Cresent by Diana Abu-Jabar

Although a romance on the surface, I think this book is delicious. The spicy foods match the steamy sense of place in LA as well as Iraq. I already checked out a copy of her Language of Baklava which I may read but will for sure use for recipes. I also found the idea that an immigrant or maybe anyone that carries a second culture as a part of their identity lives a complicated but rich life - their sense of self accommodating and/or embracing the culture they live in but still so very other. I also wished I hadn't been raised so meat and potatoes and there were spicy scents that would remind me of exotic histories deep inside my DNA. Too bad we have created a world where those memories are too frequently connected to some kind of struggle.