Making Fruitcake for My Father as an Act of Optimism
A year in fruitcake means a year soaking in hope and optimism. Committing to the cakes meant believing that we would all see some semblance of survival.
hollow bamboo poletomato
How many years do we have left?How many more fruitcakes?
Alana Dao is a mother, writer, and restaurant worker whose creative practice explores contemporary culture, food, and identity. Her work most often takes the form of artists' books, zines, and essays. She received a BA from Smith College and an MA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Born in Texas, she resides in Maine.
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More in this series
My Family’s Secret Recipe for Immortality
Though my mother’s no longer here to meet my son, he’ll taste his grandmother’s cooking though our family’s Sunday gravy, the one I make every week to keep her spirit alive.
Wherever I Go, Kimchi Fried Rice Feels Like Home
They were our new friends, and we wanted to treat them to food from that had become special to us.
Learning to Live with Durians Again
Was my rejection of the durian, Southeast Asia’s King of Fruits, a betrayal of my cultural identity, of my life in Singapore?