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How to Cook a Tapir: A Memoir of Belize (At Table)

How to Cook a Tapir: A Memoir of Belize (At Table)
By Joan Fry

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In 1962 Joan Fry was a college sophomore recently married to a dashing anthropologist. Naively consenting to a year-long “working honeymoon” in British Honduras (now Belize), she soon found herself living in a remote Kekchi village deep in the rainforest. Because Fry had no cooking or housekeeping experience, the romance of living in a hut and learning to cook on a makeshift stove quickly faded. Guided by the village women and their children, this twenty-year-old American who had never made more than instant coffee came eventually to love the people and the food that at first had seemed so foreign. While her husband conducted his clinical study of the native population, Fry entered their world through friendships forged over an open fire. Coming of age in the jungle among the Kekchi and Mopan Maya, Fry learned to teach, to barter and negotiate, to hold her ground, and to share her space—and, perhaps most important, she learned to cook.

This is the funny, heartfelt, and provocative story of how Fry painstakingly baked and boiled her way up the food chain, from instant oatmeal and flour tortillas to bush-green soup, agouti (a big rodent), gibnut (a bigger rodent), and, finally, something even the locals wouldn’t tackle: a “mountain cow,” or tapir. Fry’s efforts to win over her neighbors and hair-pulling students offers a rare and insightful picture of the Kekchi Maya of Belize, even as this unique culture was disappearing before her eyes. 
(20090406)

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #173450 in Books
  • Published on: 2009-04-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 294 pages

Features

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A poignant and revelatory coming-of-age story."�Carol Haggas, ForeWord (Carol Haggas ForeWord 20080825)

"An entertaining coming of age story as a self-assured woman emerges from a sheltered young bride."�Sandy Amazeen, monstersandcritics.com (Sandy Amazeen monstersandcritics.com 20081001)

�Here is the very unsentimental education of an American bride, who is extraordinarily quick and bright but ordinarily squeamish about dirt, bugs, bare breasts, and chicken feet in her tamale. Her transformation into a woman who can cook on a stove made of river stones, pave a dirt floor with a paste of ash, slice a tarantula with a machete, and bond with her Maya neighbors even as she cools toward her anthropologist husband is stunningly honest, moving, and convincing. This is a memoir that �broadens� in the way that travel is supposed to, and the recipes woven through the narrative are simple, exotic, and enticing. Now if only I could find a tapir . . .��Janet Burroway, author of Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft and Bridge of Sand (Janet Burroway 20081001)

�Reading and relishing Joan Fry�s wonderfully vivid memoir of her time among the Maya, I can almost smell the ripe mangos on the ground and the smoke of the Colonials in the air. I can taste the escabeche and tortillas. How to Cook a Tapir brings Belize to life.��Lan Sluder, author of Fodor�s Belize 2008 and publisher of the on-line magazine Belize First (Lan Sluder 20080826)

�How to Cook a Tapir has detailed instructions for foods that are fun to read about as well as foods that are easy to cook and delicious. Sesame Coconut Crunch, Cilantro Stewed Chicken, and Bush Greens and Garbanzos can all be made with ingredients from any American supermarket. And for those who have a tapir and wish to cook it, that recipe is there too. Like Osa Johnson''s great classic I Married Adventure, and Tracy Johnston�s Shooting the Boh, Joan Fry''s How to Cook a Tapir is the story of an adventurous woman whose travels teach her as much about herself as they do about the culture she encounters.��Denise Landis, former anthropologist and author of the New York Times cookbook Dinner for Eight: 40 Great Dinner Party Menus for Friends and Family. (Denise Landis )

�In the tradition of Eat, Pray, Love and Tales of a Female Nomad comes Joan Fry�s toothsome and transformational adventure. What a wonderful journey; garnish with samat!��Sandra Tsing Loh, author of Mother on Fire (Sandra Tsing Loh )

About the Author

Joan Fry is the author of Backyard Horsekeeping: The Only Guide You’ll Ever Need and the coauthor of The Beginning Dressage Book. Her articles and short stories have appeared in numerous publications, including McSweeney’s, Black Warrior Review, Other Voices, Southern California Anthology, and the Boston Globe. She lives with her husband in the California high desert.

Customer Reviews

A journey from Convict Soup to Tapir5
Imagine spending your honeymoon on a pig boat and being unceremoniously introduced to your newlywed home, consisting of a dirt floor and some stones to cook on. Imagine finding out that your new latrine is in the 'bush' and that the only source of water involves climbing a hill with a bucket on your head. Imagine lying awake in you hammock all night waiting for the next tarantula to drop on your face. Imagine being alone in a village, where no one speaks your language, everyone knows your business and where the other women make it obvious that they think you are useless excuse for a wife.

You have to give Joan Fry, the author of 'How to Cook a Tapir - A memoir of Belize' a lot of credit for maintaining her sense of humour when most sensible women would have packed up and gone home. In 1962, her anthropologist husband dragged her off to the rain forest of Belize to live with the Kekchi Maya, so that he could further his studies. Only 20 years old and from a comfortable American life, Ms. Fry, does what only a woman with a strong constitution in those circumstances could, she cooks.

Truthfully, she attempts to cook - badly at first. As she yearns to gain acceptance in her new community of curious neighbours, she discovers the real meaning of culture shock. But we all have to eat and that was the bridge that Ms. Fry built and crossed to not only discover the magic and wonder of the Maya people but also to discover that her new husband was truly an [...].

How to Cook a Tapir takes readers through an evocative journey, experiencing the wonders of life in the rainforest through the naive but highly intelligent eyes of a girl becoming a woman in completely alien circumstances. Every chapter ends with a recipe that represents the knowledge and wisdom she gains from her entertaining, frustrating and sometimes frightening experiences.

Anyone who is interested in the Maya people, their culture, their food or their way of life, will find this uniquely insightful book a real eye opener. Anyone who is interested in food, will find some of the authentic Maya recipes a gastronomic adventure and absolutely anyone who has found themselves in love with someone who rapidly disappoints them will empathise, sympathise and ocassionally guffaw at the author's sometimes clumsy attempts at being a good wife.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait for the movie.

Great Experience!5
Having traveled extensively in Belize I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Joan's experiences. I found the prose well written and enjoyable to read. The book offers great insight into living with the Maya in the 1960's. I highly recommend to anyone who loves Belize or is interested in a memoir set in the sub tropics.

How to Cook a Tapir5
Since I'm familiar with Belize I really enjoyed Joan's account of her experience. A great read for anyone!