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Quote by Aimee Bender

“My soup arrived. Crusted with cheese, golden at the edges. The waiter placed it carefully in front of me, and I broke through the top layer with my spoon and filled it with warm oniony broth, catching bits of soaking bread. The smell took over the table, a warmingness. And because circumstances rarely match, and one afternoon can be a patchwork of both joy and horror, the taste of the soup washed through me. Warm, kind, focused, whole. It was easily, without question, the best soup I had ever had, made by a chef who found true refuge in cooking.”

Quote by Aimee Bender

Book:The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
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The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

This book is a psychological drama that delves into the complex relationship between a young girl and her family, as she grapples with the extraordinary ability to taste the emotions of others through the food she prepares. The story is set in the 1970s and explores themes of identity, family dynamics, and the impact of one's unique abilities on personal relationships. more

Author

Aimee Bender
Aimee Bender

Aimee Bender is an American novelist celebrated for her imaginative and unique narrative style. Born on June 28, 1969, she has made a notable impact in the literary world with her thought-provoking themes and distinctive storytelling techniques. more

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“The room filled with the smell of warming butter and sugar and lemon and eggs, and at five, the timer buzzed and I pulled out the cake and placed it on the stovetop. The house was quiet. The bowl of icing was right there on the counter, ready to go, and cakes are best when just out of the oven, and I really couldn't possibly wait, so I reached out to the side of the cake pan, to the least obvious part, and pulled off a warm spongy chunk of deep gold. Iced it all over with chocolate. Popped the whole thing into my mouth.”

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“My birthday cake was her latest project because it was not from a mix but instead built from scratch- the flour, the baking soda, lemon-flavored because at eight that had been my request; I had developed a strong love for sour. We'd looked through several cookbooks together to find just the right one, and the smell in the kitchen was overpoweringly pleasant. To be clear: the bite I ate was delicious. Warm citrus-baked batter lightness enfolded by cool deep dark swirled sugar.”

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“What I taste, I said, reading from my page, is what I remember from my last Dorito, plus the chemicals that are kind of like that taste, and then my zoned-out mind that doesn't really care what it actually tastes like. Remembering, chemicals, zoning. It is a magical combo. All these parts form together to make a flavor sensation trick that makes me want to eat the whole bag and then maybe another bag. Do you have another bag? asked a skateboard guy, licking his fingers. No, I said. In conclusion, I said, a Dorito asks nothing of you, which is its great gift. It only asks that you are not there.”

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Book:The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
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“On the kitchen counter, she'd set out the ingredients: Flour bag, sugar box, two brown eggs nestled in the grooves between tiles. A yellow block of butter blurring at the edges. A shallow glass bowl of lemon peel. I toured the row. This was the week of my ninth birthday, and it had been a long day at school of cursive lessons, which I hated, and playground yelling about point scoring, and the sunlit kitchen and my warm-eyed mother were welcome arms, open. I dipped a finger into the wax baggie of brown-sugar crystals, murmured yes, please, yes.”

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Book:The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
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“Un uomo, se non altro, è libero; può percorrere passioni e paesi, attraversare gli ostacoli, afferrare le gioie più remote. Ma per una donna ci sono ostacoli di ogni tipo. Inerte e flessibile insieme, ha contro di sé le debolezze della carne e le costrizioni della legge. La sua volontà, come il velo del suo cappello trattenuto da un cordoncino, palpita a tutti i venti; c’è sempre qualche desiderio che la trascina e qualche convenienza che tuttavia la trattiene.”

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“Consider that the simplest social interactions between two people requires performing an astonishing array of tasks: interpreting what the other person is saying; reading body language and facial expressions; smoothly taking turns talking and listening; responding to what the other person said; assessing whether you're being understood; determining whether you're well received, and, if not, figuring out how to improve or remove yourself from the situation. Think of what it takes to juggle all this at once! And that's just a one-to-one conversation. Now imagine the multitasking required in a group setting like a dinner party. (p237)”

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