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Spoonful Chronicles: A novel with recipes
Thaniya Rasid grew up in the Middle East dreaming of becoming a surgeon. Now living an ordinary life as a mother, wife and a hospital lab tech in Vancouver, Canada, she garners unexpected fame as youTube’s Queen of Hummus when her video demonstrating the recipe goes viral. How could blending chickpeas in a food processor generate so much excitement? And how could her life have ended up so far away from all her expectations?
To make sense of the unlikely events that have brought her to this place, Thaniya turns to food, curating memorable eating experiences of her life, searching for clues. Between her childhood aversion to cucumbers, her search for an authentic Iraqi kubeh in the city of Jerusalem, her 10-year tomato wars with her husband Samih, a mood altering encounter with a blood pudding in Edinburgh, and a Kafkaesque nightmare involving a cauliflower, Thaniya unravels repeated patterns occurring in her life. The secrets of love, friendship and destiny hidden in her cauldron of mishmashed cultures begin to reveal themselves.
Between lust and disgust there is a thin line. Spoonful Chronicles is the beguiling story of one woman taking hold of her fate by uncovering the clandestine geography of this divide in her heart.
If you enjoyed reading Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais or Heartburn by Nora Ephron then this foodie fiction is for you.
To make sense of the unlikely events that have brought her to this place, Thaniya turns to food, curating memorable eating experiences of her life, searching for clues. Between her childhood aversion to cucumbers, her search for an authentic Iraqi kubeh in the city of Jerusalem, her 10-year tomato wars with her husband Samih, a mood altering encounter with a blood pudding in Edinburgh, and a Kafkaesque nightmare involving a cauliflower, Thaniya unravels repeated patterns occurring in her life. The secrets of love, friendship and destiny hidden in her cauldron of mishmashed cultures begin to reveal themselves.
Between lust and disgust there is a thin line. Spoonful Chronicles is the beguiling story of one woman taking hold of her fate by uncovering the clandestine geography of this divide in her heart.
If you enjoyed reading Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais or Heartburn by Nora Ephron then this foodie fiction is for you.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2017
11 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Elen Ghulam
7 books27 followersAuthor of Spoonful Chronicles: To unlock the secret to her destiny one woman must remember everything that she has eaten. Elen is an Iraqi-Canadian who believes her dance shoe is mightier than a cruise missile.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 12, 2019
Likable character
I didn’t like this book, starting around the 30% mark. But I skimmed to the end after reading to 50-60%. And I read the last chapter. What I disliked was the bloggy feeling. I kept waiting for an external goal or a midpoint crisis. Something to compel me forward. What DID compel me to keep reading was the voice of the character and the love she had for her husband. I really did like her. If the book description had warned of the episodic, blog-like structure, I might’ve given more stars. I like to read blogs, but not when expecting story arc.
I didn’t like this book, starting around the 30% mark. But I skimmed to the end after reading to 50-60%. And I read the last chapter. What I disliked was the bloggy feeling. I kept waiting for an external goal or a midpoint crisis. Something to compel me forward. What DID compel me to keep reading was the voice of the character and the love she had for her husband. I really did like her. If the book description had warned of the episodic, blog-like structure, I might’ve given more stars. I like to read blogs, but not when expecting story arc.
February 28, 2017
“This one goes to eleven.” Had I the power to do so, I would star, highlight, bold, and italic this novel so everyone would know how amazing it is. At times like this, 5 stars seems so inadequate. Sprinkled with bits of wisdom and seasoned with unique observations, this melange of flavors is sure to delight the senses. Elen Ghulam’s words are like poetry set in prose, powerful in their ability to evoke images and feelings, while also self-effacing and often quite amusing. In fact, I highlighted so many areas of the novel for their unique expressions of mundane circumstances that I started to feel like I was overdoing it. She takes that which is common and elevates it to extraordinary while taking the ethereal and making it easily comprehensible.
I give this novel my highest recommendation. I would be surprised to discover that any of my friends dislike it because I can’t imagine that being the case. I feel like my words cannot do justice to the work of Elen Ghulam, so I’ll let her words persuade you. I’ll end this with some of my favorite quotes:
My life had been a page filled with poetic words dancing in anticipation. A prose so beautiful as to make your heart shudder. But when I emigrated, all the letters scurried away. The meaning dissolved the way scratches in the sand are washed away by the waves of the sea. It became a whole notebook filled with ink-resistant white sheets of paper. I saw nothing.
His vowels glide melodically; the ends of his words stay open as if unfinished. His sentences float in the air like helium balloons, bumping against each other in a subtle teasing aggression.
When he woke up the words to the song dropped into his head the way bird poop drops from the sky.
I peeled myself out of bed like a spoon out of molasses.
Today I feel like a tomato sauce that has been spiked with cinnamon. Something you can force yourself to tolerate, yet clash with every step of the way. Every bite and lick screams of the wrongness of this mixture.
The silence stretched between us like an overbaked cheese strand refusing to let a slice leave the mother ship pizza.
Destiny is dancing in our wounds wearing slippers lined with salt.
They say the shortest path to a man’s heart is his stomach. But what is the shortest path to a woman’s heart? I suspect the answer is: “Nobody cares.”
My mother had purchased clear broth with boiled vegetables swimming in it. Little bits of carrot and peas looked like they were stranded in a hot tub waiting to be rescued from a torture session after they had ratted on all their collaborators.
I wonder if injuries travel down generations. What part of my grandmother continues to live through me? I don’t want to think about this. It is too disturbing. I put the thoughts away, bury them under a thick sludge of mud. Little bubbles pop up to let me know that what got stuck in the giant mud bath of my unconfirmed truths is fermenting away. One day a giant kimchi tree will sprout and shower me with pickled cabbage and shrimp juice. That day isn’t here yet. No need for panic.
I give this novel my highest recommendation. I would be surprised to discover that any of my friends dislike it because I can’t imagine that being the case. I feel like my words cannot do justice to the work of Elen Ghulam, so I’ll let her words persuade you. I’ll end this with some of my favorite quotes:
My life had been a page filled with poetic words dancing in anticipation. A prose so beautiful as to make your heart shudder. But when I emigrated, all the letters scurried away. The meaning dissolved the way scratches in the sand are washed away by the waves of the sea. It became a whole notebook filled with ink-resistant white sheets of paper. I saw nothing.
His vowels glide melodically; the ends of his words stay open as if unfinished. His sentences float in the air like helium balloons, bumping against each other in a subtle teasing aggression.
When he woke up the words to the song dropped into his head the way bird poop drops from the sky.
I peeled myself out of bed like a spoon out of molasses.
Today I feel like a tomato sauce that has been spiked with cinnamon. Something you can force yourself to tolerate, yet clash with every step of the way. Every bite and lick screams of the wrongness of this mixture.
The silence stretched between us like an overbaked cheese strand refusing to let a slice leave the mother ship pizza.
Destiny is dancing in our wounds wearing slippers lined with salt.
They say the shortest path to a man’s heart is his stomach. But what is the shortest path to a woman’s heart? I suspect the answer is: “Nobody cares.”
My mother had purchased clear broth with boiled vegetables swimming in it. Little bits of carrot and peas looked like they were stranded in a hot tub waiting to be rescued from a torture session after they had ratted on all their collaborators.
I wonder if injuries travel down generations. What part of my grandmother continues to live through me? I don’t want to think about this. It is too disturbing. I put the thoughts away, bury them under a thick sludge of mud. Little bubbles pop up to let me know that what got stuck in the giant mud bath of my unconfirmed truths is fermenting away. One day a giant kimchi tree will sprout and shower me with pickled cabbage and shrimp juice. That day isn’t here yet. No need for panic.
January 5, 2018
Interesting and Different
This is a fascinating food journey of a woman’s life in several cultures and nations. Each chapter is about a different food or spice and how it relates to different times or events in this woman’s life. Weirdly interesting.
This is a fascinating food journey of a woman’s life in several cultures and nations. Each chapter is about a different food or spice and how it relates to different times or events in this woman’s life. Weirdly interesting.
August 30, 2017
Kindle Unlimited
No idea what this story was actually about; read it twice, still no idea.
the 2 here matches the 2 on amazon so goodreads 'okay' is amazon's eh whatever.
No idea what this story was actually about; read it twice, still no idea.
the 2 here matches the 2 on amazon so goodreads 'okay' is amazon's eh whatever.
December 3, 2018
Unique approach
The author’s voice truly came through in the reading. The style mimics that of a close friend in conversation. I am glad the author chose to subtitle the book.
The author’s voice truly came through in the reading. The style mimics that of a close friend in conversation. I am glad the author chose to subtitle the book.
April 7, 2023
What is this with all of these cooking stories? This was boring and I couldn't finish it.
June 28, 2017
I signed up to review because the blurb was intriguing and unique. At first, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into and struggled. It didn’t hook me right away while feeling random and pointless.
Give it 50 pages though, give Thaniya 50 pages to introduce threads of her life and start weaving them together. 50 pages for a unique perspective and intersection that’s overlooked and missing from pop culture.
I was hooked by 35.
Spoonful Chronicles doesn’t follow a linear path. Different chapters start, revolve, or end on a dish or ingredient. Along with her rules of cooking there’s insight, humor, and quotables. It’s not a traditional narrative, Thaniya speaks to the reader and is aware she’s writing it all down.
~~There are some threads that feel unresolved, like her friend that ends up having a mental breakdown.
~~That and Thaniya’s “measuring mental illness” could’ve been handled better.
~~Love the sections about her college friend, their drama, and their falling out.
~~There’s a McDreamy. I LOVE how Thaniya described him. “Nose read for directions” is one of my favorite phrase that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
~~The revelations about her husband and their courtship towards the end made things just *click* for me.
~~Love the bringing the sleeping kids in from the car scene.
~~Thaniya with her kids and talking about her kids is adorable.
~~Totally understand the reflection and wondering how one ended up they way they did.
~~The Mango chapter about immigrating, especially the first passage was mesmerizing and informative.
~~It felt a tad long towards the end, but it’s worth it.
~~Love the ending, quite a powerful punch.
MEMORABLE QUOTES:
Give it 50 pages though, give Thaniya 50 pages to introduce threads of her life and start weaving them together. 50 pages for a unique perspective and intersection that’s overlooked and missing from pop culture.
I was hooked by 35.
Spoonful Chronicles doesn’t follow a linear path. Different chapters start, revolve, or end on a dish or ingredient. Along with her rules of cooking there’s insight, humor, and quotables. It’s not a traditional narrative, Thaniya speaks to the reader and is aware she’s writing it all down.
~~There are some threads that feel unresolved, like her friend that ends up having a mental breakdown.
~~That and Thaniya’s “measuring mental illness” could’ve been handled better.
~~Love the sections about her college friend, their drama, and their falling out.
~~There’s a McDreamy. I LOVE how Thaniya described him. “Nose read for directions” is one of my favorite phrase that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
~~The revelations about her husband and their courtship towards the end made things just *click* for me.
~~Love the bringing the sleeping kids in from the car scene.
~~Thaniya with her kids and talking about her kids is adorable.
~~Totally understand the reflection and wondering how one ended up they way they did.
~~The Mango chapter about immigrating, especially the first passage was mesmerizing and informative.
~~It felt a tad long towards the end, but it’s worth it.
~~Love the ending, quite a powerful punch.
MEMORABLE QUOTES:
I entered the world of cooking the same way I entered my sex life. Tragically unprepared, but feverishly curious.
I outran a nightmare, losing all facility for dreaming along the way.
Cry me a river and I shall pollute it!
“Give the poor Iraqi man a break!” I say. “He has enough intolerable burdens to deal with as is, why should happy?”
Only your mother is willing to cook for you badly.
April 6, 2017
I savoured every bite of this delicious novel! More than a little autobiographical, I am sure, author Elen Ghulam's journalistic style fits well with the hopscotch of topics covering life, love, family, politics/current affairs, and FOOD! Her wry and self deprecating humor leavens the seriousness of fleeing suicidally dangerous regimes and terrorism and offers an insider's perspective. Using art, poetry, storytelling, and FOOD! she shares a multicultural world view while inviting us to share her joy in life.
April 7, 2017
An absolute must read!! It is so well written that i wish i could give it more stars. it is the story of Thaniya Rasid, and her journey through life and the adjustments and compromises that she has made along the way. And then the most important question of all.....how did i reach here? Isn't this the story of everyone. We start out dreaming and striving for a certain goal, and life takes us down a different path. It is all about how we handle ourselves now and what we make of our lives. A very pertinent story, this is a book for all those who have set their dreams aside (or on a back burner). I look forward to Elen's next book.
May 1, 2017
Book Review originally published here: http://www.iheartreading.net/book-tou...
Spoonful Chronicles is the story of Thaniya Rasid, a woman who grew up in the Middle East and dreamt of becoming a surgeon. Now she lives an ordinary life – mother, wife, hospital lab tech, in Canada. Thaniya becomes rapidly famous when a Youtube video of her demonstrating a recipe goes viral. Thaniya wonders how one meaningless video about food could get so much excitement… And also about the strange twists her life has taken to make her end up her.
She goes on a trip down memory lane, revisiting past memories with connections to food, searching for clues to how food has helped shape her life. The book isn’t just about food, though, it’s about much more – about the different cultures Thaniya has been exposed to in her life, about life itself and all its up and downs, about childhood dreams and how far away from them we often end up, about happiness and how it can be found in the simplest things.
This is a book that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Fans of women’s fiction will devour this one.
Spoonful Chronicles is the story of Thaniya Rasid, a woman who grew up in the Middle East and dreamt of becoming a surgeon. Now she lives an ordinary life – mother, wife, hospital lab tech, in Canada. Thaniya becomes rapidly famous when a Youtube video of her demonstrating a recipe goes viral. Thaniya wonders how one meaningless video about food could get so much excitement… And also about the strange twists her life has taken to make her end up her.
She goes on a trip down memory lane, revisiting past memories with connections to food, searching for clues to how food has helped shape her life. The book isn’t just about food, though, it’s about much more – about the different cultures Thaniya has been exposed to in her life, about life itself and all its up and downs, about childhood dreams and how far away from them we often end up, about happiness and how it can be found in the simplest things.
This is a book that will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Fans of women’s fiction will devour this one.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews