Rice -Jhumpa Lahiri
In her essay, “Rice,”
Jhumpa Lahiri describes her father’s behaviour and daily routine from morning
to night. Lahiri shows her admiration for her beloved when she explains all
about her dad and his way of making pulao.
Lahiri explains the way
her dad makes the pulao in every detail. Even knowing all the ingredients of her
dad’s pulao, Lahiri will not consider making it. The pulao was such a demanding
dish that every person than just your average family celebration.
Lahiri describes the
differences when her son and daughter celebrated their first annaprasan with
the same pulao her dad makes. Lahiri has such an admiration for her dad’s way
of always keeping a positive attitude. She learned how to respect and admire
her dad’s decision and the passion he had towards making his favourite dish.
This story is titled
Rice, but upon reading it you can immediately see from the beginning that the
author, Jhumpa Lahiri, is talking about her father and his morning routine,
giving us details that prove he is a methodical man.
At the beginning of her
essay, Lahiri talks about how her father is a methodical man. She says that he
has been doing the same job at the library for almost thirty-nine years. Her
father was famous for something special. He had earned a reputation for the
Andaj- the Bengali word for the estimate. Her father sounded not only like a
methodical man, but traditional as well. A man who wants to keep his tradition
alive that is why he wanted to protect the tradition of serving pulao during special
occasions. The pulao for him was the identity marker, that everyone recognized
and remembered him for.
The pulao is a special
kind of rice that only her father can make and he only makes it for special
occasions. Many times throughout the story Lahiri hints that the pulao is not
just a simple dish, but something more, it has become an identity for her
father and maybe even her family. The story itself also gives the reader a
little insight on Bengali culture and traditions, but the author explains the
cultural terms she uses, and at no point will the reader ever be lost because
of a lack of prior knowledge.
Through this essay, the
writer wants to share information on her culture. She provides insight into an
important occasion in Bengali culture called annaprasan, which is a rite of
passage in which Bengali children are given solid food for the first time. The
author also tries to spread the importance of traditions. She states that she
would never dare try to ever attempt to make her father’s pulao because it is his
own recipe and it has never been recorded. By doing this she shows the
importance of tradition such as the making of the pulao as something sacred to
her Indian culture and tradition. Later in the end, when technology has
overwhelmed people’s lives, her father can still make pulao using a microwave
and still serve pulao for one hundred people.
One can assume that
making this dish for such a large amount of people in a microwave can be long,
hard, and aggravating but her father does it anyway. This shows how special
traditions are because no matter how annoying or difficult this process may be,
her father still does it without hesitation or annoyance because he will be
able to carry on the tradition of providing pulao for his grandchild’s
annaprasan. The father seems almost thankful that he can make this dish somehow
when he states that he doesn’t mind making the pulao this way because it is a
big microwave.
Finally, the author tries
to show the importance of the family. She shows how important family is when
she describes how dedicated her father is to providing pulao for almost every
occasion that he finally celebrates. It shows how dedicated he is to his family
and the events that occur in their lives. The father is extremely dedicated to
his family and shows it especially when he doesn’t even hesitate to prepare the
dish for one hundred people in a microwave for his grandchild’s annaprasan. He
wants to provide something for his grandchild and would do nothing to do
anything to do it even if it does mean going through a long and annoying
process to make a dish. The author shows the importance of the family and how
much family cares and will be there for you no matter what. The author does
show how much her father cares for his family in this story.
When you talk about
someone close to you in such detail it shows the love and admiration one has
for that certain individual. And here Lahiri accomplishes in showing her love
and respect for her father by describing how dedicated he is towards the
family.
1. How does Lahiri describe her father?
What is his most important character trait?
Lahiri describes her father as a methodical man who is
consistent and committed to his routines. He is careful, systematic, and
deliberate in all his actions. His most important character trait is his
methodical nature, which is evident in his accurate estimation skills,
especially in gauging quantities for cooking, a talent referred to as andaj.
2. According to Lahiri, what is special about
pulao? Why is it served just on festive occasions?
Pulao is special because it differs from the everyday
white rice; it involves a unique combination of specific ingredients and a
distinct cooking process that imparts a special flavor. Due to its sophistication
and the effort required in its preparation, pulao is reserved for festive
occasions.
3. What is an annaprasan? Why is this occasion
so important to Bengalis?
An annaprasan is a Bengali rite of passage marking
the occasion when a child is given solid food for the first time. This ceremony
holds cultural significance among Bengalis as it symbolizes a child's
transition to a new stage of growth and development.
4. Why, according to Lahiri, would she
never try to make pulao?
Lahiri mentions that she has only a superficial knowledge
of the ingredients and technique required to make her father's pulao. Since the
recipe is unique to her father and has never been recorded, she has never
attempted to make it, believing that the dish is an extension of her father's
identity and expertise.
5. What does Lahiri mean when she says
that pulao is a dish for which her father "has earned the copyright"?
By stating that her father "has earned the
copyright" for the pulao, Lahiri implies that he has become renowned for
this particular dish. His unique recipe and consistent preparation have made
his pulao synonymous with his identity, to the extent that he is often called
upon to prepare it for various occasions, and it serves as a symbol that binds
their family together.
Purpose and Audience
1. How much does Lahiri assume her readers
know about Bengali culture? How can you tell?
There are some examples in her descriptive essay which let her readers know
that she assumes her readers do not know much about Bengali culture because she
uses some Bengali words like andaj and annaprasan, and she
explains what they mean in English as well. She also explains both the type of
rice Bengalis often eat for dinner and how the normal white rice differs from
pulao.
2. Is this essay simply about rice - more
specifically pulao - or is it also about something else? Explain.
Although it seems that this essay is more about rice, the fact is that it is
not simply about it, rather it is about her father. Lahiri talks about how
methodical her father is, and she uses his special dish as an example to
explain his character traits. She says how accurate he is at estimating the
quantity of rice according to the number of people who are to be served and
using ingredients to bring different flavors without having his recipe recorded
elsewhere. This essay also illustrates how calm he is even working under
pressure. He seems to be able to adapt to new circumstances. Moreover, it is
also about the impression of her father's idiosyncratic personality upon her.
3. Does this essay have an explicitly
stated or an implied thesis? What dominant impression do you think Lahiri wants
to convey?
The thesis is not explicitly stated in this essay; rather, it is implied here,
and it is that Lahiri's father's methodical personality made him very skilled
at making pulao. It seems that Lahiri wants to convey a dominant impression of
warmth and respect for her father.
Style and Structure
1. Why does Lahiri begin her essay by
describing her father?
The reason to begin her essay with a description of her father is to set a
framework so that the readership can understand how orderly and deliberate her
father is. She must have assumed that describing her father this way helps the
readership to see how meticulous he is - even at making pulao.
2. This essay is divided into three parts:
the first describes Lahiri's father; the second describes the making of pulao,
and the third describes the occasions on which her father cooked pulao. How
does Lahiri signal the shift from one part of the essay to another? What other
strategies could she have used?
Before describing the process of making pulao, Lahiri talks about how accurate
he is at estimating the quantity of rice. To make it clear to her readers, she
has used an anecdote in the third paragraph to give a good description of
making pulao that her father is famous for.
After this description, Lahiri discusses the occasions on
which he cooked pulao by mentioning a specific time: "In 1968 when I was
seven months old...". This transition mentally prepares the reader for a
shift in the essay.
To shift from the section of the essay that talks about
the making of pulao, Lahiri could have used the transition like "My father
knows how to make pulao by heart." or "I have seen my father involved
in a process of making pulao several times on different occasions throughout my
life.". While making a transition into the third part after talking about
the making of pulao, she could have tried using transitions like "It was
the occasion of my annaprasan when I tasted pulao for the first time.".
3 Why does Lahiri go into so much detail about her
father's pulao recipe?
The reason to go into detail about her father's pulao recipe is to show that he
can make pulao without his recipe recorded, and she has seen the process to
know how it is made well; however, she has never attempted to make it. The
details like the importance of the colour of the raisins and the preferred type
of baking tray show his attachment to his dish.
4 What does
pulao mean to Lahiri? Does it have the same meaning for her father? Explain.
No, pulao does not mean the same to her father as it means to Lahiri. For her,
pulao is an indication of her father's love for her and others around along
with his methodical nature. On the other hand, pulao for her father is a matter
of pride, and he gets meticulously involved in making the dish. He does it to
expose his methodical personality and express love to those he makes pulao for.
5 Why does Lahiri end her essay with a quotation? Is
this an effective closing strategy? What other strategies could she have used?
Of course, this is an effective closing strategy here. Ending her essay with a
quotation has made it emotional and impressive. When the author asked him to
describe his experience, he expressed no frustration and replied "It was
fine...". This quotation is enough to reflect her father's methodical and
cool nature.
Instead of quoting her father to end her essay, she could
have restated her main idea "His careful, systematic and deliberate way
of carrying out the intended job made him a good cook who often puzzles other
cooks."
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