(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle); if you haven’t heard about this book, you should! It’s a novel written from the voice of the black servants and some of the people they work for, all residents of Jackson, Mississippi. In the 1950’s. The maids generally are disrespected, still have to ride in the back of the bus, and some are prevented from using the bathroom in the houses where they work. The story is about a young woman (daughter of one of the society ladies) who decides to write a book about the stories of the maids. Anonymously. But not quite, of course. So it’s not only the stories themselves, but about the society-ladies’ relationships, and about the stealth required to interview the maids and write the book. And the repercussions when it’s published. A fantastic read.
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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When I think South Seas, I think Caribbean, not Asia. And yet, this salsa is titled South Seas. Maybe Hugh Carpenter, the creator of this recipe, was thinking more of South China Seas. That would be more logical since it contains ingredients that might be more Vietnamese or Thai-like. But, whatever it is, I was blown away by its flavor. I liked it a lot. It’s very similar to a traditional Mexican salsa, but it has some elusive tastes (probably the fish sauce, the basil) that blend in beautifully with the regular ingredients (tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, lime juice). Our son said I should have served this with rice crackers (do they make rice chips?). But I had tortilla chips. And hey, we’re Southern California. We can serve this with corn-based chips! That’s fusion, right?
My daughter Dana was helping in the kitchen, so I assigned her this task. It came together quickly, especially if you have an Alligator Chopper to mince the tomatoes. But it can be made in the food processor easily enough too. I’ll be making this again, to go along with the right meal. The recipe comes from Hugh Carpenter’s book Chopstix – his take on quick Asian food. If you aren’t enamored with fish sauce, substitute soy sauce. I liked the fish sauce in it. When you smell bottled fish sauce, it’s nothing short of awful. But I’ve learned over the years that it’s a necessity for several Asian cuisines, and it pops up now and then in other recipe places. So I always keep it on hand. I recently bought my second bottle of it – it’s taken me over 15 years to use up the first bottle, so you can see I don’t use it all that often. And, you never use very much of it anyway.
South Seas Salsa
Recipe: Hugh Carpenter, Chopstix cookbook
Servings: 8
1 pound tomatoes — vine-ripened
1 cup green onions — minced
1/3 cup basil — fresh, chopped
1/3 cup mint — fresh, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro — fresh, minced
3 whole garlic cloves — minced
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons safflower oil — or olive oil
2 tablespoons fish sauce — or soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
1. Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds; chop with a knife or in a food processor (or an Alligator chopper if you have one). Chop together the green onions, basil, mint and cilantro using a knife or food processor. Combine with the remaining ingredients.
2. Do not refrigerate the salsa if serving that day; if prepared a day in advance, bring the salsa to room temp before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.
Per Serving: 77 Calories; 4g Fat (46.5% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 1mg Cholesterol; 23mg Sodium.
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