DeepSummary
Priya Krishna, a cookbook author, is releasing a new cookbook for kids called 'Priya's Kitchen Adventures' inspired by her childhood experiences of traveling the world with her mom who worked in the airline industry. The book features recipes from various cuisines that Priya was introduced to during her travels, along with stories about the cultural contexts of the foods.
To write the recipes in a way that would be accessible to kids, Priya had to rethink the instructions and avoid using jargon that might be confusing. She recruited her young cousins as recipe testers, whose honest and insightful feedback helped shape the book. Priya aimed to normalize diverse cuisines as 'weeknight' and 'everyday' foods rather than presenting them as overly complicated or exotic.
The new kids cookbook ties into the themes Priya explored in her previous book 'Indianish,' which sought to challenge the perception of Indian cuisine as 'foreign' and assert its place in the realm of American cooking. Although progress has been made, Priya notes that the industry still has work to do in terms of how books by authors of color are categorized and edited.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Priya Krishna's new cookbook 'Priya's Kitchen Adventures' is aimed at introducing kids to diverse global cuisines and flavors through simple, straightforward recipes.
- Krishna recruited her young cousins as recipe testers to ensure the instructions were clear and jargon-free for a child audience.
- The book ties into Krishna's broader mission of normalizing diverse cuisines as 'weeknight' American foods rather than positioning them as overly exotic.
- While there has been progress, Krishna notes the publishing industry still has work to do in authentically representing authors of color and their cultural culinary perspectives.
- Krishna expresses optimism about Americans increasingly embracing diverse dishes like dal and saag as part of their regular everyday meals.
- Accessibility and authenticity are key priorities for Krishna in making global cuisines appealing and unstigmatized for all audiences.
- Krishna aims to expose kids to the cultural stories and contexts behind dishes from around the world.
- Recipe writing for kids forces cookbook authors to be more thoughtful about using plain language and avoiding insider jargon.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I feel like anyone who wants to become a better recipe writer should write a recipe for kids, because it really teaches you how to write clearly and how much jargon we use in recipes.“ by Priya Krishna
- “I once wrote, like, I want everyone to be making Dal, and I think a lot of people are making Dal.“ by Priya Krishna
- “I actually think we've gone. We've done good work. I get tagged weekly in people making dal, people making saag, people making alugabi, and they're not indian. I think that we are at a really interesting moment where people's weak night food is getting a lot more diverse.“ by Priya Krishna
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Episode Information
The Sporkful
Dan Pashman and Stitcher
4/22/24