A journey travelled through a most delightful novel...

Well I must say that the road to recovery has been longer than I had anticipated. I am feeling much better now, but yesterday afternoon, not so good. I suspect that working so hard and little down time (and being around so many people who are unwell) has left my immune levels much lower than usual. I also attribute this to the lack of exercise I've done in the past three weeks. Nevermind, am on the mend and today gave me the opportunity to rest and read.

I finished reading a most delightful book, "Pomegranate Soup" that I mentioned in a previous post. What a delightful read it was! It has inspired me so much, that I am going to cook a Persian dish for dinner tonight. Not sure which one, but I am sure it will be delicious! I loved the way food and place were woven through the novel. I must admit that her descriptions of the fragrance of food, the power of spices and the history of many of the dishes has inspired me to read more about Iran. The connection between food and events was also quite powerful, the way in which she would refer to the Revolution and how the memory of those events was triggered by a particular food or meal. For me, that is something that is so incredibly powerful and incredibly true.

I tend to attribute food to particularly experiences, so my memory of an experience can be triggered by preparing a meal or using an ingredient. I don't know if it is commonplace and everybody thinks like this when preparing meals, but this was something inherent throughout the narrative that resonated so strongly within me.

I love to cook and I love to cook for other people and reading this novel affected all of my sensibilities! I have the next novel, Rosewater and Soda Bread and I hope to start that tonight (even though I have tax returns and a pile of marking to do)

I will be sure to post what I cook tonight and let you know if my senses are delighted as much as the characters were when trying the Persian food for the first time!