pickA memoir by a polyamorous #bisexual daughter of Italian #immigrants, told in a series of personal essays connected to food. This is a pick with reservations about style, including the present tense that‘s used for most of her memories; I could only take it in small doses. Meneghetti‘s coming out experiences intrigued me, and I also enjoy reading about daily life and culture through the lens of food. #lgbtq #CanadianAuthor
“Within the risotto lurks the texture of being loved. History‘s al dente stands at the centre, surrounded by the long-simmered softness of forgetting. Saffron scent blossoms into belonging.”
(Another example of the author‘s style that makes me go hmmmm. I kind of like what she‘s doing, but I also feel like she‘s pushing the conceit—secret emotional ingredients in her family‘s food—too hard. Lurking texture?)
Over time, Dad started leaving his borsello behind on the credenza. His colleagues teased him about being gay whenever he carried it, so he stopped.
Ironically, though the borsello was a very common male accessory & a sign of refinement in 1970s Italy, these days discussion can be found on the Internet among Italian guys as to whether carrying the borsello is a sign of being gay.
#immigrantstories 🇨🇦
(Internet photo: Dolce & Gabbana)
“Writing is the pump by which memory‘s contents are suctioned into the light of scrutiny. From then on, memoir is fabrication.”
An example of writing style that makes me feel conflicted about this book. Vivid imagery but also squicky: suctioning memories sounds alarmingly visceral.
“Ours was an odd Eucharist. For hosts, my sister and I used bread slices. We tore or nibbled off the crusts, then squished the white mollica into thin discs.”
I had no idea there was an English (from Italian) word which corresponds to the French term—‘la mie‘—for the tender interior part of bread. #LinguisticOddities
Some nights, my heart pounds me awake. I hear the voice of the Gay and Lesbian Association‘s help line attendant: “You‘re probably a lesbian, afraid to come out.”
Night after night, I consider leaving Sheldon. Not because I want to. Because people act like I‘m supposed to.
#lgbtq #bisexual
(Internet image)
Accretion of specific details is a strength in this memoir—adding a strong sense of time & place—and sometimes overwhelming with too much of a muchness. Meneghetti describes the “terra cotta dish with a black-glazed etching at the bottom” in which her mother hid candies on the top shelf, and lists the various treats on which she would spend her entire childhood allowance (Ton o‘ Grape gum, licorice pipes, Pop Rocks, Sherbet Fountains etc).
Her birthday present to me that summer was an entire wheel of parmigiano reggiano. We were in her modest modern kitchen. She broke open the wheel and handed me a knife. I inserted the tip of its blade half an inch into the top and pried a chunk free. After so many years of furtive bites, having a whole mouthful of grana felt like eating gold bullion.
(Internet photo)
I‘ve never seen it happen before that the back cover a a book is displayed in the library catalog instead of the front cover. Weird.
so-soA few of the pieces were quite interesting with poetic writing, but overall this memoir left me wanting. It didn't feel cohesive. I'm all for non-linear memoirs, but this one was written in many, sometimes very short pieces that stood on their own without any flow between. It's divided into sections like a meal (appetizers, mains, dessert) but I didn't see why or feel like it added anything. I also felt like the characters never came alive.
Grilled cheese sandwich and wine and a book about food!
Today in awesome ARCs of #queerbooks that I got in the mail! #BookMail
What the Mouth Wants: A Memoir of Food, Love and Belonging | 
