Dr. Chitralekha Biswas
Volume-XII, Issue-IV, July 2024
Volume-XII, Issue-IV, July 2024 | ||
Published Online: 31.07.2024 | Page No: 240-248 | |||
Flavours
Of Imperialism: Exploring Food and Domesticity in Flora Annie Steels’s the
Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook
Dr.
Chitralekha Biswas, Assistant Professor, Department of English,
TMSL, Kolkata, West Bengal. India | |
This paper intends to analyze food politics, imperialism and domesticity in Flora Annie Steel (1847-1929) and Grace Gardiner’s advice manual The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook (1888). The author has created a unique narrative that portrays colonial domestic life, shares advice for creating a home in an alien land, and provides ideas to become an ideal mistress while keeping the racial superiority intact. The book shows the difference between a master/servant, colonizer/colonized, and ruler/ruled through the narrative of food. Indian cuisine has been an essential part of colonial family life. Socio-cultural orientalism has changed not only the plate but also the palate of individuals. The advice manual has become a meeting point of culture, attitude, and identity and also shares one’s association/inclination towards food. This paper looks at creating a unique cuisine that blends both Indian and Western tastes of food keeping the difference intact. Food has reshaped its form and identity and shares the reference of nationalism, colonialism, power and authority. | |
Keywords: Food politics, imperialism, cuisine, power, domesticity. |