Book Review | A Woman's Place is in the Kitchen by Sally Abé
My first foray into books about food.
The whole purpose of being a part of a book club is to discover new books that you would not have picked on your own. Expanding one’s horizons and learning about new things in the world has always been a priority for me (for no particular reason).
Joining Nimatnama, the food-focused book club hosted by The Bookshop, Jorbagh has served this purpose quite well. If you’re in Delhi, you should give it a shot.
On Being a Foodie
If someone asked me whether I am a foodie few weeks back, I would have fumbled. Because I didn’t know what it meant to be a “foodie”.
Who doesn’t like good food?
Anyway, to clarify my own doubts, I looked up the meaning of the word.
A foodie is someone who has a passion for exploring, enjoying, and learning about different kinds of food and dining experiences.
ChatGPT
As far as I am concerned, I like exploring and enjoying food and dining experiences. But I am not so keen about learning about it. I just eat and move on.
Cooking is also considered to be a part of the ‘foodie’ umbrella, but even that is not my forte/interest.
I have tried quite a few varieties/cuisines.
South Indian food is a staple for me. So, you will have to like Carnatic Cafe or pretend to like it if you’re a part of my universe.
Beyond this I do love North Indian and Italian food. I have tried Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Bengali food. I’ve enjoyed certain dishes from these cuisines, though I am yet to explore them deeply.
That said, I can’t tolerate bad food. I would prefer to eat veggies and fruits instead of bad or sub-standard food. And I am very particular about the taste of Puliogare that enters my system.
In spite of this long-winding chain of thought, I can say I am a foodie, though I don’t “live” to eat food.
Sally Abé Journey
You can’t be what you can’t see.
~ Sally Abé
It is surprising that the best chefs we know are our mothers. But in the professional kitchens of top restaurants, women are under-represented.
This doesn’t make much sense.
But if you read Sally Abé’s book, “A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen”, you’ll realise why.
The title of the book is kinda off-putting. If read without context it might sound sexist. But in reality it is actually highlighting lack of female representation in professional kitchens. You might call it a click-bait if you want to.
The book reveals why high-pressure environments like professional kitchens where food is seen as a “product” and not an “offering of love” are unfriendly to women.
Long hours, sexist behaviour of men, name-calling, low tolerance for error and lack of mentorship discourage women from rising in the hospitality industry.
In addition, the lack of female rockstar chefs in the industry makes it difficult for other women to believe and aspire to be rockstar chefs of the future.
Sally does credit several men who have supported her career. But she also highlights the amount of hardwork and other challenges that she had to face along the way.
Even after she rises to the position of a head chef, she notes the challenges that she faced as a female professional.
In spite of the general commentary on the food/hospitality industry, Sally presents an autobiographical narrative of how she got to the position she eventually did.
It’s a deeply human, humorous and empathetic narrative throughout the book. Her writing style keeps the audience hooked till the end.
Other Takeaways
Though I don’t want to make this sound like a corporate training session, I did have a few takeaways from the book.
The evolution of Sally’s leadership style and her disagreement with the general toxicity deemed normal in professional kitchens paves the way for a better future for people working to serve us in restaurants. It is important to be mindful of the quality of life of people working inside restaurants.
“If a restaurant cannot produce intricate, haute cuisine without abusing or exploiting its staff, it raises the question: should it exist at all?”
~ Sally Abé
I also love the way Sally found her passion and interests along the way through exploration and curiosity. This is in stark contrast with other macho narratives of chefs who believe that they knew they’d be a chef since tenth grade (which is kinda possible, though rare).
It’s just that I prefer the “discovery path” to the “grandiose destined path” in life.
Yay or Nay?
After all this rant, you might sense that I see this book in positive light. You’re right.
In my opinion, the book as highly readable, insightful and enjoyable even if you’re not a foodie. It is worth your time and money if you wish to expand your horizons.