The Hundred-Foot Journey

This was beautifully written with rich, make-me-hungry descriptions. The characters are well-rounded and well-drawn, and the relationships between them are complex.

I found myself enjoying the Mumbai chapters more than the ones in Europe, I think because in addition to the lush setting, the family had such a vibrancy. This got lost in the London section (quite understandably–the whole family was reeling from loss), and I think it never fully returned. Neither Lumiere nor Paris has the wealth of place or of people that Mumbai does though Lumiere is beautiful, and full of interesting characters.

I also regret that the food turns entirely French once Hassan gets to France. Perhaps this is because I infinitely prefer Indian food to French show more food (and though I prefer a somewhat calm, quiet dining atmosphere, I know plenty of people, especially Asians, who feel more at home in a boisterous party atmosphere).

I enjoy Hassan’s success, but I find myself wondering why it is that he must leave his culture behind–at least professionally–to achieve it. show less

Hassan Hajji arrives by circuitous means from Mumbai via London to the French Alps town of Lumiere when his extended family's car breaks down. Patriarch Abbas Hajji decides this is as good a place as any to settle and open a restaurant dedicated to Indian food. Mme Mallory, chef of the haute cuisine Michelin two star restaurant directly across the street is none too happy with this boisterous crowd encroaching on a town she literally rules. One would imagine the book with its impending conflict is all but written at this point.

The author's descriptions -- particularly of location, food and cooking -- are stunning. Any reader, especially of the foodie kind, will be booking a reservation at their favorite eatery in response. Those who show more have seen the movie will note that some serious changes from the second half of the book. One suspects the producers wanted more romance and more Dame Helen Mirren. The movie tie sit all up in a nice little conclusion.

The book seeks to explore the demands on haute cuisine chefs, which our hero Hassan eventually becomes. This is a serious look at the powers of critics, the ever tightening profit margins, economics demanding more 'branding' and even a hint of the soon to come emphasis on local and 'simple' cooking. Maxims didn't go out of business for no reason. The business of fine dining is ever changing. Even in France, where many consider fine dining begins and ends.

This second half emphasis on the economics and politics of fine dining might be jarring for those more caught up in the relationships of the first half. Once Hassan moves to Paris, there is little mention of either his father or his mentor, Mme Mallory. There are great reads about restaurants and food industry (Michael Ruhlman, Anthony Bourdain, Bill Buford, and Garielle Hamilton immediately come to mind.) If you enjoy books like those, I suspect you will truly enjoy this book as well. If you come after having seen the movie, not so much.

In this homage to French cuisine, the greatest journey isn't from Mumbai to Lumiere, or even from a small town to the heights of Michelin stardom, but in Hassan's first few steps across the way to snatch at his dreams and destiny. show less

Get ready to crave Indian food, and French cooking - this novel is as much a paean to wonderful recipes and the sensory pleasures of preparing/eating delicious meals, as it is the story of Hassan Haji. Hassan is born into a hard-working, "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" kind of Muslim Indian family who do accumulate the trappings of economic success, until the troubles begin between the competing religious groups. His family is driven out -after a tragic attack and house fire- and go for a brief sojourn to London, living close by relatives and trying to make sense of their drastically changed world. When relations sour between the extended family, Hassan's larger than life father, Abbas, insists on packing everyone up and doing a show more restaurant/food tour of Europe. One exhausting day, their car breaks down in the beautiful little French town of Lumiere, and as fate would have it, in front of a dilapidated estate. Of course Hassan's father, persuaded by his travel weary children, purchases the estate and their Lumiere years begin -the longest section of the book. And as the Haji family settle into small town French life, they do battle with their proud, completely French neighbor, Madame Gertrude Mallory, a renowned chef of a beautiful restaurant: Le Saule Pleureur, in the bottom floor of her estate. The author's descriptions of her ferocious anger against the noise, the effrontery of the Haji family,not only for imposing themselves on her neighborhood, but opening an Indian restaurant right across from hers! Quel scandale! Yet the plot's threads continues to weave a very different story than readers might expect. Told with humor, and the unmistakably sincere voice of Hassan, we readers fall under the Haji spell: wandering grandma Ammi, grumbling Auntie, loud and impetuous Abbas, and Haji's siblings. But it is Haji's journey - his love interests, his decision to leave his family, and his desire to become a world famous chef- that captivate until the very last page. A book for adults - sexual encounters are described, adult struggles are the focus of the last section, "Paris", but a treat for anyone ready for a multi-cultural bildungsroman of the 21st century. show less

I love food. I love books. And books about food? Well, butter my buns and call me biscuit, or in the case of this book, slather me with creme fraiche and call me a croissant. OK, so the colloquialism doesn't translate from deep south to French food but the sentiment behind it definitely still stands. This is a delightful feast of a book.

Hassan Haji's earliest memory is of the smells wafting upstairs to his cot from the restaurant his family ran in India. Is it any wonder then that food and cooking would be in his blood? His early childhood was filled with a raucous family and food. But after the death of his well-respected grandfather, an out of control mob attacked and burned the restaurant, killing Hassan's mother in the process and show more so the family fled. Spending two years in London, Hassan seemed poised to become another disaffected youth until the family is once again driven onward, this time to Europe, leading a peripatetic life. And then a car breaks down, depositing the Haji family in the small French town of Lumiere, where Hassan's life starts back down the path for which he was born: to become a world class chef.

Across the street from the noisy and vibrant Haji family restaurant, located on the ground floor of a gracious mansion, is a quiet, stately two-star French restaurant and its crusty owner, Madame Mallory. Declaring war on the Hajis, Mallory tries everything under the sun to get the better of Abbas Haji, Hassan's father. She is completely stricken when she discovers that Hassan, now the head chef in his family's restaurant despite his youth, has the raw talent that she herself lacks and so she ramps up her campaign to drive the outsiders out. But a near tragedy changes her mind and she offers to teach Hassan to cook traditional French food, grooming him to become what she could not, a rising star in the French culinary world.

Taking place from Bombay to London to Paris, the sights and sounds of food and cooking permeate every aspect of the novel. I salivated my way through much of it although I freely admit that I like Indian food a whole lot more than I like French food so I was a bit disappointed that Hassan didn't create a fusion of sorts between the comfort food of his childhood and the elegant French food of his chosen adult life. Morais has managed to capture the essence of the culinary profession, the life in kitchens, and the professional worries that are all part and parcel of a chef's life.

The novel is fiction but it reads like a memoir. Certain of the characters like Madame Mallory and Abbas Haji are larger than life, utterly colorful and thoroughly entertaining. The section on London addresses the issue of immigrants better than the later section set in France although there are still moments where racism realistically rears its ugly head. Hassan's character is singularly focused so much of the narrative follows him from kitchen to kitchen, losing a bit of the larger than life quirkiness that defined the Haji family and then life at Madame Mallory's. This was a novel full of joy, contentment, and destiny fulfilled. Hassan found his calling, devoted his life to it, and made the most of his amazing talent, richly rewarded with friends and accolades alike. His early life and family determined his path for him, both personally and in the kitchen, and he embraced his role.

The writing here is descriptive and frequently mouth-watering. I only wish there had been more detail, a more complete description of the people so instrumental in Hassan's life in the second half of the book. Overall, this is a book that will appeal to food afficionados, anyone who enjoys reading about the making of a chef, and those who search out books with a hint of the exotic and the vibrant. Morais was a friend of the late Ismail Merchant and this could easily be a Merchant Ivory film, lush and decadent, just as it is written. show less

I chose to read this book solely on the fact that members of my book club suggested we read it "on the side" of our current selection so as to see the movie together. I think thus far I'm the only one who has read it.

Beginning in Mumbai this is far more than a hundred foot journey. After the Haji family experience a tragic event they decide to move to London first to start over but end up settling in the small village of Lumiere nestled in the French Alps where they open an Indian restaurant. Across the street is long time resident and favorite local chef Madame Mallory and her beautifully esteemed hotel and restaurant. Not welcoming the competition nor flamboyant style of these foreigners she sets out to ruin them in what becomes a show more battle of wills between she and the Haji's. After some clashing Madame Mallory agrees to mentor Hassan, the son of Haji who she suspects holds great potential as a future chef.

Richard Morias is skilled in his description from the picturesque countryside to the mouth-watering creations the chefs in this story create. I truly appreciate the details an author uses to paint a scene where the result is my wanting to visit a place I've never been, taste a food I've never tried or make a dish I've never cooked. This was a most pleasant read and would definitely one I recommend. Any foodie would adore this novel. I expect it will be a great movie.

How I acquired this book: Sent my son on an errand to purchase for me.
Shelf life: None, read immediately show less

The book was lovely in writing and so descriptive that I could smell and taste the words, but it didn't stay with me like a true 4-look-book does.

The story of Hassan and his family is beautifully painted by Morais from their time in Bombay to their eventual settling in France. The haute cuisine is a character in and of itself, making this a truly amazing journey.

On Bombay:
From the shantytown rose the pungent smells of charcoal fires and rotting garbage, and the hazy air itself was thick with the roar of roosters and bleating goats and the slap-thud of washing beaten on cement slabs. Here, children and adults shat in the streets.

On Harrod's Food Hall in Paris:
The Food Hall smelled of roasting guinea fowl and sour pickles. Under a show more ceiling suitable for a mosque, we found a football pitch devoted entirely to food and engaged in a din of worldly commerce. Around us: Victorian nymphs in clamshells, ceramic boars, a purple-tiled peacock, An oyster bar stood beside handing slabs of plastic meat, while the grounds were covered in a seemingly endless line of marble-and-glass counters. One entire counter, I recall, was filled with nothing but bacon -- "Smoked Streaky," "Oyster-Back," and "Suffolk Sweet Cure."

This beauty continues throughout the book, as Hassan meets the antagonist-turned-benefactor of the story: Madame Gertrude Mallory. A truly unlikable character, Madame Mallory's range of emotion, thoughts, experiences, and (finally) completely winsome charm is as full-bodied as a fine red wine. She surrounds herself with a variety of characters with whom the reader becomes attached, including Hassan's first lady-love, Margaret.

The journey continues as Hassan becomes famous in his own right, surpassing even his famous teacher. The delight of bringing forth cuisine morphs into the struggles of being in business. Like his father before him, Hassan grows to learn that passion always has a price.

There are so many layers to this book, it is impossible to list them here. Highly recommended. show less

wanted to like Hassan. I really did. Truth is, however, I did not care what happened to him. There was no connection, and I did not understand his voice and views throughout the novel. A couple of bad things happened to him, and I found myself unsympathetic and uncaring - harsh, I know! I felt more for a couple of his family members than for him (the protagonist), which wasn't a good sign. Several years of Hassan's life are just omitted or barely referenced, so this may have been the cause for my lack of attention on his behalf.

Another issue - this read more like nonfiction to me, which is not a compliment in this case. I did not fully appreciate all of the cooking descriptions (very detailed), and I am someone relatively interested in show more the subject matter. The details were weighty and there were just too many in my opinion.

On the bright side, this book was short and could be read quickly if one wanted. I found myself fighting through it, but the writing is simple enough that it would not take most very long. Also, I liked the fact that there were multiple settings and that they were diverse. I liked how Morais handled the discrimination that Hassan faced throughout the story as well; the clash of the cultures was definitely present in this book! If you have a deep interest or appreciation for cooking and you can get past the lack of strong character connections, then maybe you will like The Hundred-Foot Journey more than I did. show less