I I had the great opportunity to read the poetry collection of my professor, Ms.Nithya Mariam John, a poet and translator.
Kitchen poems is a poetry collection of 35 poems. The poetry turns a space like kitchen into one filled with domestic labour, cultural history, and memory. The visual representation in the book is multi-sensory offering a deeper understanding of the themes in the poetry.
Each poem, with various recipes as metaphor is not necessarily comforting. It leaves a haunting mark within us. The lines, “The poker-faced chapatis / gave away nothing / about the fresh scars on Mother’s face” from the poem, Chapati, portrays the mother’s act of cooking masked under sweat and labour that hides domestic violence that women endure.
In Seven Nights of Mourning, reflects grief by showcasing food as part of daily ritual. While in the poem titled Kindness-Menu stands out due to the paradoxical nature of the title bringing to light domestic violence endured by women.
Meanwhile, the poem Karia Co is about a street vendor, a story of not only one person,but a story of a generation.
The poems are in free verse and the imagery is simple yet powerful. The book is a great addition to culinary literature.The poet says in an interview that “food is omnipresent” , and it is exactly what the poetry collection reveals.
The poetry collection has made me see food in a different light — as a fruit of labour of many people,as a cultural phenomenon and a testament for women’s subjugation.
-Shanila T A,
-B A English Alumna (2017-20)
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