Ten Thousand Tongues

Book excerpt: Strong matriarchs in the author's family are the inspiration for 'Ten Thousand Tongues'. These are stories of strength, perseverance, and a deep-rooted appreciation of family legacies that inspire and shape a reverence of one's culinary heritage.This autobiographical fiction is the tale of eight women who find refuge, solace, and strength in their constantly evolving relationship to family and each other, through the foods they cooked and later, the dishes they are most often remembered by. 'Ten Thousand Tongues' captures the essence of eight women through narratives from within and around their home, their lives intersecting briefly, as mothers and daughters. Despite their flawed relationships, the flavors emanating from their modest kitchens create indelible memories. The domesticity of their life are sometimes their burden, and at other times their sanctuary, and yet, long after the kitchen fires are cold, the warmth of their mother's recipes, and of old-fashioned comfort foods continue to nourish both body and spirit. Their narratives lead readers through the evolution of flavor preferences that finally emerges in Ana's kitchen, far away from where the food stories first began. Immortalized through iconic comfort foods, eight women effortlessly manage to create a unique and lasting culinary legacy that spans many generations within the family.