At all times, I read two books, one fiction, one non-fiction. I read non-fiction logically and I sit up straight at my desk or dining table with a highlighter in hand. I need a view in order to daydream or ponder. I read fiction emotionally and within the comforts of my bed or the cushy sofa in the living room. I still use a highlighter because I often get recipe or food ideas from other people’s stories. I read everything with a sharp radar for food.
Sitting straight with my highlighter, I recently finished reading George Orwell’s A Collection of Essays. “Shooting an Elephant” is one of the best discourses on inner frustration. “Inside the Whale” answers all questions regarding today’s recession and social discontent, and perhaps even The Matrix. “Why I Write” is in-depth inspiration for any writer.
Within the comforts of my bed, I just finished A Personal Matter, by Kenzaburo Oe, the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author. It’s about a father’s efforts to kill his newborn son with brain damage, while he’s cheating on his wife who is in hospital and traumatized. (During this crisis, his convenience food is beer and canned salmon, which is pretty healthy.)
The best part of Oe’s writing is that you catch yourself rooting for the dad as a human being, before reminding yourself about the baby and wife. Quoting from Orwell: “One of the effects of safe and civilized life is an immense over-sensitiveness, which makes all the primary emotions seem somewhat disgusting.”
Meeru Dhalwala, together with her husband Vij, runs Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants in Vancouver. They are co-authors of Vij’s at Home: Relax, Honey.
