Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais

“There are many points in life when we cannot see what awaits us around the corner, and it is precisely at such times, when our path forward is unclear, that we must bravely keep our nerve, resolutely putting one foot before the other as we march blindly into the dark.” 
― Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey

Our book club met on Thursday, January 22 at Paulette's home to discuss The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard Morais. Everyone liked the book, but those who had seen the movie first were disappointed in the movie once they had read the book and felt they had left some important and key elements out of the movie that added so much to the story.  The book is about a young man, Hassan Haji and his family, who step up out of poverty as they become street vendors in Mumbai, then eventually build a restaurant. They try to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich, but really don't fit in to either society.  After Hassan's mother dies in a fire, Abbas sells his property to developers and takes his family to Europe to mourn and escape.  They finally settle in the small town of Lumiere, establishing their Indian restaurant just one hundred feet away from Madame Mallory's  famous Le Saule Pleurer Restaurant.  Hassan has a gift with food and eventually moves across the street to learn from the talented chef.  The book is lovely and is really about the bridging of different cultures and classes in society.

Some favorite quotes from the book:

“Never be afraid of trying something new, Hassan. Very important. It is the spice of life.” 
― Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey

“I do think you have to change with the times in a way that renews your core essence, not abandons it. To change for the sake of change—without an anchor—that is mere faddishness. It will only lead you further astray.” 
― Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey

“But of course, no family is an island unto itself. It is always part of a larger culture: a community.” 

“...the balance sheet of her life, an endless list of credits and debits, of accomplishments and failures, small acts of kindness and real acts of cruelty. And the tears finally come as she looks away, unable to see this thing to the very end, for she knows without looking of the terrible imbalance, how long ago the credits stopped while the debits of vanity and selfishness run on and on.” 
― Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey

“A lot of emotion went into that hundred-foot journey, cardboard suitcase in hand, from one side of Lumière’s boulevard to the other.”

― Richard C. Morais, The Hundred-Foot Journey