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THE
ANGER OF AUBERGINES: STORIES OF WOMEN
AND FOOD
Bulbul Sharma
Rs 150 Pb
2005
81-88965-10-3
(French, Australian, Finnish and Italian
rights sold. All others available.)
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'He’s
gone with her forever!' she wailed into the phone,
twisting the cord in her hands.
'Listen, you idiot, he’ll never leave you.
They never do. They’re afraid of what their
mothers will say,' said Mimi. “Come to the
health club, you will feel better at once. They
are getting a hypnotist again today. You know the
chap… Swami something or other. He’s
incredible. He can train your mind to stop eating.
He looks at you for thirty seconds with his great,
black eyes, Omar Sharif type, and whoosh!…
the desire to eat vanishes. You start thinking of
higher things like… you know, poor people,
philosophy and all that sort of thing,' said Mimi.
Reshma picked up another burfi and said, 'Does he
make you do social work? I don’t feel strong
enough these days what with this low calorie diet.'
'No… you don’t have to do anything.
Just close your eyes and think about higher things.
Sonia lost five kilos in fifteen days, though her
breasts sag a bit now.'
Reshma touched her own heavy bosom, lifting it a
little with both hands. 'Yes… yes. I’ll
come,' she said as she chewed the sweet slowly,
letting the sugary softness cling to the corners
of her mouth.
The Anger of Aubergines
contains stories about women for whom food is an
obsession, a passion, a gift of love, a source of
power and even a means of revenge. Each of these
tales is followed by a favourite recipe to read
or, if you are particularly adventurous, to try
out.
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BULBUL
SHARMA,
writer, painter, birdwatcher, maker
of woodcuts, is the author of two books of
stories, My Sainted
Aunts and The
Perfect Woman, and books on birds and
trees for children. She teaches art to children
with special needs and is a regular columnist
for The Asian Age.
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| If
you’re looking for melodrama and action,
passion and mystery… move on. But if
you’re delighted by the small things
in life, everyday oddities and character quirks,…sample
a few of these tasty dishes… |
—The Little Magazine |
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Obviously written by a woman of taste…
the eternal story of this country’s
complicated but abiding love for food. |
—Outlook |
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