology reigns. It is unbelievable and sometimes you wish that things would not have changed so much so that you could have beautiful memories the way that they did.

All in all, what I took away from this meeting is not something that had to do with food or literature at all, no. Instead, it made me want to appreciate the simple things that existed, that I would appreciate my childhood and would have something to talk about with such love in the future the way that these ladies talked about food, smiles adorning their features. It was something truly admirable.

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya - Discovering New Foods

In Kamala Markandaya's story, Nectar in a Sieve, we often come across different foods. However, there is so much that you can barely keep track! Even so, most of the names of the foods were foreign to me and so I decided to take a look at what each of them were. For example, she mentions the food in her garden, "the beans, the brinjals, the chillies and the pumpkin vine."

The first food that I searched up was brinjal since I had never heard it before. However, I realized that it was more familiar than foreign. Brinjal is just another word for eggplant. In South Asia, the plant is referred to as brinjal instead of as eggplant and there are other name variations as well, such as augerbine, garden egg, guinea squash, or melongene. It simply depends on the area that you come from.

The descriptions of food in the text are simply amazing and detailed in such a way that they make you hungry as well. "Between us we prepared mounds of rice, tinting it with saffron and frying it in butter; made hot curries from chillies and dhal; mixed sweet, spicy dishes of jaggery and fruit; broiled fish; roasted nuts over the fire; filled ten gourds with coconut milk; and cut plantain leaves on which to serve the food."

This description is pretty fantastic and some of dishes I was unsure about. I searched up what saffron is and ended up getting the location of an Indian Cuisine restaurant in Kalamazoo called Saffron. However, after looking a bit more, I realized it was a spice commonly known as Saffron Crocus. It is one of the costliest spices by weight and originates in Greece and Southwest Asia. It is said to smell like hay and make foods appear a golden color.

Curry is another dish I was uncertain of. I had heard of it before but never before had I bothered to see what it consisted of. Curries are dishes usually from Southern Asian countries. They consist mainly of spices and herbs or dried chillies, making it somewhat spicy. The spices put into the curry is either whole or ground and the dish can be cooked or raw. Curry can contain meat, poultry, or seafood.

Dhal is something else that was mentioned throughout the book quite a lot. I found that it can also be spelled as Dal and is actually lentils or dried lentils, peas, or beans that have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. Dhal refers to a thick stew so I am imagining that Dhal would be like lentil soup, something that is common to eat in Mexico as well - something I ate when I was younger. I think all of these foods may sound fancy but they are in relation to what we eat everyday as well - unless all you eat is fast food, then that's a different story...

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya (Page 1 - 50)

The story that I chose is called Nectar in a Sieve, written by Kamala Markandaya. I was not completely interested in the book at first, but once I started reading it, it became more and more interesting to me. I really enjoyed the way in which the story was written, from the character's point of view. It was also extremely descriptive and it kept my attention while I was reading.

The story is told from our main character's point of view - Ruku, which is Rukmani for short. She is telling her story from the present so she gives us a look at her past which seems pretty sweet in comparison to the bitter present. Her husband is already dead and so it is quite sad how she starts off, telling of how she can feel her husband still with her beside her. I think it would be very sad to experience something like this. I don't think I would be able to live without my husband after having spent so much time with him.

The rest of the first fifty pages starts telling the story of how they got married, their marriage starting off when Ruku was only 12 years old. She mentions how she was married beneath her, to a poor farmer because she had little money and no dowry to offer. It was also said that she was scared of her new life. However, throughout the story, her husband seemed very loving and nice to her, always being sure to take care of her. He had made their house himself and he comforted her when she needed it. Although she was very inexperienced nor did she have the looks apparently, he never put her down and he treated her well.

She also made a few friends from the village who would talk to her and tell her things, which is how she found out about her husband having made their house. Even later, she has to help her friend deliver her child although the girl - whose name I cannot remember (many of the names are difficult to remember) - did not want her to be present for her childbirth. Ruku learns very much and her husband even comments that she had grown into a woman after only the first month, having learned many things and even how to grow things. One of the things I thought was cute was when she grew a pumpkin and she was very proud of it, much like a child would be, although she is of course a child.