A Prime Choice

It took a trip across the Pacific Ocean to finally start reading a book, one of my great joys in life. My perpetual time crush has limited me to flipping through the plethora of magazines I subscribe to.

While relaxing in Japan during Spring Break, I was able to start "My Year of Meats" (1999) by Ruth Ozeki as recommended by a friend/colleague. She commented that she didn't want to "force it" on me, but anything even remotely tied to Japanese culture peaks my interest. Just finished it up yesterday, relishing every last bit.

MYOM follows the narrative of two women: Jane, a Japanese-American TV program director, and Akiko, a beleaguered Japanese housewife who is inspired by Jane's programs to uproot herself and make a drastic change in her terribly horrible life.

The program? "My American Wife!", a pro-American-beef show conceptualized by producers in Japan to push the product in that country's local markets.

The novel traces the adventures of Jane & her production crew as they traipse across the U.S. in search of wives who deftly prepare all things beef to film as consumerist propaganda. Many issues are addressed: women's roles, food safety, cultural conflicts, and yes, even love and redemption.

What a joy this book was to blast through after I finally got used to the jumpy narrative. Highly recommended...but don't worry, I'm still not a vegetarian!