Subtitle is "An Odyssey into the Food and Culture of the Land of Spices." And I now own a copy.

The Women's Center has all sorts of interesting people came and give talks. It is also a center for culinary history, and this morning they had a special speaker. I hadn't paid attention to who would be visiting until the librarian suggested I might be interested.

So I hauled myself up those 19 stairs. The trek was definitely worth it. I talked with a woman who has just opened a food museum in New Orleans. And I met several other interesting women who are all part of the Culinary History Group that is a project of the Women's Center.

And then the author/speaker gave an excellent presentation. She wound changes in culinary tastes together with changes in the population base of India--whether through immigration or war.

It was fascinating.

By the time she was halfway through I knew I had to buy the book.

I went over to the table where the Tulane Book Store person was happily selling books, trying to decide if I wanted the book badly enough to go back down those 19 steps, get my wallet, then come up the 19 steps again. Then I had a brilliant idea. Susan--the archivist--had her checkbook out to buy a copy. I asked her if she would buy two and when I got back downstairs I'd write her a check. She agreed, then at the last minute said the book was a gift--mentioning how much I do for the Center.

One disconcerting moment--the bookstore lady called me by my first name. I asked her how she knew that, and she said she remembered me from when I was at Tulane. That was more than ten years ago, but when I was there I ordered a lot of books.

So we chatted a bit, and I managed to casually mention that I knew someone who had just sold her first book. Boy did she light up at that! And said to be sure and let her know when it was in print.

History is so much more than battles and conquest--it can be seen in many ways including, as I realized today, through food and diet changes.