The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: Book Review

Food, Culture and Identity

The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, explores many aspects of immigrant families, but mainly addresses identity. The title itself, leads one to believe that this novel is about identity, a name being one of the main things someone identifies themselves with. From food to relationships, this novel delves deeply into the minds and hearts of the Ganguli family. Through their experiences the reader is shown the perspective of Ashima Ganguli and Gogol Ganguli and how they deal with and form their identities.

It may be a strange notion to believe, but food truly has a great deal to do with identity. Every culture has a food for something; chicken soup for a cold, grilled cheese for homesickness, comfort foods and celebratory foods, birthday cakes and Christmas cookies. Food is tied in with our emotions, our memories and experiences. Some foods we know make us sick or are our favorites. The smell of a food can evoke a memory; can make us feel welcomed in a foreign place. Whatever the case, food is important to people all around the world. In The Namesake we see the topic of food run throughout. For instance, the first page of the novel opens up with the mention of food;

"On a sticky August evening two weeks before her due date, Ashima Ganguli stands in the kitchen...combining Rice Krispies and Planters peanuts and chopped red onion in a bowl. She adds salt, lemon juice, thin slices of green chili pepper, wishing there was some mustard oil to pour into the mix...a humble approximation of the snack sold for pennies on Calcutta sidewalks...in India" (1).