Implications of Re-creation of Culinary Memories of Diaspora in Kamila Shamsie's Salt and Saffron
Abstract
The importance of culinary Discourse is underrepresented in fictional and non- fictional works. In such a situation, I feel a dire need to examine food and culinary practices as metaphors, symbols, and cultural markers. The present research seeks to show how transaction around food conveys cultural identity, memories, and human connections. To build up this argument, I draw a nexus between ‘Culinary Nostalgia’ and ‘Culinary Nationalism’ to understand how literature uses food to explore human experiences. For analysis, Kamala Shamsie’s Salt and Saffron has been selected. I aim to explore how food and its preparation bring back memories, both personal and familial. This relationship between food and memory fits in Arjun Appadurai's study of consumption and the commercialization of items, particularly food. Food stores personal and community memories, reflecting identities and associations. Intergenerational relationships show how culinary traditions are carried down through generations, frequently causing conflict or harmony when newer individuals question or embrace them. Structuralism by Claude Lévi-Strauss illuminates the transfer of culinary techniques and rituals. Food traditions build closeness, relationships, and trust. This matches Deborah Lupton's understanding of food, embodiment, and identity. As characters experience foreign cuisines, they mix traditional dishes with international influences. This fits in Arjun Appadurai's globalization thesis, where food and culinary skills migrate across civilizations and adapt to local situations.
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