Task 11: Read a food memoir by an author of color

[Regan]

I'm doing a couple of challenges this year and am looking to double up a little, does anyone have anything by a latina author or indigenous woman?

[Tammy]

Regan wrote: "I'm doing a couple of challenges this year and am looking to double up a little, does anyone have anything by a latina author or indigenous woman?"

This is a good question, Regan. I don't know of any that fit this but want to come up with some!

[Tammy]

https://bookshop.org/shop/SlowFoodUSA This link is for the Slow Food USA's Bookshop "storefront". I am one of the curators, and you may find some ideas on here in the Equity, Inclusion, and Justice page or the Food Memoir and Biography page. We also take suggestions for books to add.

[Susan]

Tanvi wrote: "Jessica wrote: "Some ideas:
Yes, Chef
Eat a Peach
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food
[book:Stealing Buddha's Dinn..."


Highly recommend Eat A Peach

[Tammy]

Regan wrote: "I'm doing a couple of challenges this year and am looking to double up a little, does anyone have anything by a latina author or indigenous woman?"

From a friend:
Coconuts and Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South
Our Lady of Perpetual Hunger: A Memoir- "pretty sure she has roots in Central America"
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants- "I think I would qualify this as a partial personal memoir."

[Regan]

Tammy: Thank you so much! Coconuts and Collards sounds really interesting, so I've added that to my tbr. Braiding Sweetgrass has been on my tbr forever and I'm excited to read it! I hadn't realized it was a food memoir though.

[Tammy]

Regan wrote: "Tammy: Thank you so much! Coconuts and Collards sounds really interesting, so I've added that to my tbr. Braiding Sweetgrass has been on my tbr forever and I'm excited to read it! I hadn't realized..."

You're welcome! Yeah, I didn't think it was either. It is a book of essays, but maybe some individual pieces are memoir-ish? Just figured I'd include that rec of hers in case you (or someone else) might want to consider it.

[Gw]

Ok so...what is a food memoir? Wow. Some of these categories are really out there..I don’t even cook. I chose MEMORIES OF PHILIPPINES KITCHENS........I chose cuz it was the shortest one🤷🏽‍♀️

[Allie]

Ed Lee's Smoke and Pickles has really great essays introducing each section, enough that I think it counts. it's way more than just a great cookbook.

[Heather]

If anyone is looking for a Canadian book for this challenge, I'm planning to read Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada’s Chinese Restaurants

[Sara]

Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community and the Meaning of Generosity

[L Y N N]

I'm so anxious to read Yes, Chef after reading The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem last year!

[Milena]

Lynn wrote: "I'm so anxious to read Yes, Chef after reading The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem last year!"

It was really good. I recommend the audio, if you do audiobooks.

[Michele]

Just finished reading Eat a Peach, a memoir by David Chang. More memoir should be this clear-headed and genuine. Also, I learned things about restaurants, which fascinate me.

[Tammy]

I read Rebel Chef: In Search of What Matters on audiobook last year and recommend it for this task. She was adopted and raised in France. Part of the memoir is about her finding out more about her birth parents.

[Tammy]

Also, here is a GR list for this task that someone made: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... I just updated it with many of the recs in this discussion.

[Sherri]

I used The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty

[A]

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

[Alexis]

I'm intrigued by .

Where People Feast: An Indigenous People's Cookbook.

The author and her daughter run a indigenous-based fine dining restaurant in Vancouver.

The blurb from my eLibrary describes it as, "the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to introducing people to extraordinary foods that are truly North American. Recipes include Smoked Salmon Mousse, Indian Tacos, Venison Meatballs, Alder-Grilled Breast of Pheasant, Blackberry-Glazed Beets, Wild Rice Pancakes, and Wild Blueberry Cobbler."

Yum.

[Gw]

I am struggling with some of these..this is definitely one of my struggles. While I embraced this challenge because it takes me out of my comfort zone. Waaay out.
I’ll admit some of it is a little to far. Can anyone please suggest a food memoir for me. I see that many have been suggested here. The thing is. I would love a very short one. Less than 200 pages. Is there such a thing? I really have zero interest in reading ANYONE’S memoirs, I truly can’t imagine why people write entire books about themselves, it’s seems so vain, I mean we were all born and we will die. What makes one person so special we need to read about them? I truly don’t get writing about food unless it’s a recipe book.
My only interest in food, is eating it. I don’t even cook🤷🏽‍♀️. I didn’t even know there was a such a thing as a FOOD memoir. I really want to finish my challenge. If anyone knows of a a very short one. I would really really appreciate it.🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[Elise]

Gw wrote: "I am struggling with some of these..this is definitely one of my struggles. While I embraced this challenge because it takes me out of my comfort zone. Waaay out.

I completely agree. I'm not a fan of memoirs in general (there are very, very few people who I care enough about to want to read about their lives), and I don't Get why "food memoir" is even a thing that exists. Like, if I write 200 pages about figuring out the perfect biscuit recipe, does that mean I'm a food memoirist?

But snarkiness aside (particularly because I'm sure that some people love this - and power to you! I'm glad you do!), I looked for something short too. I looked up all the titles listed in this thread, and the shortest by far, coming in at 34 pages, is The Time Machine.

That said, from the description of it, I'm not sure where the fiction ends and the memoir begins. The second-shortest book I came across was Tiny Moons: A Year of Eating in Shanghai at 98 and Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream at 224 pages.

[Jenny]

I see someone mentioned Indian-ish as being Vegetarian friendly. It looks interesting, but is a little expensive. Anyone know of any other vegetarian, or better yet, vegan, food memoirs by authors of colour? I've found Veganism In An Oppressive World but that's an essay collection. While some of them may be memoir-essays, and I think at least a few are, I don't know if that would count

[Meredith]

Gw wrote: "I am struggling with some of these..this is definitely one of my struggles. While I embraced this challenge because it takes me out of my comfort zone. Waaay out.
I’ll admit some of it is a littl..."

This was a challenging prompt for me as well (and I don't mind memoirs, lol!). If this is at all helpful ... I dug deep and found that Maya Angelou and Alice Walker had both written books that could work for this prompt. Their books are short & sweet! (And Maya Angelou actually reads the audiobook version of hers -- clocking in just over 3 hours, perfect!)

Maya Angelou: Hallelujah! the Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes

Alice Walker: The Chicken Chronicles: Sitting with the Angels Who Have Returned with My Memories: Glorious, Rufus, Gertrude Stein, Splendor, Hortensia, Agnes of God, The Gladyses, & Babe: A Memoir

Good luck! :)

[Ije the Devourer of Books]

I am reading Finding My Voice: Nadiya's honest, unforgettable memoir and I am really enjoying it. Nadiya also includes some recipes which I am determined to try.

[Kathy]

I read Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson for this prompt.

[Angela]

Would Samantha Irby’s Meaty fit in this category?

[Mandie]

I read On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta for this prompt.

[Judith]

Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "I am reading Finding My Voice: Nadiya's honest, unforgettable memoir and I am really enjoying it. Nadiya also includes some recipes which I am determined to try."

I found out about this just after I'd ordered My Stir-fried Life by Ken Hom for this task. I'll save Nadiya's for another time.

[Heather]

I just read Crying in H Mart and i am totally using it for this prompt. It’s not branded as a food memoir, but the author uses Korean food as a primary connection to her mother and talks about it all through the book. The audiobook is terrific!

[Bonnie G.]

Seconding Crying in H Mart. Absolutely a food memoir, and just freaking superb.

[Julie]

Jenny wrote: "I see someone mentioned Indian-ish as being Vegetarian friendly. It looks interesting, but is a little expensive. Anyone know of any other vegetarian, or better yet, vegan, food memoirs by authors ..."

I'm struggling with this aspect too. Most foodies who write memoirs are not vegan-friendly and I really don't want to read all about people finding their meaning or whatever while eating animals' body parts. I found Sistah Vegan: Food, Identity, Health, and Society: Black Female Vegans Speak which I might use.

[Brittany]

I just started Mango and Peppercorns: A Memoir of Food, an Unlikely Family, and the American Dream and am enjoying it thus far.

[Giddy]

A wrote: "
[book:The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old So..." Great recommendation.

[Cato]

I've never read a food memoir before. Can anybody recommend something vegan-friendly?

[Jenny]

A couple of us are considering Sistah Vegans for this. It's various authors but I think their different sections are memoir-like

[Tammy]

Cato wrote: "I've never read a food memoir before. Can anybody recommend something vegan-friendly?" I read Will Travel For Vegan Food: 2 Years, 48 States, 547 Restaurants, +39,000 Miles a while ago, but here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Cato]

Jenny wrote: "A couple of us are considering Sistah Vegan for this. It's various authors but I think their different sections are memoir-like"

Tammy wrote: I read Will Travel For Vegan Food: 2 Years, 48 States, 547 Restaurants, +39,000 Miles a while ago, but here is my review: ..."

Sistah Vegan and Will Travel For Vegan Food: 2 Years, 48 States, 547 Restaurants, +39,000 Miles both sounds very interessting. I'll consider them. Thank you both for your quick answers!

[Cato]

Tammy wrote: I read Will Travel For Vegan Food: 2 Years, 48 States, 547 Restaurants, +39,000 Miles a while ago, but here is my review: ..."

Is Kristin Lajeunesse a person of color?

[Tammy]

Cato wrote: "Tammy wrote: I read Will Travel For Vegan Food: 2 Years, 48 States, 547 Restaurants, +39,000 Miles a while ago, but here is my review: ..."

Is Kristin Lajeunesse a..."

No, I'm sorry! I forgot about that part of the prompt.

[Octavia]

I read Daughter of Heaven: A Memoir with Earthly Recipes by Leslie Li for this, and I really enjoyed it.

[Cato]

I decided to read Orient trifft vegan for this task. It's mainly a cookbook, but it also contains a memoir part and the recipes are supposed to tell a story. So I'm looking forward to that. (Sadly I don't think an English version is available.)

[Elise]

I hit the jackpot. A food memoir by a LatinX author that was barely an hour long (Audible). Authentically Mexican: A Family History in Six Dishes .

Bonus - I really enjoyed it. I am a Taco Bueno Texan.