annieb123's Review of Colorful Palate

by Raj Tawney

WINNER, 2024 LIVING NOW BOOK AWARD, INSPIRATIONAL MEMOIR – MALE (BRONZE)
A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY & FOREWORD REVIEWS BOOK OF THE DAY • NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY ZED BOOK CLUB & INDIA CURRENTS • LA WEEKLY BOOK PICK • RECOMMENDED BY BOOK RIOT & ELECTRIC LITERATURE
A timely self-examination of the “mixed” American experience featuring exclusive recipes and photographs from the author’s multicultural family.
As citizens continue to evolve and diversify within the United States, the ingredients that make up each flavorful household are waiting to be discovered and devoured. In Colorful Palate, author Raj Tawney shares his coming-of-age memoir as a young man born into an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian-American family, his struggles with understanding his own identity, and the mouthwatering flavors of the melting pot from within his own childhood kitchen.
While the world outside can be cruel and unforgiving, it’s even more complicated for a mixed-race kid, unsure of his place in the world. Turning to his mother and grandmother for guidance, Tawney assists in the kitchen, providing intimate moments and candor as he listened to the tales behind each culinary delicacy and the women who perfected it. Each lovingly prepared meal offered another opportunity to learn more about his extraordinary heritage. The ability to create delicious fare with his family wasn’t just a duty for the grand ladies who raised him; it was a survival tactic for navigating new and unknown cultures, not always willing to accept them at first or even a hundredth glance. As Tawney examines both himself and his loved ones through the formative stages of his life, from boyhood through adulthood, he begins to realize, through all of the chaos and confusion, just how “American” he actually was.
In this contemporary coming-of-age tale, Tawney tackles personal hot-button issues about race and identity through poignant, heartfelt moments centered on delicious meals. From succulent tandoori chicken to delectable arroz con habichuelas to scrumptious spaghetti and meatballs, Tawney shares his family recipes along with the intimate stories he overheard in the kitchen as he played sous chef to hundreds of recipes that not only span continents but also come with their own personal histories attached. Colorful Palate is a tale of the mixed experience, one of the millions that rarely get told, undefined by a single group or birthright and unapologetic about its lack of classification.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Colorful Palate is a warmly written and appealing memoir of cross-cultural family roots and personal recollections growing up, written by Raj Tawney. Released 3rd Oct 2023 by Fordham University Press, it's 160 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is the best kind of culinary memoir: interesting and engaging stories and memories alongside well written concise and authentic family recipes scattered throughout. It's -not- a formally arranged cookbook, there aren't any instagram-worthy styled and finished dishes perfecly staged and lit, and the recipes which are included are incorporated into the text with their "origin stories". It gives the whole an authentic and friendly/appealing vibe, and the author is wonderful to read and clearly loves his family and is rightfully proud of his melting pot cultural upbringing.

The recipes which are included are written down just as a family friend or relative would relate them; written in bullet point lists, sometimes with approximate measures and suggested alternative ingredients or prep. Ingredient measures are provided with imperial (American) measurements, as well as a pinch of this, or add to taste.

The absolute humanity and humor of his writing, in a blended multicultural family, seems so refreshing in a time of stark American division over questions of race and affiliation. It's a beautiful book.

Five stars. A great choice for public or secondary school+ library acquisition, for fans of memoirs, and a must for foodies. It's not really a cookbook by any rigid definition of the word. It's is a lovely read and worth seeking out.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

16 January, 2024: Started reading

16 January, 2024: Finished reading

16 January, 2024: Reviewed