THURSDAY,AUG.23,2001
ENTERTAINMENT
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 3B
Coming of age novel mixes food and family
Light read includes recipes that both whet the appetite, turn the stomach
By Mara Reichman Jayplay writer
Adventurous eaters beware -- Thomas Fox Averill's "Secrets of the Tsil Cafe" will tame even the wildest of appetites.
With a unique mixture of prose and recipes, this coming-of-age novel will either leave mouths watering or stomachs churning.
Set in the middle of Kansas City's trendy 39th Street, an American Southwestern "New World" restaurant and an Italian "Old World" catering business share not only the same building but also the same family. Here, amidst the distinct aromas of two different kitchens, Weston Tito Hingley creates a culinary style all his own.
Raised in a bizarre environment of cuisines ranging from habanero chiles and prickly pear cactus to olive oil and mozarella. Wes accepts the duality of his existence: "I lived a double life: Midwestern boy by day; by night the son of my father's eccentric Tsil Cafe and my mother's exotic
Buen AppeTito."
He spends half of his childhood over the stove, sampling experimental dishes and learning the tricks of his parents' trade. The other half is spent in the harsh realities of the school cafeteria where his gourmet sack munches are an easy target for bullies. Immediately ostracizing him for his peculiar tastes, Wes' cruel classmates cement his place as a permanent outsider. Stuck in a world of PB & J with the crusts cut off, Wes daydreams of exchanging his extravagant meals for the normalcy of white bread and bologna.
Wes continues to study the intricacies of cooking, and as he matures, his lessons graduate from the innocence of the kitchen to the adult world of family conflict and forbidden relationships. Working at the Tsil Cafe forces him to grow up quickly. In the front of the restaurant, Wes observes as patrons gulp their teary-eye, bitter throat shots of strong liquor. In the back, he spies on torrid, spiteful love affairs between employees, some of which hit too close to home.
As these relationships unfold and tensions rise, Wes ventures outside the restaurant to explore the rebellious outlets adolescence has to offer. A bit of alco
hol, tobacco and sexual experimentation only lead him to more confusion and frustration.
Yearning to find his own niche in a balance between the New World and the Old World, Wes eventually heads south-west to New Mexico in a search for self-knowledge: "My father
Reichman
Jayplay
Reviewer
once said he cooked to create a singular experience that needed perfecting. He created and perfected his world and he lived in it. I took a different approach: I wanted to keep creating myself so I could live in any world."
Far from the world of his parents' kitchens, he attempts to find himself in the strange amalgam of past and present, Italy and America, mother and father - all on the same plate.
It becomes clear to Wes that "food had been everything in my family: from seduction, to individuality, to anger, to love. Now it was me." And while the food indeed dominates every aspect of Wes' life, it is the overwhelming and often suffocating presence of
family that permeates each page.
Buried remnants of his parents' pasts slowly surface to reveal yet more affairs and familial secrets than Wes ever desires to know. The more he learns of his history, the more he strives to distance himself from his parents' tight grasp.
Despite Averill's aggressive force-feeding of the intertwining food-and-family theme, his subtle humor and sarcastic voice lighten the melodramatic plot. His cast of characters is as various and flavorful as the menu he provides in the preface. There's Carson Flinn, the restaurant critic, who is "almost entirely bald, with a huge appetite and finicky manners"; Pablito, the Tsil Cafe's host and bartender, a small hunchback whose "back was slightly humped, his neck formed so he seemed always to be looking askance, like a bird does"; and Maria Tito, Wes' great-grandmother, who could "chop, peel, cut, mince, stuff, score, braise, boil, clean, bake" as well as place Sheetrock and plane two-by-fours. Even the family dog, named When Available, carries his own inside joke to the restaurant menu: "the item Tamales gave the customer a choice of Shrimp, Turkey, Buffalo, or Dog (When Available)."
Despite Averill's aggressive force-feeding of the intertwining food-and-family theme, his subtle humor and sarcastic voice lighten the melodramatic plot.
The book, however, contains a few problems. The random recipes sprinkled throughout the prose disrupt the flow of Averill's carefully blended comedy and drama, creating a disjointed read. Tantalizing salsas, desserts and vegetables alternate with such repulsive absurdities as guinea pig, llama blood and algae. Occasionally, the recipes coincide with the characters' actions or specific events, but they are frequently annoying and easily skipped.
Averill has obviously researched extensively to prepare his menus, but he would have been better off compiling them at the novel's finale.
Although the use of food to
uepiet Wes' personal journey is disruptive and refreshing. Averill's novel traces this unconventional route to an unfulfilling conclusion. His search down unusual paths for unusual ingredients leads to a disappointingly predictable ending after spicy characters and anecdotes.
As in all coming-of-age stories, "Secrets of the Tsil Cafe" concludes with a moment of self-realization when Wes discovers himself through his cooking. With some influence of each parent peppering his sauces, Wes invents his own entrees, ensuring that in either world, Old or New, his cooking will reflect a special appreciation for chiles and olive oil.
Regardless of its flaws, this light summer read offers a tasty twist on an all-too-familiar tale.
Reach Reichman at 864-4810
■ BlueHen Books
■ 302 pages
■ $23
"Secrets of the Tsil Cafe"
Cajun band to sizzle Lied Center
By Chris Wristen Jayplay writer
The Lied Center staff plans to throw the largest field party in town and everyone's invited.
The Jacqueline Z. Davis Sixth Annual Free Outdoor Concert begins at 7 p.m. tomorrow on the Lied Center lawn. The show features BeauSoleil, a six-member ensemble that plays Cajun-style tunes that *Rolling Stone* called "the best damn dance band you'll ever hear." Band representative Cathy Williams agreed and said BeauSoleil's forte was its live show.
"It truly is," she said. "And their current album is even a live album with the best live music of their 25-year career."
Lead singer, fiddler and band founder Michael Doucet said he took pride in having a band that delivered a classic Cajun sound that people could dance to, but he
also liked to delve into other music genres.
"In our career, BeauSoleil has always reflected the diversity of Cajun music," he said. "Not just the two-steps, but ballads, blues, jazz, Tin Pan Alley — everything that made up our musical culture — from near-forgotten individual musical craftsmans to such influences as brass bands, jazz, Texas swing, country and swamp pop."
BeauSoleil last appeared in Lawrence in August 1998 in the Lied Center lawn and attracted more than 3,000 fans. Karen Lane Christilles, director of marketing for the Lied Center, said she anticipated a larger turnout because of the numerous requests people made for the band's return. She said people enjoyed the energy that BeauSoleil generated in its live shows.
"Some people like to sit on their blankets, relax and enjoy the stars and the
music," Christilles said. "But for people with a little more energy a lot of them like to get up and dance the night away. In years past we've had people dancing all over the lawn. Either way, you'll definitely want to move some part of your body."
Christilles also said people who move their bodies to the Lied Center early could participate in the Family Art Festival, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Students can win prizes, participate in various activities and learn about opportunities to get involved in the Lawrence community.
But she said the night was ultimately about having fun and enjoying the music.
"A lot of times we have people bring a blanket, have a picnic and sit and enjoy the music, but they'll still be tapping their feet," Christilles said. "But we have a dance floor set up in front of the stage, even though it's outdoors, so a lot of people get
up and dance."
Also from the Lied Center this weekend
On Saturday night the Lied Center Concert Series travels to the Haskell Indian Nations University campus to present Native Roots, a Native American reggae band.
Native Roots will perform at 7 p.m. and features lyricist Shkhem. a Haskell graduate.
Christielles said Native Roots also provided music to dance to, but Shkeme said the band had a much stronger message.
"We sing about the pride of Native people," Shkeme said in a statement. "We want to encourage people to put down their arms and unite all the people."
Wristen can be reached at 864-4810 or writer@kansan.com
CONTRIBUTED ART
Michael Doucet, of BeauSoleil, will play Friday at the Lied Center lawn.
Red Lyon Tavern
A touch of Irish in
downtown Lawrence
944 Mass. 832-8228
An Invitation to
Thursday Afternoon Tea
Kansas Union Lobby
Free Tea & Sweets
3 to 5 p.m. All Semester
All are Welcome
KU Memorial Unions
Students Welcome FREE BBQ
Saturday, August 25th 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Immanuel Lutheran Church and University Student Center
15th & Iowa
843-0620
Lutheran Student Fellowship www.ku.edu/~Isfku
"...nothing short of stunning..."
Student Tix Start at $5
with valid student I.D. - call for details
LARAMIE
PROJECT
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Members of Tectonic Project
Directed by Jeff Church
Aug. 22.-Sept. 16
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