Children Quote by Salman Rushdie
““And now, restored to the status of daughter in her own home, Amina began to feel the emotions of other people's food seeping into her - because Reverend Mother doled out the curries and meatballs of intransigence, dishes imbued with the personality of their creator; Amina ate the fish salans of stubbornness and the birianis of determination. And, although Mary's pickles had a partially counteractive effect - since she had stirred into them the guilt of her heart, and the fear of discovery, so that, good as they tasted, they had the power of making those who ate them subject to nameless uncertainties and dreams of accusing fingers - the diet provided by Reverend Mother filled Amina with a kind of rage, and even produced slight signs of improvements in her defeated husband.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The Satanic Verses”, 1988 (excerpt)
Food becomes a metaphor for absorbing others’ emotions and traits, leading to inner turmoil and transformation
In simple terms: Eating reflects and shapes personal emotions
Key Takeaway
Beware of absorbing others’ emotional baggage
Themes
identity
food symbolism
family dynamics
Mood
introspective
poetic
Type
literary
metaphorical
When to use this quote
- Family meals
- cultural rituals
- psychological introspection
Key Concepts
Cultural assimilation
emotional contagion
Questions to Reflect On
- What emotions do you inherit from family traditions?
- Can you choose what emotional “flavors” you consume?
A Different Perspective
Food may not always convey intended emotions; personal agency matters
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
