Major themes in this book are family, friends, food and travel - which makes it right up my alley.
Cheryl, a writer in NY living a very NY life, heard the food of her childhood in Singapore calling to her. That is definitely farther than when the frozen fudge pops call me from the freezer, or even when I hear the bubble tea calling from the tea shop.
What emerges is a tale of someone finding themselves and learning more about the family that helped shape her. Traveling back to Singapore, Cheryl is determined to learn how to cook the foods of her childhood from those who cooked them for her - her grandmother and her aunties. The question is, has she realized how precious those recipes are in enough time to learn them while grandmother can still teach? It is a lesson for everyone about the value of traditions and the value of people in your life. You can be our own person, without losing sight of where you come from. This is a familiar message delivered deliciously though the recipes Cheryl is learning.
In Rent they ask "how do you measure a year in the life?" Cheryl is learning to measure the value of time with family as she learns to unmeasure while cooking.
agak-agak - Read the book and you will understand.
See also Cheryl's blog: http://atigerinthekitchen.com/
