The lights on the tree cast comfort and joy in the living room. I spent a few hours reading Alice in Wonderland. My sister’s boyfriend from Kuwait gave it to me. “You have to write a message inside of it for her,” my sister affectionately instructed him, handing him a flair pen. He looked momentarily perplexed and wrote “Enjoy it. Merry xmas. Love, Jaz. December 1976.” The glossy full-color illustration plates beautifully and hauntingly rendered by Arthur Rackham pulled me into the mysterious, melancholy Victorian countryside. I was transported to a world of cottages with thatched roofs, cobblestone pathways, and rose gardens, and I found it soothing to take tea at a table rich with riddles and madness. After all, I am the youngest of seven siblings. The Mad Hatter, the Hare, and Dormouse might even find it challenging to compete with the many voices at our family “tea time.”
A Bowl of Ratatouille & My Story
I am a proud son of an immigrant mother whose French culture and joie de vivre founded and shaped the foodie and person I…