Yes, in honor of that unique mathematical relationship and MIT cheer (Cosine secant tangent sine, 3.14159), not to mention the tastiest of round desserts, we present: the Olney Theatre Center Pie Eating and Baking Contests!
Which actually occurred last week, but Pi Day furnished me with the perfect excuse for procrastination. With OTC’s production of Waitress continuing to attract enthusiastic audiences, it would seem only natural for one of their community events to be organized around the eating and baking of the production’s featured foodstuff. So one sunny afternoon, about a dozen pie lovers gathered in the Cafritz Lobby (in front of the original theater, currently under renovation) to indulge. Some in wretched excess, some in decorous judgement.
Shruthi Mukund, OTC’s Director of Community Engagement, organized both contests. A table laden with two apple pies (baking contest entries) and several commercial piecrusts was waiting. Wait – where were the eating contest pies? Shruthi, a contest-running novice, on advice from more experienced heads, had provided “pies” made of Cool Whip and piecrust. Yes, the contestants had to devour a mess of artificial whipped topping and store-bought piecrust; the winner was the one who finished first. And yet, there were still four volunteers!
Two Real Pies and Two Immanent ImpostorsContestants with Shruthi in BackgroundEating and Recording (Winner is Second Eater From Left)
Joseph McNally won the eating contest, finishing in two minutes, 40 seconds. His prize, no surprise, was two tickets to an OTC production. After applause and congratulations, the action moved on to the second feature of the day: judging the pie baking contest. The judges were selected by asking the assembled pie fans who would like to be one. Eight of us raised our hands. Perfect for a nicely-sized sample of each pie!
Waiting To JudgeWe Give It Our Full Consideration
There were two entries, both, coincidentally, variations on apple pie. Only one contestant was present, and her pie was the clear winner.
The Winner! Jean and the Remains of Her Pie
Jean Krueger’s Apple Crumbly Pie won on the three criteria the judges were asked to use: taste, texture, and uniqueness. We agreed that the crumble topping made it superior to the other pie, which was a conventional double-crust (although that pie, as well, was toothsome and delicious). “We’re a pie family,” said Jean. Each member has their own preferred pie, which is served on their birthdays instead of cake.
The recipe for her pie came from a set of cards published by Great American Recipe Cards years ago, and has become a tradition in her family. I think I found it here. Her daughter won the 4-H pie contest at the Montgomery County Fair one year with it. Jean is continuing that tradition!
You want to do a musical comedy about corn? Are you worried about being accused of writing folksy, hokey humor and groaner puns? Here’s the answer: lean into it! Load that show with as many dad jokes and obvious double-entendres as any one production can carry. Own it, and defy anyone to sit stoney-faced through a performance of “Shucked,” now playing (but only until March 2) at the National.
From the opening number, “Corn,” about (guess what?) just the life-blood and specialty of an isolated farming (and moonshinin’) town, the tone is obvious: if anyone in the audience is allergic to puns and goofy humor, they would do well to leave sooner than later. But for those who stay, they will be treated to more laughs than any one night has any right to provide.
The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman) in the Rousing Opening Number
A pair of Storytellers (Maya Langerstam and, on opening night, Nick Raynor) promise a “farm-to-fable” story, and they deliver. There’s nothing about the plot that would surprise anyone who’s seen more than, say, one Broadway play: a romantically-involved couple, an existential problem, a quest to solve it, a reevaluation of the relationship, and a happy resolution. But the plot (except the plot of corn) is not the point.
Maizy (Danielle Wade), betrothed to Beau (Jake Odmark), is our plucky heroine determined to save her town when the corn becomes mysteriously blighted. To find a cure, she journeys to the Big City. Which turns out to be Tampa, of all places, and provides fodder for sendups of old people and gangsters. That slick schtick, involving the Storytellers and Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp), the grifter who claims he can fix the corn, is itself worth the price of admission.
Quinn VanAntwerp as Gordy in The North American Tour of SHUCKED (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)
When Gordy follows Maizy (named, obviously, for….her grandmother) back to her town, he meets Lulu (Miki Abraham), who provides a value-added corn-based product for everyone’s enjoyment, which she brings home with a boffo number, “Independently Owned.” Lulu and Gordy develop a relationship reminiscent of Beatrice and Benedick, and I shouldn’t have to spell out how that ends.
The Cast of The North American Tour of SHUCKED (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman) at the Wedding
And guess what? The corn problem resolves, there’s a double wedding, and everyone lives happily ever after. Okay, I added that last bit, but you will exit the theater happy and the mood should last at least until you board the Metro for home.
If the singing and acting weren’t so enthusiastic and entertaining, this play might be upstaged by the hydraulics. The Olney Theatre has a stage that moves up and down in pieces, and they’re not afraid to use it.
MALINDA and the ensemble of “Waitress” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo: Teresa Castracane Photography
Waitress features the titular character, Jenna (MALINDA), high atop one platform singing wistfully about piecrust ingredients (“Sugar, butter, flour….”) a motif that provides a throughline and recurring metaphor for the show. Another platform regularly rises from below to disclose props, furniture, and even a whole bathroom plumbing suite signaling scene changes. Adding to the visual feast, the “Waitress Band” provides live music in full view of the audience.
Jenna, much more than a waitress, is also a pie-making genius. Her emotions, wrapped up in this sugary outlet (she names her daily special to reflect her feelings: “White-Knuckle-Cream Pie,” “Deep-Shit-Blueberry-Bacon Pie”), substitute for the aspirations that were squashed by her marriage to the repressive Earl (Greg Twomey). He garnishes her wages and jealously guards her movements. She plots in secret to enter a pie-baking contest and leave him if she wins.
MALINDA as Jenna, and the ensemble of “Waitress” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo: Teresa Castracane Photography
But even this ambition is thwarted by fate, for she finds herself pregnant with the due date falling very close to the contest, and she laments that she is Betrayed-By-My-Eggs (Pie). But since this is a Broadway musical, a plot twist results in a happy ending for all but the evil Earl.
Jenna’s frustration with Earl leads to an affair with Dr. Pomatter (David Sokolar), her gynecologist. Those scenes are a mix of soft-core (but fully-clothed) porn and slapstick humor, as Dr. P seems to have an adversarial relationship with furniture.
Her two fellow waitresses provide vocal variety and comic relief. Becky (Allison Blackwell) can belt out a number in contrast to Jenna’s plaintive laments, and Dawn (Ashley G. Nguyen), especially in concert with her boyfriend Ogie (Sam C. Jones), delivers helpings of humor. Their wedding scene is a highlight of the show.
Sam C. Jones (Ogie), MALINDA (Jenna), and Ashley D. Nguyen (Dawn) in “Waitress” at Olney Theatre Center. Photo: Teresa Castracane Photography
Another highlight of Opening Night/Press Night at Olney: Pie. Cherry or Apple, supplied by Sunflower Bakery. Delicious!
Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly
Directed and Choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Click here for my review of the touring production of Waitress at the National Theatre in 2018.
Oh, and one more thing: Olney Theatre will host a Pie Eating & Baked Pie Contest on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM in the lobby for a “sweet fun-packed event.” Free with RSVP.
On the evidence of two local supermarkets, Valentine’s Day has blown up to proportions unseen in modern history. The Harris Teeter in Olney and the Wegman’s in Columbia have gone to extremes to coax the last dollar out of last-minute swains desperate to impress their significant others.
Before the Day, we happened into HT when the last of the decorations were going up. Debbie, the floral department manager, usually marks each major holiday with special decorations, but for Valentines Day she goes all-out.
Balloon Arches Going UpBalloons and Flowers in PlaceDebbie Poses With Her Handiwork
On Valentine’s Day Eve, we found ourselves in Wegman’s. There was an equally impressive display of seasonal excess, incorporating the expected balloons, candy, and flowers, but with a couple of interesting variations.
The View From the Mezzanine
On a marble tabletop, an array of chocolate-covered strawberries greeted us. So did Stevyn, eager to assist.
Stevyn Will be Happy to Help You Spend on Strawberries
We had never seen so many different kinds at once. At $3.00 each, we had never seen such spendy ones, either.
The rose display also held a unique experience. Painted roses, stiff and shiny, in many colors. Also spendy.
More Balloons! More Flowers!
We’re Painting the Roses Red – and Pink and Orange and Black (Shudder)
Okay, I can’t resist. Gilding the lily. There, I said it.
Epilogue: Then there was February 15. Sad carts loaded with 50% off candy and plushies. Timing is everything.
Before I saw Round House’s production of What the Constitution Means To Me, I was only vaguely aware that this play was about a teenager debating the Constitution. I hoped that it would not be tedious, or tendentious, as that description suggests – but it’s only ninety minutes long, so how bad could it be?
I was totally unprepared for how energetic, funny, poignant, timely, and engaging this production is, with its fine performance by Kimberly Gilbert in the part originated by the playwright Heidi Schreck. She speaks directly to the audience from the play’s first moments, building rapport and sympathy until we are all pulling for her. Her fictional debate opponent wouldn’t stand a chance, even if she were to materialize! Spoiler alert: she never does.
Moving seamlessly from a fifteen-year-old’s overly dramatic debate performance (“a living, warm-blooded, steamy document… It is hot and sweaty”) to her passionate examination of her family’s generational traumas as a grown woman, she embodies the emotional force to carry the audience along on the journey from uncritical admiration of our foundational text to the revelation of its basic flaws.
Kimberly Gilbert as Heidi and Michael Glenn as Mike
Kimberly Gilbert as Heidi, Fadekemi- Laniyonu as Debater, and Michael Glenn as Mike
From the abstraction of the 14th Amendment (which guarantees “birthright citizenship” and the right to life, liberty, and property), we hear how Heidi’s grandmother and great-grandmother were abused by their husbands with no response from the police for years. Wives, it seems, were considered “property” of their husbands then, and, now, they are again in danger of losing control over their own bodies. This argument is timely indeed!
Heidi is assisted by Michael Glenn, who begins the play as the debate moderator, but as the fourth wall completely breaks down, we witness his testimony to his own journey. Then, another shift: Fadekemi Laniyonu, a student at Richard Montgomery High School, appears as herself, and an actual debate ensues, with the audience as judges. To complete the experience, a personal copy of the Constitution is handed to each audience member with the performance’s program. I’ve never experienced so passionate and dramatic a civics lesson.
The Fourth Wall Bar and Café features “7th Amendment Mac and Cheese” made with seven different cheeses; “The 26th Amendment” zero-proof cocktail (which seems ironic, as that amendment guarantees the right to vote to eighteen-year-old citizens), and two specialty cocktails: the Const-CHAI-tution, and the Susan B. Anthony.
On Opening Night at Round House, the audience has a chance to meet and congratulate the cast and creative team after the performance. This time, it involved the presentation of souvenir sock puppets to all the creatives involved. Yes, they are relevant to the play. You will just have to go see how for yourself!
The Cast and Creative Team Pose for the Official Photo
Mason Catharini, Mike’s Understudy, with His New Friend
Review: A Hanukkah Carol, or Gelt Trip! The Musical, at Round House Theatre
So for something completely different from all those Nutcrackers and Hallelujahs this season, Round House presents a mash-up of Dickens, Fiddler on the Roof, and wised-up Millennial humor – and it’s hilarious.
Right away we know we’re in for amusement, when a line from Fiddler is quoted (to knowing chuckles from the audience). But wait! A real fiddler shows up! And, we’re off!
Cast of A Hanukkah Carol, or Gelt Trip! The Musical
The plot echoes A Christmas Carol’s structure – we follow the heroine, the self-involved social influencer Chava Kanipshin, through the visitations of the three ghosts to ultimate redemption – but with Jewish and social media mashups. One ghost is a parody of Santa Claus, in a blue robe; one a Maccabee, complete with shofar; and one seems to be a mechanized Spirit of the Internet puppet. That last one may need some more work.
But don’t worry – if there are a few spots that could use a little more development, another song and/or dance number will be right along to keep our Spirits high. The cast puts their all into it; most play several parts and must be exhausted by the end of the night. The energy level is exhilarating. Two outstanding examples: a glittery drag turn by Kit Krull, and Katrina Michaels as the Dickensian Orphan.
Not that everybody will get all the jokes as they go flying by – most of the audience when I saw it tended toward Jewish boomers – but they came fast enough as not to matter. Still, it helped to have my daughter explain why she laughed at the “Big Dickens Energy” line (it’s an internet meme, Mom).
The Round House is getting right into the spirit of the holiday. The lobby is decorated with a blue and white paper chain above a station where the audience is invited to guess the number of miniature dreidels in a big glass container to win free tickets to the next production.
How Many Dreidels in the Bowl?
The Fourth Wall Bar & Café is featuring several specialty cocktails in honor of the production: the Golden Gelt Gimlet, the PegaSpritz (it’s blue), the Hanukkah Hot Toddy, and A Light in the Dark. We tried the last, made with allspice Drambuie, bourbon, lime juice, and simple syrup. It’s appropriately festive.
How Many Candles Do You See?
There’s also beef brisket on offer, served with a potato latke, dill sour cream, and apple sauce. Very Hanukkah.
And, hanging out near the dreidels, two audience members who had gotten right into the spirit. Turns out they had reason to kvell – they were the playwright’s parents!
Proud Parents and a Playwright: David Fox, Harrison Bryan, Gail Fuchs
Recently, the Washington Post ranked the top 20 major art museums in America. The National Gallery of Art was listed as #3. A complementary article ranked the top 10 small art museums; the Phillips Collection came in at #1. How great is it to have both of these in the neighborhood? (Not that the Post was locally biased at all!)
Coincidentally (or maybe not), both museums have terrific new exhibitions. The NGA’s blockbuster is showcasing Impressionists – everybody’s favorite painting school – and the Phillips has an intriguing set of artworks drawn completely from their permanent collection, which they have arranged in juxtaposition to one another: a series of “conversations” highlighting relationships of style and influence.
Seeing both of these invites comparisons of scale and volition. The NGA’s show has garnered attention from major outlets and lots of accolades, but the Phillips, though less ambitious, has its own pleasures. And, the NGA has an extra added attraction which, as a food writer, I find particularly welcome.
Quite An Impression at the NGA: Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment
Manet! Monet! Morisot! Renoir! Cézanne! Degas! Just being in proximity to all these immortal names induces goosebumps. Seldom have so many famous French (and one English) painters been gathered together before – at least not since the event which this exhibit celebrates.
Also Cool Projections on the Wall Outside the Exhibit
In 1874, France was reeling from losing the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune uprising, yet it was the site of two contrasting art exhibits: one which hewed to the old themes of realistic (if heightened) representation of religious, historic, and pastoral scenes (the Paris Salon), and one which explored new ways of seeing, interacting, and relating art to the natural and human worlds (Société Anonyme des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs, etc.).
The Impressionist Moment includes several of the pictures exhibited at the official Salon to contrast their formalist style to those of the Société. There is even one which reproduces a scene in the Salon, including some of the paintings in the background. The NGA tried to track down all of these and borrow them to hang next to “Le Salon de 1874,” by Camille Cabaillot-Lassalle, but in vain. How meta would that have been?
A Self-Referential Picture with Kimberly Jones, Curator
But there are plenty of marvels here nonetheless. Here’s Manet’s “The Railway,” a comment on modernity’s intrusion into the city’s life, and just charming with it. There’s a wall with three scenes of life at the Opera, Renoir and Manet surrounding an equally fetching picture by a less well-known woman, Eva Gonzalès: an example of the curators’ effort to include female artists at the same level as the many, many more men.
I’m in the Same Room with this Famous Painting!
And These Too!
And, hard to miss, the wonderful scene of “The Luncheon” by Monet. The large format, reserved by the art establishment of the Salon for important historical subjects, here is designed to subvert that tradition, and invites the viewer into the picture as it foregrounds the dishes on the family table.
You Could Even Call It” Immersive”
And What the Bourgeoisie Ate for Lunch
There have been many articles written about this exhibit, so I will just say: go see it! It will be at the NGA through January 19, 2025.
And More Good News
The NGA has brought back a welcome tradition of their own, that of matching the menus in their cafes to the current exhibit. As displayed in the press opening event, one can now order interpretations of French classic dishes in the Garden Café and Cascades Café. We enjoyed samples of Rustic Ratatouille Pastry, Tuna Steak Tartare, L’opera Cake, Napoleon Cake, and Franc Perry.
Savories and Drinks
Ratatouille Pastry and Tuna Steak Tartare
Chef Mahmood Ali
Mahmood Ali, Executive Chef for Sodexho, which supplies the food service for the NGA, assured me that the program of menu-matching would continue into the future. Bon Appetit!
Artists In Museums, Very Talky:Breaking It Down: Conversations From the Vault
In contrast to the Impressionist show at the NGA, the Phillips Collection has looked inward for a choice assemblage of pieces from its own holdings. The triumph of curation lies in the juxtaposition of works in conversation with others, some in ways that make instant sense, others less intuitive. The fun lies in winkling out relationships.
I was immediately charmed as Associate Curator Renee Maurer introduced the exhibit standing in front of a quilt (quilting is my hobby).
Pettway Speaks to Gilliam
The painting behind her is by Sam Gilliam. The Phillips owns 19 Gilliams. He had his first one-person show there, and it launched his career. The quilt, “Bricklayer,” is by Lucy T. Pettway, a Gee’s Bend quilter. Gilliam owns another quilt by Pettway. Gilliam is known for his experiments in creating unexpected results by crumpling painted canvas and letting it dry, and for playful ways of draping unstretched canvases in ways that emphasize the fabric.
Walking through the exhibit affords many opportunities to construct relationships and influences among artists. In the “Evolving Still Life” section, I found (trust me to find the food images) a Sharon Core chromogenic print made in 2009 evocative of Old Master still lifes. The artist’s statement reveals the astonishing amount of effort concentrated in this image: “…I grew all the fruits and vegetables in order to control size, scale and the parts of the plants I wanted to photograph…” Not to mention controlling the lighting, subject matter, and camera type.
Core’s “Melon and Peas” (Top)
Among the many Braques in the exhibit, to my mind the most striking is “The Round Table.” It’s hung near Cezanne’s “Ginger Pot with Pomegranate and Pears,” making it easy to compare each artist’s juggling the variations of volume, shape, and surface of common subjects.
Braque v. Cezanne
The exhibit is full of these happy not-so-accidents. Go see it with someone you can argue and extrapolate with. Interactivity is half the fun!
I’m a sucker for revolving sushi restaurants, so when Kura opened in Rockville three of us went for lunch. This turned out to not be the ideal number, but we coped.
Kura’s Welcoming Door
Kura is set up for two group sizes: single diners, with seating at a long bar, or sets of four, which fit nicely into the booths. Here’s the clincher: there are two pieces of sushi on most plates passing by on the belt. This meant a series of decisions and negotiations each time we took one off, but we managed to work it out.
The Belt at the Bar
Grab that Plate Before It Gets Away!
Kura has so much high-tech razzle going on that it’s hard for this old boomer and her friends to negotiate, but fortunately, a helpful human is assigned to each party to guide the perplexed. One orders drinks and special dishes by touch screen. Drinks and wasabi are delivered by a precious little robot. Special orders arrive directly to the correct booth by a supplemental conveyor belt above eye-level that zips along much faster than the main belt, and tends to startle the unaware. (“What was that? A bird, a plane? No, it’s super-sushi!”)
The Drinks-and-Wasabi Robot
And as if the fish and tech weren’t enough to keep you entertained, there are rewards when your party deposits five, ten, and fifteen empty plates in the waste slot. Little videos play on your order screen for the first two, but for the Big Fifteen, a free toy is dispensed automatically by an outsized gumball machine mounted over your table. Fun!
The Prize Machine
And the Prize in the Gumball
And how’s the fish? Tasty. Sufficient. Slightly expensive but not outrageously so for lunch ($30.00 before tip for each of us, with no special orders). Kura’s selection contains nothing that would repulse the timid diner, assuming one is comfortable with eating raw fish – and in the 21st century, who isn’t? The adventurous eater (me) will be a little disappointed. Octopus and eel are as exotic as it gets. I did manage to snag the rare portion of ikura. (Kura also has a selection of noodles and cooked dishes, which we assumed are for said hapless uncomfortable one dragged there by a pitiless significant-other.)
Saving the Best for Last
And now for the cherry on the sundae: Kura’s restrooms are equipped with Japanese toilets! Yes, reader, one is greeted upon entry to the one-holer by a self-raising seat; one sits down to find it heated; one is briefly befuddled by the series of buttons labelled in brusque single words; and finally, one is grateful for the cheat-sheet posted on the wall. Built-in bidet! Warm-air drier! Temperature and pressure controls! One thing missing, which I remember from my experience of public toilets in Japan: no selection of white noise to mask your private “business” (see Step 1). Superfluous in a one-holer, but so much fun!
The Buttons That Make the Functions Work
Thoughtfully Posted Supplemental Instructions
Here is a video I found online from the manufacturer. If you visit Kura, you can go prepared.
Note: Many of the pictures in this post were supplied by my friends Carolyn and Jim. Thanks, guys!
Kura Revolving Sushi Bar, 12266 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. Also locations in DC, Virginia, and points North.
Another entry in the continuing but irregular series, “Three Odd Things!”
Pre-Painted Pumpkins
I’ve noticed an increase in pumpkin painting activities for kids at fall festivals and such events in the last few years. So much less messy than pumpkin carving! But now a new economic opportunity has presented itself: pre-painted pumpkins.
Yes folks, you, too, can purchase a mini-pumpkin with a value-added decal already applied. They come in many themes from slightly spooky to downright cute. Some have text instead of pictures (“Sweater Weather,” “Fall in Love,” “Hey, Pumpkin!”), and there is also a line of Día de los Muertos pumpkins, some on (appropriately) white “ghost” pumpkins.
Cuddly Vampire, Anyone?
Witchy Cat-Ladies, Too
Starbucks Saucers (And Not For Coffee)
Starbucks’ latest line of seasonal cups has a flying saucer theme. Among the motifs of colored leaves and fall fruit (pears and, yes, of course, pumpkins), appears an airborne saucer poised to beam up the unlucky Earthling below. And to top it off, it sports a straw with a three-dimensional flying (hovering?) saucer. I was almost tempted to buy one, but I have plenty of Starbucks schlock already.
Looks Like the Aliens Like Pears
And! They Glow in the Dark!!
Harris Hedgehog Homophone
We were strolling down a street in Friendship Heights last week and spotted this sign and sweet little tableau in a front yard.
Now there’s a mystery! A little Google-noodling turned up a clue. There’s a Harris family crest with three hedgehogs on it. This blog page has a discussion:
While researching the Fringe, I discovered another event in Edinburgh that gave me a severe case of FOMO. The Edinburgh International Book Festival is billed as “the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas… the largest public celebration of the written word in the world, bringing together over 500 events with the most exciting writers and thinkers on the planet to ignite imaginations, foster human connection, and challenge the status quo.” Well, how could I resist that?
The EIBF’s footprint and visibility are much smaller than the Fringe’s. It takes place at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, on the campus of the University of Edinburgh, in a lovely ivy-covered building and the adjacent lawn. I found a suitably food-oriented event, Asma Khan In Conversation. It took place in a temporary building erected for the EIBF, the Salon Perdue.
Old Building, High-Tech Arch – The Digital Display Changes While You Watch
And, bonus! Here’s where I learned about a brand-new-to-me phenomenon: the Spiegeltent, a touring performance venue, which from the outside looks as if it should house a carousel. Follow this link and you will learn that these pavilions were first made during the early 20th century to house dance halls and similar pleasurable events. It certainly felt like a magical space!
Exterior of the Spiegeltent
And Interior, Done With Wood and Mirrors
Another temporary structure held a Waterstone’s bookstore. It had the usual sections, with one new to me.
“Smart Thinking”
“Hell is Cambridge in Winter”
Asma Khan is the owner and chef of Darjeeling Express, a world-famous London restaurant. When she followed her husband to Britain after an arranged marriage, she couldn’t cook and had no intention of making a career of cooking Indian comfort food. Yet, she has supported so many women in her kitchen and abroad that she has been recognized as one of TIME magazine’s Most Influential People in the World in 2024.
Asma Khan Signs Her Book
Feeling cold and homesick in Cambridge drove her to ask an aunt to teach her to cook. This led to hosting supper clubs in her home, which outgrew both the premises and her husband’s patience. (This was after she earned a PhD in British Constitutional Law.) When she opened Darjeeling Express, she employed Indian home cooks and “second daughters;” she knew (because she is one) that these women are culturally denigrated for the sole reason that they were not born boys.
She contends that Indian restaurant food in the diaspora bears no relationship to what Indians eat at home. This is because restaurants are run by men who make up the food! The staff at Darjeeling Express work in a kitchen with no hierarchy. Everyone gets paid the same.
When Netflix’s Chef’s Table filmed the segment on her restaurant, she was the only chef in the series who asked to show her team. She took the opportunity to speak out about worldwide injustice to women. She has gone on to organize a café, run by women, in a Yazidi refugee camp. She hopes to do the same in a Rohingya camp in Bangladesh.
Hearing her made me think about planning a trip to London just to eat at her restaurant. Meanwhile, I will have to be content with her cookbook: Ammu: Indian Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul, Interlink Books, 2022.
