Democratic Underground Latest Greatest Lobby Journals Search Options Help Login
Google

"My Year of Meats" by Ruth Ozeki

Printer-friendly format Printer-friendly format
Printer-friendly format Email this thread to a friend
Printer-friendly format Bookmark this thread
Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Books: Fiction Donate to DU
 
Bonobo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Jul-29-08 09:44 PM
Original message
"My Year of Meats" by Ruth Ozeki
http://www.ruthozeki.com/meats/description.html

When Jane Takagi-Little, an unemployed Japanese-American documentary filmmaker, answers the phone at two in the morning, her life is forever altered. She accepts a job producing My American Wife, a Japanese cooking show, sponsored by BEEF-EX, a Texas-based meat industry lobby organization, intent on selling American beef to Japanese housewives. Jane, a self-described polyracial prototype, takes her television crew on a journey into the nation's heartlands, in search of America's most winning wives and their most mouth-watering recipes for meats. On the road, as she falls in love with an enigmatic saxaphonist named Sloane, she makes some heartbreaking discoveries about love, meat, honor and a hormone called DES, once used to promote growth in cows and to prevent miscarriages in women, which has irrevocably altered the shape of Jane's future.

Meanwhile, an ocean away, Akiko Ueno watches My American Wife and dutifully cooks the Meat Of The Week for her husband, Joichi Ueno, the Tokyo PR rep for BEEF-EX. Nicknamed "John Wayno," he has a fondness for flank steaks and big-busted Texas strippers, and under his critical gaze, Akiko cooks dishes like Coca Cola Roast and Beef Fudge and fills out a weekly questionnaire, rating each show in categories like Authenticity, Wholesomeness and Deliciousness of Meat. Unbeknownst to "John" however, after the dinner dishes are done, Akiko sneaks off to the bathroom and throws up. Akiko is learning something more than just recipes from Jane's programs, and slowly, before she realizes quite what is happening, her life begins to change.

With great humor and warmth, MY YEAR OF MEATS weaves the adventures of these two women around the unforgettable portraits of Jane's extraordinary American wives, in a celebration of the country's diversity and cultural richness. There's even a ghost from the past, Sei Shonagon, author of "The Pillowbook," who shows up from 11th century Japan to offer acerbic and apt observations of the modern world. In the end, as Jane's and Akiko's lives intersect, their triumphs and hard-won understanding illuminate the deepest concerns of our time: how the past informs the present, and how we live and love in an ever-shrinking world.
Refresh | 0 Recommendations Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
codjh9 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-08 02:37 PM
Response to Original message
1. A great book! I know it came out 10+ years ago, but I just (finally) read it a few
months ago and loved it. I agree with everything she tackled/ranted about in the book, given my social/political/environmental positions, but it's the kind of book that is the epitome of the 'too preachy' type. Of course, to me, 'too preachy' means 'I don't agree with them, and they dared to actually put their opinions in there'. So to hell with 'em. :^) Sheri S. Tepper (SF/Fantasy) is like this in most of her books too, or at least the ones I've read.
Printer Friendly | Permalink | Reply | Top
 
DU AdBot (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view 
this author's profile Click to add 
this author to your buddy list Click to add 
this author to your Ignore list Sun Dec 22nd 2024, 02:28 PM
Response to Original message
Advertisements [?]
 Top

Home » Discuss » Topic Forums » Books: Fiction Donate to DU

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators


Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.

Home  |  Discussion Forums  |  Journals |  Store  |  Donate

About DU  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy

Got a message for Democratic Underground? Click here to send us a message.

© 2001 - 2011 Democratic Underground, LLC