Maman's Homesick pie : : a Persian Heart in an American Kitchen

Locations
Call Number: 920 Bi
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	920 Bi	4-week checkout	On Shelf

""Donia Bijan discovers a way back to home and what it means to belong. A memoir both universal and intimate, anchored in history and lifted by the mysterious elements that only occur in a warm and inviting kitchen." --Marsha Mehran, author Pomegranate Soup For Donia Bijan's family, food has been the language they use to tell their stories and to communicate their love. In 1978, when the Islamic Revolution in Iran threatened their safety, they fled to California's Bay Area, where the familiar flavors of Bijan's mother's cooking formed a bridge to the life they left behind. Now, through the prism of food, award-winning chef Donia Bijan unwinds her own story, finding that at the heart of it all is her mother, whose unwavering love and support enabled Bijan to realize her dreams. From the Persian world of her youth to the American life she embraced as a teenager to her years at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (studying under the infamous Madame Brassart) to apprenticeships in France's three-star kitchens and finally back to San Francisco, where she opened her own celebrated bistro, Bijan evokes a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures and cuisines. And she shares thirty inspired recipes from her childhood (Saffron Yogurt Rice with Chicken and Eggplant and Orange Cardamom Cookies), her French training (Ratatouille with Black Olives and Fried Bread and Purple Plum Skillet Tart), and her cooking career (Roast Duck Legs with Dates and Warm Lentil Salad and Rose Petal Ice Cream). An exhilarating, heartfelt memoir, Maman's Homesick Pie is also a reminder of the women who encourage us to shine"--Provided by publisher.

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interesting hodge-podge submitted by camelsamba on June 22, 2015, 5:10pm This book starts with the author sorting through her mother's possessions, not long after her mother died. We learn about her parents' early life in Iran, the hospital they ran, their family life - and then their life in America after the revolution.

The most interesting parts are learning about the family's life in pre-revolutionary Iran. As a memoir, it was missing that critical element of self-reflection and analysis. It sometimes jumps around and you're not quite sure where you are in time or how it all holds together. As a food memoir, it includes many recipes: traditional Persian, her Persian-American-French fusion, classical French, etc. Overall it's good, but not great.