March 30-April 6

I found it was very interesting to have two narratives that are intertwined throughout the novel. I love how the novel builds on non-fictional characters to enhance the story and background (fictionally of course) about the chef. Bihn is trying to discover who he is in light of the lesbian couple he works for. It is obvious from the get go when he writes the letter to his brother back home. He struggles on where the commas how their placement impacts what he is really trying to say. I believe he placed the comas in this case where he was subconsciously thinking. From Bihn’s initial letter I felt a sense of depression and sense of searching and yearning to discover himself. I like how the reader has to trace Bihn’s story and discover how and why he left Vietnam. I like how Bihn’s sexuality was juxtaposed against his employers. Bihn’s sexual orientation was even more exploited because his abusive father forced him to leave; this is all reflected in how Bihn reviews and sees the world, especially in France. Bihn also expresses that he feels that his race and his ethnicity separate and mark him as different in France. He is confronted with so many obstacles and events all at once; he has to navigate through his sexual orientation, his skin color, and social standing in France. Bihn’s own sexual orientation is brought under even more light because he works for a lesbian couple, which represents the exact reason he left Vietnam. He is forced to navigate between a cultural where sexual orientation is highly scrutinized to a cultural where it is more acceptable in France. Again the connection of identity and abuse runs strong in this novel. Bihn’s gruesome sense of childhood abuse are described in detail. I had goose bumps on the arms when I read about what Bihn’s father used to beat him with. My favorite things to do after I read a novel is to look and see how the title fits in. In this case is was pretty easy. Bihn is a cook salt is an ingredient the is in the kitchen while working in France. Tears are prevalent from his childhood abuse and they also contain salt. The title of this book gave nothing away about what it was actually about. It kept me guessing the entire time. The battle of identity was very strong in this book. Bihn’s anguish and pain in battling with himself was very strong. The relationship between his employers was also very beautiful. It depicted a married couple instead of focusing only on their sexual orientation. The novel flowed very evenly with all of the different story lines were all intertwined. The setting in France was also very comfortably addressed. I was annoyed with French words at first but by the second chapter it started to flow and feel more comfortable for me. Bihn’s journey for his identity was definitely the toughest journey thus far from the remaining characters we have read about so far.