GRR:
59
I hate the exchange between Mrs Lapidus and Ashoke. The principal thinks it’s silly or weird that the father thinks he can name his son something different just for school and is arrogant enough to ask the child what he wants and makes it more difficult. The parents are resigned and defeated, they do what the American people tell them to do. I find this offensive.
137
This is just such a strange story arc. Gogol starts dating a girl who pursued him, named Maxine. She lives with her parents and Gogol starts living with them. He enjoys living with someone else’s parents. Rich white people in NYC who are so cool with their daughter having sex in the bedroom above them. Not sure if Lahiri was doing this on purpose, but it seems like an extreme comparison.
150
But he waves and drives off, pretending not to hear.
–> Why Gogol?! Be nice to your parents, you aren’t 14 anymore! (I’m calm now, don’t worry)
Learned Something:
1
Ashima remakes a popular snack from back home she would buy from street vendors consisting of: Rice Krispies, Planters Peanuts, Chopped Red Onion in a bowl. Add salt, lemon juice, thin slices of green chili pepper, mustard oil
2
Lord Mountbatten
-Ashima mentions someone was attractive in a Lord Mountbatten way. Thanks Wikipedia (which will be mentioned many times in this section!).
10
She had hidden her face with a heart-shaped betel leaf, kept her head bent low until she had circled him seven times.
–> During the wedding, Ashima circles Ashoke seven times. I found this interesting because in Ashkenaz (European) Jewish customs, the bride walks around the groom seven times as well. I wonder whether the reasons are similar.
12
Pujo
– The only thing I could find is this: Durga Puja. Would love more info if anyone has it!
14
Gogol’s The Overcoat
–> I am looking forward to reading the story after reading the full summary. If it really is a comparison to Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville, I’ll be satisfied. My Melville class was the hardest and most uninteresting topic for me, but this story was my favorite.
15
four-layer tiffin carrier
– Um I would use this as a lunch box! It’s so cool.
39
Gogol is dressed as an infant Bengali groom, in a pale yellow pajama-punjabi from his grandmother in Calcutta.
–> I thought Punjabi was the name of a region or type of culture, but it also is the name for the tunic men wear.
67
Ganguli is actually Gangopadhyay. It is funny how so many immigrants change their name to match their new homes. Loads of Eastern Europeans changed their names once they immigrated to America or England. Middle Eastern Jews also changed their names slightly when they moved to make them sound more Hebrew than Arabic. *raises hand* Our family did that. Our last name was simply a city in Yemen, but we changed it to something that resembles the name, yet is in Hebrew. That means anyone with my last name is actually related to me, but also means there aren’t too many of us.
72
luchis, sandeshes
–> Luchis are deep fried flat bread? I’m in!
Sandeshes– Bengali dessert with sugar and milk or cheese. Not my style, but they look great!
80
I never knew there were Hindu meals on airlines! Not sure why I never thought about that.
109
billfold
– I never knew this kind of wallet had it’s own name. What’s funny is that in the book it is called a man’s billfold. I guess that makes sense as women’s wallets tend to be fashionably longer and with many more compartments.
111
ashram
–Wikipedia said it best “Traditionally, an ashram (Sanskrit/Hindi: ?????) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, similar to a studio,yeshiva or dojo.”
140
deveining
–> as I can’t eat shrimp, I had no idea what this meant. Apparently it’s exactly what it sounds like- de-veining… removing the vein.
148
samosas, tamarind sauce, lamb biryani
–> Samosas are fried pastry puffs filled with stuff. Like bourekas or sambusak or perogis. Every culture has something like this it seems!
Tamarind Sauce seems very foreign to me. Must try it one day!
Lamb Biryani- Biryani is a specific kind of mixed rice dish and the lamb part is added to it from what I understand. Rice is incredible, but from Customizable Cooking I realized that some of these spices are not for me.
155
aloo dum
-a potato dish (aloo) that, according to Wikipedia, is a Kashmiri recipe.
220
nagrai slippers
– a quick google search shows what these look like.
175
salwar kameeze
–> It is the tunic, scarf, pant outfit alternative Moushumi’s parents want her to wear instead of the strappy dress she chose to wear after the ceremony.
160
aerogramme
–> TBH I still don’t understand what this is exactly. Anyone?
162
Dal
–> According to wikipedia, it is a pulse of split beans served with rice.
Final Thoughts:
TBH, I saw this movie before I read the book years ago. I enjoyed the movie a lot, but did not remember much when I read the book. The book hit me hard. It was beautiful and touching. I watched the movie immediately after reading and was so disappointed. You’ll hear me say that way too many times on episode 23. Lahiri is usually a bit depressing, but she did a great job with The Namesake. Maybe because she could afford the time to develop scenes, characters, and themes. This is going to be one of my favorite books from now on.
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