It’s out! A Common Table is on shelves today, and I need someone to just pinch me now.
B2 and I have been talking about how funny the timing is for this passion project of mine. I first started writing this book when I was pregnant with Luke, and signed a contract when he was just one month away from coming into the world. At first, the publisher and I discussed a release date sometime in September 2018, and then as the book progressed, as Luke was born and grew up and the manuscript was written, the final date we chose was October 23, 2018–two days after Luke’s second birthday! And then, last month, we found out that it was the same day he’d be starting preschool. (Yep, a few hours from now we’re going to be dropping him off at his preschool for the first time and let’s not talk about it, no, I’m not crying, my eyes are just sweaty.)
All this to say that I love that the book is coming out on a big week for Luke–even if it’s been a crazy one–because at its core, the book embodies him, and it embodies our family. So much of it happened while he was in my belly (or napping in a bassinet in the background), and the Asian- and American-influenced recipes represent the various cultures that B2 and I hope he’ll grow up with.
It feels vulnerable, to say the least, to have this piece of me out in the world today (Luke and the book?!) after more than two years of writing and cooking and living it. I’m so excited and grateful to be able to share it with you, and cannot wait to hear all about what you think. I hope you love it. Thank you so much for being here, and for making this possible!
![The incomparable @hettymckinnon first sent me a jar of her homemade chili oat crisp nearly a year ago, at the start of the pandemic, and it was so life-alteringly delicious that I have been itching to share it with you here and on my blog ever since. Well, it has been a long wait, but the book that it is in, “To Asia, With Love,” is finally coming out stateside in a few weeks, and so I wrote up Hetty’s recipe earlier this week in anticipation. I did not know at that time what would happen in Atlanta this week, but have felt in my heart how necessary a book like Hetty’s, and voices like Hetty’s, were already—and even more so now.
Hetty writes poignantly in “To Asia, With Love” about a “third culture”–a struggle for her identity growing up as a Chinese immigrant in Australia, and the eventual “cross-pollination of ideas and techniques that are grounded in [her] Chinese heritage, yet greatly influenced by growing up in the Western world.” As immigrants, our cultural identities, and the fabric of society into which we weave, are so complicated. It can be beautiful, but it can also be messy, and events like these show how devastatingly far we still have to go. I don’t have anything more insightful to add than has already been said by so many, but I am glad more than ever for the brilliant, thoughtful voices around me to whom I can look for guidance and inspiration. Some resources posted to my profile, and if you’re looking for a spicy balm to take your mind off things, recipe for Hetty’s chili crisp (which is, all else aside, truly one of the best things I’ve ever made) is on my blog. ❤️ #stopasianhate #stopaapihate](https://tworedbowls.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
Ali
Wishing Luke and you and B2 a happy happy day from afar! So much to celebrate. Congrats. Made the potstickers from A Common Table last night — huge success … I didn’t make the dough … one day I will. BUT I did make the dough for the scallion buns, and it is rising as I type. Can’t wait. xoxo
Eliza
Congratulations, Cynthia!! To this third-year law student, your ability to balance lawyering, blogging, writing, and motherhood is inspiring. 🙂
Bill McGRATH
Bravo to you on another well done effort- I look forward to your book and all of your adventures with the B’s
Bill McGRATH
I tried to wish you well but was told I was repeating myself- How unlike me- how unlike me
Wishing all the best to you and the B’s