This book was extremely clever. Not perfect, but clever. Between this one and The Ten Percent Thief I’m prepared to add Lavanya Lakshminarayan to my “auto-read” list.
This is set about 2000 years in the future. Humans have colonized other planets across the galaxy; the Earth is (still) a shitshow, but the colonies were all founded on principles of sustainability and the collective good. People are still people, but the colony worlds seem to, on the whole, be living up to their ideals. More or less. This book takes place on the first of those colony worlds, Primus. The Primians will tell you - without prompting and at length - about just how great they are at those ideals, especially compared to those barbaric Earthlings.
Our main characters are Saraswati Kaveri (Saras to her friends) and Serenity Ko. Saras is a refugee from Earth, and a talented chef. She’s determined to compete on - and win - the biggest show in the galaxy, Interstellar MegaChef, despite the disdain that Primians have for everything Earth (cuisine not the least). Ko is a rising star at XP Inc, a company that uses nano biotech to deliver experiences ranging from reality-augmenting to fully immersive. But her boss is making her take a sabbatical, much to Ko’s annoyance, because her work-life balance is non-existent and she needs to get a better perspective. While on sabbatical, she hits on her best idea yet: eating as a simulated experience. Someone can eat a plate of what is, essentially, NutraLoaf, but thanks to XP Inc’s integrated nanotech get the sensory experience of some of the greatest meals ever cooked. Unfortunately, despite being the granddaughter of a famous Primain cookbook author and restaurant critic, Ko knows absolutely nothing about food (drinks, she’s good on). If only there was someone who could help her learn…
As a work of science fiction, this has a lot going on. Partly it’s commentary on cultural imperialism - the irony of the Primian disdain for Saras’ big, bold flavors in favor of their more sedate “refined” was not lost on me, given that the author is Indian. It poses an interesting question with this immersive virtual food tech - what is lost by convenience? It definitely has its good points, in that it has the potential to deliver these wonderful experiences across the galaxy to people who could otherwise never experience. But it also has its dangers, both as a tool of cultural imperialism (reinforcing Primus’ place at the cultural apex of humanity) and as a tool of propaganda if in the wrong hands (the ability for something external to influence what a person experiences with this degree of finesse).
And what about the effect this will have on the culture of food? It’s not a huge thing to Ko, but it is to Saras and Ko’s grandmother. Even if it’s not quite as good as the “real” thing - and Ko is determined to make it so - will there still be a place for “real” food in the world Ko is trying to build? Humans, as Ko’s grandmother points out, will collectively choose the most convenient option every time, which has historically not worked out too well for us.
Beyond science fiction, this book has a lot to say about food. It’s clear that Lavanya Lakshminarayan is someone who appreciates food; not only for its flavor, but for the love that can go into creating it, the way it brings people together, the passion it can engender.
I called it flawed at the top of this, and it is. Going into specifics would be spoilers, but my big issue with the book is that it just stops. Goodreads has it as book #1 of the “Flavour Hacker” series, so I’m perfectly content with lots of unanswered questions. Even if it was standalone, I’m content with ambiguous answers and lots of things being left to the reader. But there needs to be a denouement of some sort, and that’s where I think this book is lacking. Still, 4 stars.
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