This story arose from a bizarre true-life incident. That American lives consist of endless wandering between cities, relationships, jobs and situations is a cliché that contains a high percentage of truth. The narrator follows an apparently suicidal impulse and winds up in Mexico. He discovers his vocation as a cook, and imposes on himself the faintly Zen mission of becoming a Mexican chef. Mexican cuisine is diabolically complex; turning Mexican’s impossible.
The narration – dream-like and ironic, but at the same time precise and sharp like a merciless blade – brings the reader, wave after wave, wandering in friendly seas, hellish kitchens, and pyrotechnic culinary talents.
The book is made more valuable by ten photographs of the Italian artist Carlo Fei.
