“Rice” by Jhumpa Lahiri
Summary: In 1967, Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London, and has received numerous honors for her writing, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Hemingway Award. She writes about her father's conduct and daily routine from morning to night in her descriptive essay Rice. When Lahiri describes her father and his method of cooking pulao, she demonstrates her admiration for him. Lahiri goes into great detail about how her father prepares the pulao. Lahiri doesn't even think of preparing the dad pulao even after learning all the ingredients. Everybody would request the pulao because it is such a special dish; he would prepare it for more than just regular family gatherings. When her son and daughter celebrate their first 'annaprasan' or rice-feeding with the same pulao her dad cooks, Lahiri explains the difference. Lahiri is so in awe of her dad's ability to always maintain an optimistic outlook.
The
word "rice" comes from an ancient Indian and Nepalese phrase that means "supporter of the human race." Rice may also be symbolic; for
example, we throw rice at weddings because it denotes fertility and prosperity.
Lahiri displays her affection for her father by detailing how he cooks pulao in
great detail.