A book about food, aesthetics, and labour developed during Dharavi Food Project. Copublished in Mumbai by Dharavi Biennale and SNEHA, with support from Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom. Portrait format. 8.5 x 11″. Full colour trade paperback.
cultural studies • 195 pages • 2015
reviews and reverberations
“One of the most original and wonderful cookbooks I have read in recent years is The Indecisive Chicken: Stories and Recipes from Eight Dharavi Women by Prajna Desai… These are the sorts of “little inventions”, says Desai, that recipe-cooks such as us may lose the knack of doing…” – The Guardian
“The dishes found in The Indecisive Chicken are testimony to the ethnic and regional diversity of food in India…The lack of money dictates that meals are made from scratch and, here again, there is an interesting contrast to be drawn between the residents of Dharavi and the British working class.” – South China Morning Post
“Ces recettes sont associées à des gestes si spontanés, transmis de mères en filles, qu’il a fallu des mois pour rassembler les savoirs de chacune et établir les recettes. En se penchant sur ces histoires et ces plats, l’ouvrage bat en brèche les clichés associés aux bidonvilles, et célèbre un art jusqu’ici ignoré.” – Le Monde
“Desai’s new cookbook, The Indecisive Chicken: Stories And Recipes From Eight Dharavi Cooks, draws attention to what India’s working class cooks – and eats – every day.” – NPR (National Public Radio)
“This book is a must have – you will fall in love with the women in this book and their recipes as I have. The most important lesson I gleaned is to embrace the world’s differences and to learn as much as we can about each other – and food is the perfect conduit.” – thecookbookjunkies.com
“It is a remarkable achievement…The book reminds us of the incredible variety and creativity in Indian food, and how much remains to be recorded — and reproduced too, in both home and restaurant kitchens.” – The Economic Times
Museum of Food and Drink Museum of Modern Art onceuponatiffin.com The Guardian South China Morning Post Verve Magazine Le Monde npr.org thecookbookjunkies.com The Economic Times discover.wordpress.com The Hindustan Times
excerpt – table of contents
excerpt – title spread
excerpt- introduction
Reproducing this work in part or whole requires permission from Prajna Desai