false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170912224m/77991.jpg 77991 3 From the acclaimed author of Crescent, called “radiant, wise, and passionate” by the Chicago Tribune, here is a vibrant, humorous memoir of growing up with a gregarious Jordanian father who loved to cook. Diana Abu-Jaber weaves the story of her life in upstate New York and in Jordan around vividly remembered meals: everything from Lake Ontario shish kabob cookouts with her Arab-American cousins to goat stew feasts under a Bedouin tent in the desert. These sensuously evoked meals in turn illuminate the two cultures of Diana’s childhood–American and Jordanian–and the richness and difficulty of straddling both. They also bring her wonderfully eccentric family to life, most memorably her imperious American grandmother and her impractical, hotheaded, displaced immigrant father, who, like many an immigrant before him, cooked to remember the place he came from and to pass that connection on to his children. As she does in her fiction, Diana draws us in with her exquisite insight and compassion, and with her amazing talent for describing food and the myriad pleasures and adventures associated with cooking and eating. Each chapter contains mouthwatering recipes for many of the dishes described, from her Middle Eastern grandmother’s Mad Genius Knaffea to her American grandmother’s Easy Roast Beef, to her aunt Aya’s Poetic Baklava. The Language of Baklava gives us the chance not only to grow up alongside Diana, but also to share meals with her every step of the way–unforgettable feasts that teach her, and us, as much about iden-tity, love, and family as they do about food. 3579 15 3 2005 The Language of Baklava: A Memoir total:327|5:102|4:140|3:76|2:8|1:1| 327 1315 534 69 5 2 false false Wed Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 02 09:54:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 16 17:22:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false true Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 28 13:30:57 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 13:32:53 -0800 2008 Diana Abu-Jaber is a product of two very different worlds – American and Jordanian – and like her Bedouin ancestors, she’s comfortable moving from place to place. “Home” is a fluid concept held more in her mind and heart than a stationary place. Her childhood is a rich combination ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Apr 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 18:57:26 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 18:56:16 -0700 2009
"I am a hapless kid. My shirts are covered in food. I lose myself searching for four-leaf clovers and get left behind ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jan 30 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 19 02:28:49 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 04 18:48:59 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 20:33:37 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 15 20:50:57 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Apr 18 11:52:01 -0700 2007 Wed Apr 18 11:52:38 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 26 06:23:12 -0800 2008 Wed Jun 03 22:10:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 22:06:53 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 14:27:42 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 17:50:08 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 14 17:52:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 07:31:20 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 14:58:03 -0700 2009
The one thing the book quietly underlines is the lack of difference among the many local peoples of Jordan. All di...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 12 17:31:33 -0800 2007 Mon Jan 14 12:43:22 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Mar 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 15 22:04:41 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 16 00:31:05 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 25 10:24:22 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 10:28:14 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 13:42:47 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 20 13:46:44 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Feb 25 08:40:52 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 08:41:10 -0800 2009 ]]> 5 0 false false Thu Aug 13 19:18:14 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 06 14:02:57 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 19:18:14 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Apr 28 08:28:34 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 13:10:57 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Dec 11 08:47:08 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 08:48:55 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Jul 25 17:02:19 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 17:04:04 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Dec 15 09:45:56 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 15 09:46:37 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=77991