Paper reaction of the The Language of Baklawa: A Memoir. by Abu-Jaber, Diana - Book Report/Review Example

Meanwhile, as Abu-Jaber grows up, she succeeds in balancing two cultures. She takes the best in the two cultures without being loyal to either of them. She skillfully balances her lessons of life, learning from the American culture without bias. She also learns from Jordan society without undue inclination, in spite of the fact that it was her native culture. Baklava commences when the author is barely six years old. Diana Abu-Jaber skillfully develops the story by creating landmarks between age ambulation and weaving the story with a rejuvenating flow.

At the tender age as she struggles with the crisis of identity, a young lad appears in her life to remind Diana of her bi-racial identity. The identity crisis intensifies in her as the boy insinuates that she is not worth the taste of belonging. It seems utterly clear now that she subscribes to an indefinite culture. Her father, Bud, is a typical representation of his Arabic culture in spite of having stayed in America for a very long time. Jaber’s father is so attached to his Arabic culture that at some point he decides to move to Jordan to avoid becoming too American.

He found America too conducive to immigrate fully and stick to his new area of residence. He finally finds his way back to America though. The stay in both of these countries which are close to his heart for an extended period gave Abu Jaber a unique and deep knowledge of both of the countries. She became more acquainted with the culture of the two conflicting countries due to the stay in both of them for quite a long time of her life. In this, she adopted the most informed mode of conduct and perspective of life.

The adoption of such a balanced life from cultures that demanded her total attention was not an easy task. This instated a whole horde of confusion because of the extreme interferences by her father’s belief. The challenges she had in life were hard to overcome but she managed to do that, as well as, getting rid of some haunting frustrations. Nevertheless, amidst all that, the fascinating feeling of colorful encounters on cultural crossroads remained grooved in her memory. She remembered the food with keen imagination, a shish kabob of a frosty day.

She remembered the pancakes of the American origin made with ingredients from Jordan vendors. She often made trips across the ocean just to taste various kinds of food. She remarkably appreciates the day she ate Chinese food for the first time. The epitome of this experience is the importance of food and the meanings it derives from culture. Foods and menus in this book are a method of getting comfort. It depicts a peace offering media. It is also a great way of connecting to the Arab culture.

The book argues that there are numerous messages conveyed via the food we eat just like the words we speak. Abu-Jaber‘s ability to understand the feel of varieties of foodstuff gives her a reason to live peacefully as she battles with the challenges of cultural identity. Baklava is very delicious and quite appealing to the reader. The imagery of the cooking procedure intensified the desire of the reader to have the taste of the same. The recipes offered for the preparation of baklava are ethnically based.

They are natural in their origin. Most of the ingredients are not easy to find. They only exist in special market but the steps of preparing the food are easy to master. The contrast between the