Anita Legsdin’s Remembrance of Meals Past is a combination of delicious stories and meaningful meals.

They say that great stories are best told at dinner tables. They also say that behind a wonderful dish is a great narrative. Anita Legsdin’s Remembrance of Meals Past is a combination of both. In this stunning and unique masterpiece, Anita Legsdin shares unforgettable stories and the food that make them so. And vice versa. Published in 2014, the book is part memoir, part culinary guide, and part fiction. Anita weaves a series of unrelated stories, both from her own past and from her rich imagination. 

A deliciously-written masterpiece.

In Remembrance of Meals Past, Anita Legsdin gathers some of the most intriguing and funny stories based on her personal encounters, experiences of several acquaintances, and her creative and witty imagination. Each narrative is accompanied by another great passion of hers- food. Filled with lessons, blunders, wisdom, and humor, Anita’s 2014 masterpieces take readers to multiple adventures and misadventures, fine dinners, oddly familiar and exotic cuisines, and unlikely bliss.

Throughout the book, food plays a central role in each of the stories that Anita Legsdin weaves. Some of these novellas are memories of previous encounters. In the story “A Good Year for Apples”, Anita draws inspiration from a reunion with relatives in her native country, Latvia. The story features two varieties of Boletus mushroom- Bekas and Baravikas. Both are edible mushrooms. Latvians are famous for their mushroom dishes.

Other stories of the book are funny experiences of friends. In “The Paella Prototype”, Anita writes about a friend named Sylvia. In the story, Anita narrates how Sylvia got into a relationship with a guy named Guy and later on, with a man named Sam. The men ended up as a gay couple. Paella is a Spanish dish from the Valencia region. “Paella” means frying pan in their language.

In her book, Anita also writes fiction. “The Sins of the Father is a story of an unlikely meeting of two souls. Anita writes about shepherd’s pie and how this dish of English origin became the reason for Steve and Mara’s first encounter.

“Susan, a woman who usually sits behind me in boats, asked me what I was planning to bring to the potluck. “You always bring such exotic dishes, I’ll bet this one’ll be special.” I thought for a brief moment. True, I always enjoyed bringing Latvian specialties that displayed my ancestral heritage and pride. I loved to bring sauerkraut, or a good loaf of rye bread, or delicate Latvian pastries. But not this time. “I’m just bringing macaroni and cheese,” I replied. “Oh, that’s right,” Susan said, nodding. “Comfort food.” (Excerpt from the book Remembrance of Meals Past)

Remembrance of Meals Past is a unique masterpiece. With rich ingredients of interwoven narratives, a sensible blend of nostalgia and imagination, topped with witticism and humor, Anita Legsdin’s work promises sure to satisfy our literary taste.

Remembrance of Meals Past has garnered several recognitions in the United States and other parts of the world. It has been exhibited in some of the most prestigious international book fairs including the Frankfurt International Book Fair, Beijing International Book, Beijing International Book, Miami Book Fair, and The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

To know more about Anita Legsdin and her book, check out Remembrance from Meals Past, or visit her website today.

About Anita Legsdin

Author Anita Legsdin is a Latvian-American author. A food enthusiast, Anita learned to cook from her grandmother who went to cooking school in France and became the head chef for the famed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Being a Latvian, Anita Legsdin was raised on Eastern European dishes sauerkraut and sausages.