Fragrant Rice: A Taste of Passion, Marriage and Food

By Janet De Neefe

Book Overview

A lifestyle recipe book, which transports us to the magical world of Bali.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0732276128
• ISBN13: 9780732276126
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Love at First Sight

I enjoyed Fragrant Rice: My Continuing Love Affair with Bali very much. There is a certain type of travel book that draws me in completely: a writer falls deeply in love with another culture, as if he or she is finding a long-lost home at last, and is able to share that love in a way that is both knowledgable and emotionally compelling. Although there are moments when the writing falters and, as intimated in another review, the writer assumes an interest in her children's preferences that the reader might not feel, I was able to have the experience I look for in a travel book, living a life I will never have but could dream of. The recipes are lovely. The insight into the culture is fascinating. The author's life, with one foot in Bali and the other in Austrailia, and the reality that she will never be part of the Balinese as her husband and children are, is compelling and just a bit heartbreaking.

Bali insights

I enjoyed reading this book while traveling in Bali because it shed light on Balinese customs, cooking, and community life from the perspective of an Australian learning how to assimilate into her husband's culture and to grow a successful business together in the Honeymoon Guesthouse (now expanding to a second guesthouse) and their several restaurants that are popular with visitors and locals alike. I also enjoyed reading the recipes. Fun travel reading and a good souvenir to help you try to replicate Balinese dishes at home.