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Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir

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Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi

Padma Lakshmi is an Indian-American author and television personality. Born on September 1, 1970, she is best known for her hosting role on the popular food show 'Top Chef'. Lakshmi has also published several books on cooking and life, and has made significant contributions to the culinary and fashion industries with her unique background and talents. more

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“The insidious reasons for a brown girl’s self-loathing won’t be surprising to any woman of color. I cannot rightly compare my own struggles to those of another minority, as each ethnicity comes with its own baggage and the South Asian experience is just one variation on the experience of dark-skinned people everywhere. As parents and grandparents often do in Asian countries, my extended family urged me to avoid the sun, not out of fear that heatstroke would sicken me or that UV rays would lead to cancer, but more, I think, out of fear that my skin would darken to the shade of an Untouchable, a person from the lowest caste in Indian society, someone who toils in the fields. The judgments implicit in these exhortations—and what they mean about your worth—might not dawn on you while you’re playing cricket in the sand. What’s at stake might not dawn on you while, as a girl, you clutch fast to yourself your blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll named Helen. But all along, the message that lighter skin is equivalent to a more attractive, worthier self is getting beamed deep into your subconscious. Western ideals of beauty do not stop at ocean shores. They pervade the world and mingle with those of your own country to create mutant, unachievable standards.”

FeminismRacismSexismWestern CultureBeauty StandardsWestern IdealsWestern Influence
Book:Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir
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“The Hum-bird paused, a long needle sliding out of the hole in its beak. It bent quickly, poking the needle into Scarlett's face. Its head popped back up and then repeated the motion in three more spots on the Jordan's face before hopping to the other side and starting over. It hopped back and forth a few more times, pausing now and then with its injector, plumping skin and filling the fine lines in Scarlett's face. After examining its works, the needle withdrew and another one protruded, glistening pink in the dimmed light. This time the Hum-bird hopped around, paralyzing any damaging nerve clusters that over time would be bound to cause wrinkles in the skin.”

CosmeticsBeauty StandardsCosmetic SurgerySpeculative Science FictionSpeculative Technology
Book:Drawing the Dragon
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“The secrets of the kitchen were revealed to you in stages, on a need-to-know basis, just like the secrets of womanhood. You started wearing bras; you started handling the pressure cooker for lentils. You went from wearing skirts and half saris to wearing full saris, and at about the same time you got to make the rice-batter crepes called dosas for everyone’s tiffin. You did not get told the secret ratio of spices for the house-made sambar curry powder until you came of marriageable age. And to truly have a womanly figure, you had to eat, to be voluptuously full of food. This, of course, was in stark contrast to what was considered womanly or desirable in the West, especially when I started modeling. To look good in Western clothes you had to be extremely thin. Prior to this, I never thought about my weight except to think it wasn’t ever enough. Then, with modeling, I started depending on my looks to feed myself (though my profession didn’t allow me to actually eat very much). When I started hosting food shows, my career went from fashion to food, from not eating to really eating a lot, to put it mildly. Only this time the opposing demands of having to eat all this food and still look good by Western standards of beauty were off the charts. This tug-of-war was something I would struggle with for most of a decade.”

FeminismModelingCultural DifferencesBeauty StandardsTraditional Cooking
Book:Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir
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“According to the study, “Better Together: The Impact of Exercising with a Romantic Partner,” exercising with a romantic partner makes you more successful at the activity. If you struggle to stick to a workout routine or get in shape, exercising with a loved one can help.”

LoveRomanceExerciseWorkoutBetter TogetherRomantic PartnerWorkout BenefitsWorkout Routine
Book:Learn to Love: A Couple's Guide to a Healthy Relationship: How to Cultivate Intimacy, Enhance Passion, Strengthen Commitment, and Improve Communication While Resolving Conflict With Your Partner
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