I like defiance because it’s positive instead of negative. It’s creative rather than destructive. It’s a “yes” in answer to somebody’s “no.” It’s a step into the world you’d rather be living in. And it’s time-honored across cultures: from the ancient Christians who continued meeting when the Roman emperor banned it; to Gandhi making salt from seawater when the colonial government forbade it; to women going to the polls in the U.S. to cast votes before the 19th amendment.
Yesterday I got angry reading a recipe on the NYTimes. It doesn’t matter which one because it’s the same thing that happens everywhere all the time: some Famous White Male Chef takes credit for a food culture invented by brown and black women.
I could have written a nastygram to the Times. But instead I got up, went to my cookbook shelf, pulled out 1,000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra, and made her Tangy Shrimp with Fresh Mint. And boy, was it fantastic. It was the perfect start to the evening I wanted to be living in.
The Rookery 