Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience

A timely self-examination of the "mixed" American experience featuring  exclusive recipes and photographs from the author’s multicultural  family.  

As citizens continue to evolve and diversify within the  United States, the ingredients that comprise each flavorful household  are waiting to be discovered and devoured. In Colorful Palate , author  Raj Tawney shares his coming-of-age memoir as a young man born into an  Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian-American family, his struggles with  understanding his own identity, and the mouthwatering flavors of the  melting pot from within his own childhood kitchen.  

While the  world outside can be cruel and unforgiving, it's even more complicated  for a mixed-race kid, unsure of his place in the world. Turning to his  mother and grandmother for guidance, Tawney’s assistance in the kitchen  provided intimate moments and candor as he listened to the tales behind  each culinary delicacy and the women who perfected them. Each lovingly  prepared meal offered another opportunity to learn more about his  extraordinary heritage. The ability to create delicious fare with his  family wasn’t just a duty for the grand ladies who raised him; they were  a survival tactic for navigating new and unknown cultures, not always  willing to accept them at first or even a hundredth glance. As Tawney  examines both himself and his loved ones through the formative stages of  his life, from boyhood through adulthood, he begins to realize, through  all of the chaos and confusion, just how "American" he actually was.  

In  this contemporary coming-of-age tale, Tawney tackles personal  hot-button issues about race and identity through poignant, heartfelt  moments centered around delicious meals. From succulent tandoori chicken  to delectable arroz con habichuelas to scrumptious spaghetti and  meatballs, Tawney shares his family recipes along with the intimate  stories he overheard in the kitchen as he played sous chef to hundreds  of recipes that not only span continents but come with their own  personal histories attached. Colorful Palate is a tale of the mixed  experience, one of the millions that rarely gets told, undefined by a  single group or birthright, and unapologetic about its lack of  classification.