Feed the Hungry

An author whose fiction has been praised by Mary Gaitskill ("Passionate, intelligent, and piercingly beautiful...an altogether striking debut") and Darcy Steinke ("Nani Power...shows that sensuality pervades all of life and is too powerful to be contained in the bedroom alone"), Nani Power turns her incredible storytelling talents to memoir, crafting a sublime work of nonfiction centered around a life of travel, eclectic dining, and dealing with her decidedly eccentric Southern bohemian family. Consumption is the real American pastime. Through the prism of food, we all see our pasts differently. Like the finest food writers, Power brings readers directly into her world through the evocative depiction of the experience of eating. From her childhood on a rambling farm in Virginia -- during which she witnessed a saga of fighting, disowning, silencing, and other regrettable acts -- to her peripatetic and international adult life, Power's reflections are surprising, enthralling, and entertaining. She has a deep understanding of the cuisines of Peru and Mexico, Iran and India; her stints as a sandwich seller in Rio, a waitress in the East Village, a funeral caterer in the Deep South, and on a food junket to Japan all seem familiar as she relates each experience to us through its cuisine. A wealth of detailed recipes throughout the book offer a chance to recreate Power's memories in perpetuity. Lyrical and uplifting, unflinching and brave, Feed the Hungry is a supple, evocative memoir of food, travel, Americana, and family history, written with all the creativity, tenderness, grit, and verve we have come to expect from this uncommonly gifted writer.

Nani Power

Prologue
A Memoir, with Recipes
The Dogs Bark but the Caravan Moves On, 1961-1971
Recipes: Raccoon Goose Creek, Candied Mint Leaves, Rack of Lamb with South Indian Onion Chutney
Blue Skies and Yellow Birds, 1969
Recipes: Golly's Grouper Chowder, Carrie's Crawfish, Joe Petty's Coconut Candy, Yellow Birds
Glamour, 1972
Recipes: Nancy's Baked Apricot Chicken

The Seventies
Recipes: Virginia Ham and Yeast Rolls, Bertha's Tomatoes, Tuttie's Squash Casserole, Damson Pie, Cannelloni
Sea Urchins and Blueberry Pie, 1982
Recipes: Lobster Rolls, Fried Green Tomatoes, Mushroom Sandwiches, Golly's Blueberry Pie
Saffron and Rosewater, 2005
Recipes: Quormeh Sabzi, Khoresht Bademjoon Muy Criollo/Gossamer Meringue, 2003
Recipes: Ceviche The Catsuit, 1990
Recipes: Cold Borscht, Arancini > My Family's Attempt at Culinary Coup, Christmas Eve
Recipes: John's Smoked Venison, Morels and Cream 1980-1990
Recipes: Pizza in a Dish Waiting for Dantinhas, 1984
Recipes: Feijoada, Xuxu de Galinha Chasing Butterflies and Fears, 1997
Recipes: Chilequiles with Chicken and Tomatillo Salsa, Huaraches with Papas y Chiles, Chicken Tortilla Soup A Tour of Essential Loneliness, 2000
Recipes: Ochazuke, Yakisoba A Lost Friend, 1997
Recipes: Aloo Paratha More Similar than you Think Memories and Food
Recipes: Zucchini and Stuffed Grape Leaves