Abundant in heart, intimacy and flavor, Josephine Caminos Oría's Sobremesa: A Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses invites readers to pull up a seat and settle in. Born in Argentina but raised mainly in Pittsburgh, Pa., Oría translates sobremesa as "time spent being present at the table, lingering over a meal in conversation well after the food is gone." The table Oría sets in her rich telling explores not just her own coming of age but also the legacies of the women, family and cultures that have helped shape her, and her decisions, along the way.
Even amid heartbreaks and tragedy, love in Oría's life is plentiful: in memories of ancestors watching over her; as she gazes upon the handsome ranch hand who eventually becomes her husband; and as she changes the course of her professional life, to dedicate herself to re-creating her grandmother's dulce de leche.
Oría lingers over memories, living her sobremesa philosophy in her telling itself: prolonging the stories, steeping them in indelible details. A poignant example: Oría urges survivors of anyone who had standing appointments--as in her late mother's case--with hairdressers who served as longtime confidantes: "Should you ever lose a loved one suddenly... call their hairdresser. Go sit in their chair and talk to them." In Sobremesa's many moments like this, Oría's story spreads love and nourishment where others might forget its power--even simply through a recipe for Empanadas al Cuchillo. --Katie Weed, freelance writer and reviewer