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Menu of Happiness

by Hisashi Kashiwai Publisher: G P PUTNAM SONS

Memory, reconstructed through food

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Memory, reconstructed through food

In Kyoto, the Kamogawa Diner turns recipe-hunting into a way of recovering personal histories. Its father-and-daughter proprietors work as “food detectives,” recreating dishes tied to customers’ pasts. The cases include a former pianist seeking a particular yakisoba and a man revisiting memories of gyoza connected to a relationship he regrets. Food links the book’s episodic encounters with questions of love, remorse, and the possibility of reconnecting with the past. The restaurant setting gives these stories a shared frame, while each requested dish carries its own history.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Those who enjoy fiction centered on food and personal memory
  • Readers interested in linked stories set around a Kyoto restaurant
  • Fans of narratives about regret, love, and reconnection

Themes

Food and memoryLove and regretReconciliation with the pastKyoto restaurant life

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A beloved Japanese bestseller, Menu of Happiness is for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and asks the question: What's the one dish you'd do anything to taste just one more time?

"As warm and nourishing as a good cup of tea...a series I can see myself returning to again and again."--Mia P. Manansala, award-winning author of Arsenic and Adobo


Every memory has a flavor. A very special restaurant in Kyoto helps find them . . .

Welcome to the Kamogawa Diner, where every meal is a mystery ready to be solved. This unique establishment is run by a father-daughter duo who offer more than just mouth-watering meals. They act as "food detectives," delving into the past to produce nostalgia-infused dishes for their hungry clientele.

Among the patrons is a once-renowned pianist whose promising career was marred by a self-inflicted injury. She longs to taste the yakisoba shared with the only man she ever truly loved. The diner also welcomes a man haunted by shadows of regret. His mind is haunted by the memory of gyoza served by the parents of a lover he once jilted, as he seeks understanding and, perhaps, forgiveness.

The Kamogawa Diner doesn't just serve food - it recreates forgotten recipes, helping its patrons to revisit memories lost to time. Each dish is a portal to the past, serving not just sustenance but solace and reconnection through the miracle of delicious food.
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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.