Richard Morais: "The Hundred-Foot Journey"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-07-28/richard-morais-hundred-foot-journey
From kitchens in Mumbai to London, the French Alps and finally Paris, a new novel explores the mysteries of food, family and destiny.
Guests
Richard Morais
formerly a senior editor at Forbes and the magazine's longest-serving foreign correspondent.
Comments
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After many years of living abroad as a Foreign Service officer, I am now back in the US and able to grow some of the food I eat. I just had the first tomato from my garden last week. Not only was it superbly delicious but I had the knowledge of exactly what I used to grow it. I can buy locally-produced food in abundance this time of year where I live in rural New England and I particularly appreciate all the work of the hands of my neighbors that has gone into this food. It is a good reason to rejoice and when we have the opportunity to enjoy a meal with friends and family prepared from such food, there is nothing better.
What a lovely interview! All of my travels revolve around culinary stories and I have a special interest in books and movies that do the same, e.g. "Babette's Feast." .
Regarding the issue of creating a narrator whose background is unlike the author's: I think that writing as an outsider can offer a unique perspective that may be equally as valuable as that from a writer who speaks from their own place. Plus, many of the most interesting characters in fiction are outsiders in their own way.
Also, I wonder if the author feels that my home city, Philadelphia - with its restaurants, architecture, and provincialism - is different from many other American cities. To me, parts of the city can feel very European. I have lived across the Atlantic, too, where I was an apprentice in pastry and my experience there gave me a deeper appreciation of my hometown.
"Déraciné" does not mean "mixed race". "Racine" in French means "roots". "Déraciné" means "off its roots" - literally, uprooted.
Within a 24 hour period this week there were two author interviews I was able to listen to. One was on the Colbert Report, and although one must consider the venue, was a complete waste of time. Why the publishing world thinks "Chastened" by Hephzibah Anderson, was worthy of anyone's time and money is beyond me. There wasn't enough for even the comic genius of Colbert to sink his teeth into. Thank goodness for your interview with Richard Morais. It was informative, inspirational and thought provoking. Listening to Mr. Morais describe the journey that ultimately led to his book was fascinating. And from the comments he is getting from readers it is obvious his very particular story about something that for many of us is quite unfamiliar, populated by characters from foreign cultures, has a universal appeal, touching people in a very positive way.
Thanks for once again doing what you do so well at the Diane Rehm Show: helping me discover remarkable people like Mr. Morais and their work.