Love, Loss, and What We Ate

A Memoir

De: Padma Lakshmi

Narrado por: Padma Lakshmi

A vivid memoir of food and family, survival and triumph, Love, Loss, and What We Ate traces the arc of Padma Lakshmi's unlikely path from an immigrant childhood to a complicated life in front of the camera - a tantalizing blend of Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone and Nora Ephron's Heartburn.

Long before Padma Lakshmi ever stepped onto a television set, she learned that how we eat is an extension of how we love, how we comfort, how we forge a sense of home - and how we taste the world as we navigate our way through it. Shuttling between continents as a child, she lived a life of dislocation that would become habit as an adult, never quite at home in the world. And yet, through all her travels, her favorite food remained the simple rice she first ate sitting on the cool floor of her grandmother's kitchen in South India.

Poignant and surprising, Love, Loss, and What We Ate is Lakshmi's extraordinary account of her journey from that humble kitchen, ruled by ferocious and unforgettable women, to the judges' table of Top Chef and beyond. It chronicles the fierce devotion of the remarkable people who shaped her along the way, from her headstrong mother, who flouted conservative Indian convention to make a life in New York, to her Brahmin grandfather - a brilliant engineer with an irrepressible sweet tooth - to the man seemingly wrong for her in every way who proved to be her truest ally. A memoir rich with sensual prose and punctuated with evocative recipes, it is alive with the scents, tastes, and textures of a life that spans complex geographies both internal and external.

Love, Loss, and What We Ate is an intimate and unexpected story of food and family - both the ones we are born to and the ones we create - and their enduring legacies.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Padma Lakshmi (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The host of 'Top Chef' narrates her memoir as if she's telling her story to a trusted friend. She sounds expressive and vulnerable--revealing mistakes with a tone of regret, letting her love shine through the voices she creates for beloved family members, and enthusing about her passion for food, fashion, and travel." ( AudioFile)

An Unexpected Treasure!

This was such a lovely and unexpectedly warm, and grace - filled book. I'd always sensed there was more to Padma Lakshmi than a beautiful face, and a knack for food.

Beautiful Voice & Story

Love the recipes described by the Author at the end of the book! A wonderfully described cultural narrative.

Top Chef of a story

I'm glad the author narrtorated the book. I'm also glad she decided to share her story. Especially wanting to just date. And her daughter is such a miracle.

Great food memoir

Padma is surprisingly open about some of her most vulnerable moments, including divorce, her endometriosis, and ugly custody battle. But her discretions of food, especially her favorite Indian foods, are really what make this book great. Beautifully written, a great book for anyone who loves Top Chef or food.

Love, Loss, and What We Ate

I wasn't sure what to expect. I hadn't needed to fret. Padma tells her story in such a way that you are drawn in deeply. She uses immense respect to describe and include, those affected or involved in her life. Her descriptions of scenery, scents and tastes are marvelous. Nicely written. Thank you for sharing your story.

Great Story

I listened to this book on audio while spending time driving. I really enjoyed her journey and I now want to go find an authentic Indian store to stock up on spices and ingredients.
I wish Padma much happiness during the rest of life's journey.

A pleasant surprise

I chose this book because I have Indian friends and have an interest in their culture and the food. They are Americans now, and that transition is interesting too. I hoped this book would give me some perspective on their experience, and it did. Padma is an excellent reader and she has lived a fascinating life, experiencing the gamut of socio-economic circumstances, and having lived all over the world. She is one of those people that lives an extraordinarily glamourous life, but seems to remember and value her more humble origins. Her love for food is contagious and hearing her talk about had me wanting to get Indian food every day. Bonus-recipes are included.

Fantastic read!

So well written and spoken. Parma is quite the wordsmith. Great story! Very open and honest.

What a Life! The narration was excellent.

Looking forward to trying her recipes....and enjoyed listening to a very different life experience. I watch her all the time, so it's good to "know" her better. Impressed.

strong women rule

Padma's story is one of great strength and growth. A true inspiration. I'm so glad to have listened to it, can't wait to try her recipes!