Where We Read to Remember, Rediscover, and Reimagine
The Reading Club is a small but growing circle of curious readers who explore the histories, identities, and stories embedded in food. We meet twice a month to read and reflect on writing that goes beyond recipes — into memory, migration, ritual, and resistance.
We began with a question: What have we forgotten about what we eat?
That led us straight into the kitchens, mosques, diaries, and marketplaces of Muslim South and Southeast Asia — where food is both spiritual offering and cultural record.
🥄 What We’ve Read So Far
Our journey began with a single, powerful book:
- Stories of Muslim India: Forgotten Foods – This lyrical and deeply-researched collection opened our eyes to neglected culinary traditions, seasonal rituals, and the quiet ways in which memory survives on the plate. It served as the perfect introduction to the kinds of stories we hope to keep uncovering.
Inspired by this, our discussions have touched on:
- How colonial borders erased shared foodways
- The importance of oral tradition in preserving Muslim culinary heritage
- Ritual fasting, celebratory dishes, and syncretic influences across South and Southeast Asia
📅 How It Works
- Meets Twice a Month: Casual, virtual gatherings via WhatsApp and Zoom
- Low-Pressure: We know everyone’s juggling a lot — readings are paced gently, and discussion is thoughtful and welcoming
- No Background Needed: Whether you’re a home cook, chef, researcher, or just deeply curious — you’ll fit right in
We’re more interested in questions than answers. You don’t need to have the “right” interpretation — just an open mind and a willingness to read between the lines.
✨ What’s Next?
We plan to expand into themes like:
- Lost women’s food writing from India and Goa
- Culinary anthropology and the spice trade
- Religious food practices and seasonal rituals
- Colonial cookbooks, community kitchens, and memory work
Each reading opens up new directions — and often flows into our other clubs: Cooking and Culture.
👉 Want to join us?
Send us a message [insert link] to join the WhatsApp group. It’s free, open to all, and deeply nourishing in ways beyond food.
We read because food remembers.
We read because someone needs to write it all down.