Character

Reichl’s mother arguably influenced her more than any character, for she introduced her to cooking and made her appreciate good food. Food being the central theme of the novel, her mothers failure to cook palatable food forced Ruth to learn cooking herself and forever changed her life. It even affected her relationship with people, such as Alice, whom she likes more and has more respect for because she can cook. For such a large impact to be made on her daughter she must have been quite the mother. Reichl’s mother is manic-depressive, thrill-seeking, eccentric, energetic, and oblivious. Her mother’s mood could often be found in the refrigerator as Reichl writes, “...the more odd and interesting things there were in the refrigerator, the happier my mother was likely to be”(8). This strange association with food and mood is a theme that carries on throughout the book. Her mother veiled her desperate desire for excitement, but however occasionally her craving would be apparent. She shows this when she hunts for the strangest, most foreign food and as well as her many getaways designed to escape the monotony of being a mother. Her dinner parties, vacations, cruises, flirting, and enthusiasm when there is a bomb blast in Haiti are all evidence of her need to break the status quo. Reichl writes about her parents trip to Europe saying, “As usual it was my mother’s idea”(24). This provides an example of her mother’s determination to entertain herself and escape being bored. Whether or not this can be attributed to her manic-depressive condition is uncertain.