The Birdwoman's Palate

By: Laksmi Pamuntjak, Tiffany Tsao - Translator

Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden

In this exhilarating culinary novel, a woman's road trip through Indonesia becomes a discovery of friendship, self, and other rare delicacies.

Aruna is an epidemiologist dedicated to food and avian politics. One is heaven, the other earth. The two passions blend in unexpected ways when Aruna is asked to research a handful of isolated bird flu cases reported across Indonesia. While it's put a crimp in her aunt's West Java farm, and made her own confit de canard highly questionable, the investigation does provide an irresistible opportunity.

It's the perfect excuse to get away from corrupt and corrosive Jakarta and explore the spices of the far-flung regions of the islands with her three friends: a celebrity chef, a globe-trotting "foodist", and her coworker Farish.

From Medan to Surabaya, Palembang to Pontianak, Aruna and her friends have their fill of local cuisine. With every delicious dish, she discovers there's so much more to food, politics, and friendship. Now, this liberating new perspective on her country - and on her life - will push her to pursue the things she's only dreamed of doing.

©2014 Laksmi Pamuntjak (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translated © 2018 by Tiffany Tsao and Laksmi Pamuntjak.

Meh.

I only got up to chapter 7. The narrator was breathy. The story didn’t capture my attention at all. There goes one credit.

Not for me

There are few books I abandon. This is one of them. I did not sign up for a recipe book or a repetitive tour of Indonesian restaurants and cafes. Enough.

My heart was touched

Such a human story, I learned so much about food, culture and the heart. At first I thought it was just a story about the bird flu, boy was I wrong! It touches on so many cultures, describes the flavors of Foods I’ve only heard of and would love to try. This story also shines a light on the challenges of loss and grief, of learning to go on, and opening the heart to new love. Along the way we learn a bit about Government corruption, and the difficulties of a nation recovering after a major tsunami.
Tying it altogether, is the ever present sharing of food and searching out the ultimate combinations of flavors.