Toast, and more Africa
May 30, 2007 at 9:49 AM
by Ashleigh
The reading continues ...
I just finished with Toast
Toast
The basic synopsis: boy has mum who can't cook but loves him. Boy's mum dies. Boy gets step-mum who can cook but doesn't love him. Boy concurrently discovers his sexuality which is then inextricably tied up with food.
It was an interesting read, if somewhat like reading some of the self-centred blogs on line - one book was quite enough thank you!
To be fair, some of the anecdotes were funny, but the characterisations frequently became caricatures. The fine line between describing one's family's foibles and completely overwhelming them with bitterness was frequently overstepped.
The Kitchen Diaries
The best part was him describing having a hankering for fish fingers and frozen peas and buying them at the corner shop only to endure a scolding by a complete stranger. I found it quite heartening to discover that even excellent chefs have days when they want junk food. It makes my pizza lapses seem far less damaging.
He also describes his failures just as honestly as his successes, which is wonderful. It seems everyone has days when they put dishes together and they don't come out quite right. We had an awesome fried rice last night, which did come out quite right, so today I'm feeling confident of my cooking skills.
Eat Pray Love
Hubby was watching 50 Years of BBC News
See the lady talking about halfway through the clip? She sounds like my mom. See the school uniforms on those girls? Mine was like that.
I was 6 at the time of independence and I remember that palpable feeling of hope and elation that swept through the country. Even my parents, supporters of UDI that they were, felt hopeful about the future. I was a child of the new Zimbabwe, firmly in favour of majority rule and yet here I am, sitting at a desk in the Netherlands.
Here's an excerpt from wikipedia:
Zimbabwe at the present time is in a terrible state. The economy has shrunk by 50% from 2000 to 2007. In 2007 the inflation rate was 2,200%. There are frequent power and water outages.[35] Harare's drinking water became unreliable in 2006 and as a consequence dysentery and cholera swept the city in December 2006 and January 2007.[36] Unemployment in formal jobs is running at a record 80 percent.[37]. There is widespread famine, which has been cynically manipulated by the government so that opposition strongholds suffer the most. The country used to be one of Africa's richest and is now one of its poorest. Indeed many observers now view the country as being a 'failed state'.[38] [39] The settlement of the Democratic Republic of Congo war has brought back Zimbabwe’s substantial military commitment, although some troops remain to secure the mining assets under their control. The government lacks the resources or machinery to deal with the ravages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which affects an estimated one-quarter of the population. With all this and the forced and violent removal of white farmers in a brutal land redistribution program, Mugabe has earned himself widespread scorn from the international arena.[40]
Where did my country go wrong? Why isn't it being fixed? More importantly, what can we do?
Comments
I hope you like Eat, Pray, Love! I thought it was a great read. I am a big fan of Nigel Slater and think he's a great food writer. I cook constantly from the Kitchen Diaries - I find it inspiring on days when I've got three ingredients in the fridge and no idea what to cook.
I'm reading Calamity Physics on your recommendation too and loving it.
The situation in Zimbabwe makes me so desperately sad. When we honeymooned there in 1994, we thought it was a fabulous country that had its racial problems sorted out and where we would like to live. History will be harsh on Mugabe and on South Africa for allowing him to destroy his country.
Hi Ash,
I'm so sorry that you thought that Nigel Slater's toast was a bit self-centred. I loved it but then I listened to it on the radio, read by the man himself. I thought that the sections concerning his father were really good, and the bits relating to his stepmother as well. I suppose his upbringing was quintessentially English (for that era � he is a bit younger than me) and that rang huge bells.
We've got the kitchen diaries and enjoy them too.
I feel very sad when I think about what has happened in Zimbabwe. It's frightening.
Ash: I think hearing it read aloud might be completely different! I also think maybe I'm on a bit of a kick about self-centredness or perceived self-centredness so maybe if I had read it a few months earlier or a few months later I may have felt differently ;)
Did you know that growing up in Africa we still ate most of the same things as he mentions in the book? Funny, isn't it. Spaghetti was a bit of an alien dish in our house too, and my dad eventually banished it to lunchtime food because it wasn't a 'meal enough' if we had it at dinner!
It's impossible for me to imagine what it must be like for you to look at the beautiful land of your youth and see despair.
Your reading tips have been greatly appreciated - I'll get back to Calamity Physics this weekend. ;)
Take care, and thanks again for a wonderful day yesterday. It felt so great to LAUGH!!
May 30, 2007 10:40 AM