Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

This story takes us to a Seattle landmark - The Panama Hotel - which once stood as the gateway to Chinatown and Japantown (nihonmachiin). The latter being systematicaly dismantled and looted due to the hysteria of the American people during the Second World War.

For modern readers the fictional story, based on historical fact is an eye opener. Many are unaware of the racism and vilification suffered by these American communities - which was a reflection of the wider world of suffering, displacement and devastation across war torn Europe.

Two young friends, Henry and Keiko, found and then lost each other at the worst time in the world's history but now, years later, the Panama Hotel is being awakened by a developer after its long sleep.

In the basement are found the possessions of many Japanese families, thousands of whom were rounded up - doctors, dentists, lawyers, laboureres and street sellers, hotel and business owners, their homes and properties confiscated - to be interned in inland camps in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbour.

Two American-born children, Henry from a Chinese family and Keiko from a Japanese family - live on the edge of the white community; bullied at school and in the street. Henry is forced by his father to wear a "I am Chinese" pin on his lapel for his own safety. At this time China was an ally whereas Japan was not.

Keiko and Henry form a lifelong bond eventhough most of their adult lives are lived out separately.

When Henry's wife dies, he sets out on a quest to rediscover lost time. For Henry the hotel is a poignant reminder of his childhood. Now that the basement has been opened to Japanese families to reclaim whatever is of value to them, Henry uses the surname of his childhood friend to gain access.

"Looking at the mountain of boxes he'd yet to search, he felt Keiko's presence. Something of her remained. Inside. He strained to hear her voice in memory."

The novel is written from a strong male viewpoint. We know little of what the female characters think as they are sidelined to the main story of Henry's longing and stoicism.

But what happened to Keiko? Has Henry's lifelong yearning been in vain? You have to wait until the last few pages of the final chapter to find out.

As a reader, I would have liked to have had more insight in to Keiko's backstory. Perhaps it can be  argued that the warp and weft of historical and social norms justifies the skimpy explanation of her absence. Or not.

Personally, I would have liked one chapter to switch to her point of view.

What happened? What were her reasons? Did Henry's dictatorial father interfere and intercept their letters? Did Keiko meet a new boy in the camp; did she perform a girlish ceremonial goodbye in her heart (atleast this would have satisfied the readers that her intentions towards Henry would always be true). And why didn't she contact him since she knew of the hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet?

Food during the war was rationed. Henry's mother cooked simple, traditional meals.

"His father slurped his jook - thick rice soup mixed with diced preserved cabbage"

Henry ate many of his meals alone because his father had disowned him over his "betrayal". His mother, although obedient to the father's wishes, did however show her love for Henry through the meals she set aside for him.

Conjee (rice porridge) also known as Jook.

Ingredients

I cup of long grained rice

1.5 litres of water

Several knobs of ginger

Salt to taste

Instructions

Boil until glutinous and porridge-like. Add more water or stock if it becomes too thick. It also thickens as it cools so add more water to thin it out if you decide to reheat it. Serve with a sprinkling of sesame oil and shallots. Or condiments such as fermented beancurd (my favourite) pickled cucumbers, radishes, bamboo shoots - all readily available at Asian groceries.

Photos and review are the copyright of The Book Cafe and author Ann Etcell-Ly

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

I'm on an around-the-world trip. From Venice to Scotland and now North Pacific America where the role of food (whatever the cultural ingredients) continues to be the language of bonding, friendship, discovery and healing.

This charming story reminded me of my first fondue pot. I had purchased it in my youth, shortly after having visited Switzerland. I didn't use that little pot with orange flowers on it as much as I would have liked as my late husband was not fond of cheese.

Eventually, as home and children took precedence I gave the pot away. Just this week while wandering through a second hand shop I spied the exact same pot I once had! It made me smile. So many memories. I was almost tempted to buy it, but it seemd too well worn, so I bought myself a new one to start afresh. Just like the characters in The School of Essential Ingredients.

Erica Bauermeister, a lecturer of Literature and Writing at the University of Washington debuts her first novel The School of Essential Ingredients. The main character Lillian learned her craft of healing as a child. She used food and smells of cooking to entice her heartbroken and distant mother back in to the world.

"The more she cooked, the more she began to view spices as the carrier of emotions and memories of places they were originally from and had travelled over the years."

Once a month chef Lillian opens her restaurant for cooking classes. Lillian's approach to food is to find the exact recipe for each student that will unlock hopes and dreams and help them let go of past pain and regret.

"Every Monday night they enter a world of smells, tastes and memories." 

The eight students - Claire, Tom, Antonia, Carl and Helen, Isabelle, Chloe and Ian - arrived at the restaurant, their paths converge despite their many reasons for being there.  

The author weaves their stories as they learn to prepare crab soaked in its own fragrant juices, forkfuls of chocolate cake, turkey, beouf bourguingnon, pizza, tiramisu, fresh tortillas, cheese fondue and pillows of ravioli.

Lillian deftly chooses the right recipe for each student - a pinch of hope, a dash of dreams, a swirl of pain blends and transforms them - just as food does through the seasons.

"Dishes reeking with spices that barreled straight from the stomach to the emotions."

By the end of the novel, each student has reflected or wept, forgiven, moved forward or taken a new chance at life.

"The class stood around the large prep table, two cheerful red pots perched at either end...the smell of warming cheese and wine, rose lanquorously towards their faces.."

As the tuition comes to an end, Lillian - with her job done - surveys her domain.

"The last dish was washed, the kitchen floor was shiny. It had been a good class, Lillian had thought. She turned off the lights and left the kitchen."

Classic Cheese Fondue

250g Gruyere cheese

250gm Swiss cheese

2 T cornstarch

1 clove garlic

I 1/2 cups dry white wine

1T lemon juice

1 T Cherry brandy

1/2 t dry mustard.

Instructions

Grate the cheeses and dust them with cornstarch. This will make the cheese smooth and thick.

Warm the wine in a saucepan and gradually add the grated cheese until it has melted and is smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Rub the clove of garlic on the inside of the fondue pot. If you prefer, leave it in the pot for added flavour. Serve with chopped baguette, chopped apples and pears. Delish!

 Review and photos the copyright of Ann Etcell-Ly

Cafe by the Sea by Jenny Colgan

                                                                                                                 


My last story was set in Venice, this lovely story takes the reader to the fictional Scottish Island of Mure. Fiona McKenzie ran away from home after her mother's death in search of a new life in London. She works as a paralegal, commutes in the crowded tube daily and returns to her small bedsit.

Her life revolves around her bedsit, the Tube, Netflix, TV dinners and Tinder - which could not be further removed from the Scottish Legend of the Selkie, pale skinned creatures that leave the sea to guide the lost.

"If you're a man and you take the Selkie as a lover and you want to keep her, 

you hide her seal skin so that she can never go back to the sea gain."

Was Fiona's mother a selkie and does that explain Fiona's extraodinarily fair skin?

It had been whispered that her mother's fair skin had come from the sea where deep green hills meet  bright white sand at the very northern tip of the world - the fictional Island of Mure. It is here that her family farm is worked by her brothers and father; and where home and hearth provides them sustenance.

"The farmhouse was old and rambling...its dark pathways leading to rooms 

where here and there...the large kitchen was at the back of the house with 

views of the bay... heavy flagstones warmed by the large aga."

Fiona was asked to return to the Island of Mure by her boss who is representing a client who is contesting the positioning of a large windfarm.  It was thought, that being a local, she would have some influence on the council.

On her return, memories of her childhood bubble up, her oneness with her birth place and the finding of her mother's worn recipe book has her questioning her current trajectory.

"Memories crashing in from everywhere, all at once, like the huge rolling waves that attacked the shore, the crystal winds that swept down from the Arctic."

She is in love with her boss, the cold but handsome Joel, who doesn't notice her until her pale skin takes on a transluscency in the cold air of Mure.

Part fo Fiona's job discription is to revitalise the dying economy of Mure. Particularly since so many of its young people leave for the mainland. The wealthy client - Colton Rogers - is keen to give back to the community so Fiona is instructed to start a pop up restaurant - Cafe by the Sea - to get the locals onside.

"Pie after pie, great piles of aotcakes, jugs of churned cream, lobsters, herrings 

and cured salmon...whisky, gin and pots tea, scotch eggs and ploughman's lunches" 

are served up to the reader.

The Viking Festival of Samhain which celebrates the harvest and the change of seasons, the saving of a beached whale, getting lost in the rolling mist of the dark hills, being betrayed by her lover - Joel - are some of the challenges faced by Fiona.

By the end of this charming story, the Island of Mure has worked its magic. As Fiona McKenzie drifts off to sleep after an energetic day her late mother whispers to her in her dreams.

"She shines like the brightest moon, she dives for fish and steers lost sailors 

home; because we are Selkies and that is what we do."

Bannock Cakes

500gm self-raising flour

50gm cold butter

1 cup of buttermilk

1 egg

Enough yogurt to make the dough sticky.

Instructions

Combine the the flour and butter until it looks like bread crumbs 

Combine the wet ingredients.

Place  the dough on a floured surface and roll out until about 1 inch or 2 cm thick. 

Cut in to any shape you like. 

Either in scone shape for individual servings or as a rounded 

cake that can be cut in to slices. 

The dough can be made savoury with the addition of a cup of 

cheddar cheese; or sweet with the addition of raisins or blueberries 

and 1/4 cup of caster sugar.

Bake at 320 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

                                      

I have made this quick and easy bread several times and I have never been disappointed.

A Year at Hotel Gondola by Nicky Pellegrino

Fictional celebratory host and writer Kat Black has accepted an assignment from her publisher to live in Venice for a year and write a story about the ancient city from the point of view of a local.

"The air was scented with coffee and warm sugar" p22

Kat Black's story unfolds as she happily explores narrow alleyways and vast cobbled piazzas, tiny bacaros and the laden cabinets of pastericcerias.

"There were pastries swollen with cream, plump doughnuts dotted with sweet custard, dainty tarts, biscuits crisuted with nuts, slabs of tiramisu and torrone." p175

She falls in love with a divorced man called Massimo and makes many dear friends. Not only does she discover Venice's many secrets, she also discovers herself.


Our fictional character, Kat Black is a food writer and presenter who indulges her passion in the markets of Venice searching for the freshest seafood and vegetables to cook and share food with her
friends.

A year at Hotel Gondola forces Kat to reflect on her past life and is told some harsh truths by her lover's ex-wife. Having lived her life as a traveller, always eager for the next adventure, Kat is dismayed to find she has turned into a middle-aged woman with limited prospects, limited savings and no deep friendships or a place to come home to.

Her lover employs her in the bar of the family-run  Hotel Gondola where she mixes cocktails for tourists and shares her lover with fellow co -worker - his frosty ex-wife.

"Gin, countreau, lemon juice and a spoonful of marmalade- it was the cocktail of the week."

The story is also a sounding board for the frustration of young Venetians grappling with the critical mass of the tourist industry and their battlecry Respect Venice.

Kat shows the impact tourism is having on the ancient city and the rising voice of young Venetians who are agitating for the reclaimation of their precious heritage and a more peacful lifstyle. But even this is a double-edged sword as Venice and its small business rely on the tourist dollar to survive.

The story is alternates between two viewpoints - Kat Black as the main character and Kat Black the person who is struggling with many home truths about herself.

Does she commit to her lover by the end of the year or is she drawn to her next adventure?

Venetian Rice and Peas (100gm pancetta if non-vegetarian)

Ingredients

3/4 cup of Arboro rice                                  

500ml chicken stock

2T olive oil                                                     

1 chopped onion

800gms peas                                                   

100gms grated parmesan

salt                                                                  

pepper

Instructions

Fry onions, garlic and pancetta (optional) until soft. Add the Arboro rice and stir to combine oil and flavours. Add stock, one laddle at a time, and keep stiring until the stock is absorbed before adding more. (Takes around 20 minutes). Add peas and cook until barely tender. The finished dish should be moist and creamy. Add pamesan and serve.

Cocktail of the week 

Marmalade and Gin 

    This delicious cocktail has been chosen by Harry and Meghan for their wedding in May 2018.

45 mls gin of choice

I T orange marmalade

30mls Earl Grey tea - chilled

Dash of orange bitters and orange for garnish. Combine. Shake. Pour over ice. Enjoy. 

Reviewed by Ann Etcell-Ly. The Book Cafe. May 2018. Photographs are the copyright of  the author.

The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham

After a long hiatus I am now catching up with all the posts I had meant to publish in the recent past. I hope you enjoy my latest offering about the story of four young English girls who are challenged by the trials, frustrations and longings typical of the teenage years.

Amber, Maali, Sky and Rose feel like misfits until they become friends when Amber, inspired by the writings of Oscar Wilde and responding to the bright pull of a full moon, she starts The Moonlight Dreamers Club.

"On the night it all began, a full moon hung over Brick Lane, casting everything in a pearly glow"

Amber is the only daughter of Gerald and Daniel. She is teased at school for having two gay fathers, wonders who her birth mother is, and suffers the ultimate humiliation - and every girl's worst nightmare - a public menstruation accident while playing sport.

Amber works in a vintage clothes shop and decides to hand out her calling card to girls she hopes are just like her.

Maali is an Indian Hindu, who loves photography, prays to Lakshmi for guidance about a crush on a boy called Ash. Her mother runs an Indian sweet shop that specialises in the popular dessert - burfi.


On the way to buy groceries from Brick Lane for her mother, she stopped to look at the moon. She had never seen one so big.

"The moonlight was causing the mirror-tiled minaret (on the mosque) 

to glisten like a magician's wand."

Sky loves writing poetry and has challenged herself to join a poetry reading competition. She lives with her hippy Irish dad on a houseboat and is grieving the death of her mother. She is cocooned by her father until he meets a love interest that threatens to take his attention away from her.


After performing her first poetry reading in secret at Convent Garden she stops to buy something to eat on her way home.

"She took another bite of her pizza and looked up at the sky, a huge silvery moon 

shone down on the square like a spotlight."

The next to fall under the spell of the full moon is Rose. She is the daughter of a world famous model who is hounded by the paparrazzi. This causes a stressful mother/daughter relationship. On top of this her mother has now entered a relationship with an Irish hippy with a dull daughter and worst of all- they are moving in!


Rose's mother wants her to follow in her footsteps but Rose wants to be a patissier. After yet another argument with her mother, Rose runs away to be alone.

"Rose collapsed on the wet grass. Her entire life sucked! What was she going to do? 

She opened her eyes and gasped. A full moon was suspended in the sky. 

Please, please let something good happen, she begged."

All the girls answer Amber's call to be a moonlight dreamer and through their friendship and support they each overcome their anxieties and fulfil their dreams.

Burfi Recipe

250g dessicated coconut

395g sweetened condensed milk

10 cardamom pods (powdered)

Crushed pistaccios and extra coconut to roll the balls in.

 Instructions

Heat the condensed milk in a pan. Add the coconut and spices and 2T rosewater if desired. 

Stir constantly until the mixture dries out and comes away from the sides of the pan. 

Allow to cool and form in to bite-sized balls. Roll in coconut or pistaccios if desired. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

This book review and food photographs are the copyright of Ann Etcell-Ly