Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Monica Ali on "Q"

Coming to you LIVE from the neighborhood Starbucks!
Well… my neighborhood, anyways!
And the Starbucks is in the Chapters bookstore, and I'm having a look at this new novel by British writer, Monica Ali.
← In The Kitchen.
Some of you may be familiar with her book Brick Lane which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2003, and has since become a movie.
On Monday I listened to a terrific interview with the author, on the CBC radio program “Q” with host Jian Ghomeshi. Since then I’ve been waiting for the podcast to be available, and now it is!
If you would like to hear the interview, click HERE.
Let it download for a few minutes and then click about a third of the way in, unless you want to listen to the preceding piece on transgenderism.
I was just fascinated with the amount of research that goes into the writing of a book like In The Kitchen.
It sounds like it would be an interesting read.
And if nothing else, just listen to Monica’s killer-wicked awesome accent, it’s to die for.
Have any of you read this new book [it’s only been out for a few days] or any of her others?

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3 comments:

Beth said...

What is it about those accents?!
Haven't read the book but it's now on my list.
(The only crime that occurs in my kitchen is what I do with the food..)

Isabella K said...

Hey! I heard the same interview and tweeted about it! Neat stuff. Although, her accent does nothing for me — to my ears it's an annoying lisp.

I really liked Brick Lane and I look forward to reading this one (some day). I love the idea of hotel/kitchen as microcosm.

Cipriano said...

Beth:
The only crime that occurs in MY kitchen is....... well, when I cook something. That should definitely be illegal!

Isabella:
I knew there would be someone out there that has read Brick Lane. It's strange, but I too, love the idea of hotel/kitchen as microcosm.
Last summer, my cousin _____, who is a chef for a famous politician in B.C., took me on an extensive tour of his facility.... the kitchen of this place was enormous! They do events where he is feeding hundreds of dignitary-types [no macaroni, as in]...
I was amazed to learn that when foreign personages visit, a sort of menu is sent in advance, listing what the person likes to eat.
Wow!
I NEVER get that kind of service when I travel.
In fact, nowadays, on the airlines, I've gotta bring my own sandwiches.