book excerpt

A bitter melon vine in San Diego becomes a lifeline to family, memory and the complicated meaning of home

An author whose work has appeared in NYT, Vogue India and LA Times

Published May 9, 2026 12:00PM (EDT)

(Norman Posselt / Getty Images)

This is an excerpt from Madhushree Ghosh's upcoming book, " SAFAR: Finding Home, History, and Culture through Punjabi Food in the American West ," (Bloomsbury) out in June 2026

Baba was our resident gardener . He told us tales of big brinjals, bright pumpkin flowers, sprite okra that grew in the farmland in what’s now Bangladesh, where he grew up. In Delhi, in our rented place surrounded by dark, healthy soil, he made our garden flourish with happy peas, bright roses, lauki, bell peppers, chilies and so many varieties of beans we couldn’t keep count.…