kitchens of the great midwest by j ryan stradal

So I felt like I was engaged as a reader from a young age and I was taught that writing a book was something to be valued and sought after. I grew up in a house that was full of books and parents who were readers, my mom in particular, and it wasn’t hard to go to the library or go to book events. But I think there are really strong communities of readers in cities with bad weather and there’s also such support for it. Not that people don’t read on the beach, of course the phrase “beach read’ is a cliché for a reason. First of all, it’s cold and there’s reason to be inside so you’re reading a lot. Q: How did growing up in the Midwest influence you as a writer?Ī: Oh, wow, I think quite a bit. I’m looking forward to going back to the Minnesota state fair next month and having all varieties of fried foods on sticks. I like to live in a world that encompasses both things, like Eva does. I’m a much healthier eater as an adult, but that said, I don’t feel that my current predilections as a chef are a referendum on my upbringing. My mom did make something she called stir-fry but it would take a very generous heart to confuse it with Asian cuisine.

There wasn’t a lot of spice or anything we would have called ethnic food. Q: What role did food play in your own life?Ī: I grew up in a world where we ate a lot of casseroles, a lot of heavy dessert, a lot of meat and potatoes. And to tell their stories through the prism of their relationship with food felt like a really interesting avenue to get into their psychology. I hadn’t yet seen them represented in the way I would like or in some cases really at all. Why did you feel a need to write a love letter?Ī: I wanted to see in the media more of the Midwest I grew up with, the people. Q: You’ve referred to this book as a love letter to the Midwest. (with fellow debut novelist Gallagher Lawson, author of “The Paper Man”). He will be at Warwick’s Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. He lives now in Los Angeles, where he produces a culinary reading series called “Hot Dish.” Ryan Stradal was born in Minnesota, where much of the book is set, and has a feel for the region’s comfort food and its people.

They help tell the story of Eva Thorvald, a girl who grows up to be a mysterious superstar chef, her $5,000 pop-up dinners so coveted the waiting list is years long.Īuthor J.

“Kitchens of the Great Midwest” is a novel, not a cookbook, although it does have recipes.

Kitchens of the great midwest by j ryan stradal