Join Madhushree Ghosh as she discusses her book, Safar: Finding Home, History, and Culture through Punjabi Food in the American West. This event is sponsored by Boston University’s Food Studies Programs and is part of the Pépin Lecture Series. The date is October 21 from 6 – 7 at 808 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, Room 124.
Madhushree Ghosh (Phd in biochemistry) is also the author of Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family . She is the creative founder of KhabaarCo, a global literary salon and supper club. As a TEDx Speaker, Madhushree interrogates cultural, culinary and immigration issues using food as a social justice tool.
Published in June of this year, Safar blends memoir and history to explore the role of Punjabi food in fostering community and identity among South Asian refugees and immigrants.
Safar follows the journey of South Asian refugees, immigrants, and their children-in particular, Sikhs, Jats, and Muslims-who moved to the southwestern states of America over centuries as farmers, truck drivers, restaurant owners, and dhaba/diner stall cooks. An expedition in search of the asli-or real Punjabi food-Madhushree Ghosh explores how their food traveled from pre-partition British India to now, while weaving in her own immigrant journey as a graduate student to America in 1993, her quest to find home through the food of her Bengali refugee parents, and the physical journey she embarked on to visit the Punjabi communities in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Focusing on four Punjabi women, each a part of a different immigration wave of South Asia to the American West, Ghosh highlights the food and recipes they brought with them that connect them to their pasts. Safar shares stories of displacement, discrimination, community, and hope, while shedding light on immigrant journeys and the true meaning of home, comfort food, and what constitutes a “true Punjabi” meal. Featuring essential recipes, this is a poignant reflection on what it means to find home and identity through food and culture as an immigrant to the United States. Reserve your free space HERE.
