Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World [Paperback]

Rita Golden Gelman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 1, 2010

In 1987, Rita, newly divorced, set out to live her dream. She sold all her possessions and became a nomad. She wrote a book about her ongoing journey and, in 2001, insisted on putting her personal e-mail address in the last chapter—against all advice. It turned out to be a fortuitous decision. She has met thousands of readers, stayed in their homes, and sat around kitchen tables sharing stories and food and laughter.

In this essay collection, Gelman includes her own further adventures, as well as those of writers and readers telling tales of the shared humanity they experienced in their travels. The stories are funny and sad, poignant and tender, familiar and bizarre. They will make you laugh and cry and maybe even send you off on your own adventure. Also included are fabulous international recipes such as vegetarian dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), chiles en nogada (stuffed poblano chiles topped with a white cream sauce with walnuts and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds), and ho mok (an extraordinary fish-coconut custard from Thailand). Happy reading—and bon appétit, selamat makan, buen provecho!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rita serves up a tasty smorgasbord of stories—funny, heartwarming, and quirky. These tales remind us of what we seek in our own life's journey: a meaningful connection with people we meet and joy in finding new friends in unexpected places. Whether you choose to stay home or start packing, these stories will stir you."
—Maya Frost, author of The New Global Student
 
“Charming - a wonderful gift for your nomadic friends. The book will inspire you to travel, to cook, and, to get your own stories committed to the page!”
—Julie Conover, PassportToAdventure.com, Host & Producer
 
“Rita and friends take you on a virtual and culinary global adventure that is sure to evoke a range of emotions. A must-read for both the armchair and active traveler.”—Beth Whitman, author of Wanderlust and Lipstick guides for women travelers.
 
“Rita Golden Gelman’s book pulsates with life’s flavors—both in the stories and the recipes that accompany them. Remarkably, all royalties will be donated through two Rotary clubs to provide scholarships for young adults in a Delhi slum.    As a Rotarian myself, I salute Rita and savor her book. So will you.”
—Karin Treiber, PhD, Rotarian, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Thanks to Rita and her friends, the world just got a little smaller.  This inspirational book simultaneously illustrates how large and small our global community has become.  By sharing recipes, customs, and lives, we are ushered through an exotic world of experiences.”
—John O. Hishmeh, Executive Director, Council on Standards for International Educational Travel

“These wonderfully poignant stories speak to the inner-nomad in all of us, reminding us of the joy and warmth we feel when sharing laughter, tears, and meals across cultures.”
—Sara LaRosa, Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Tonga 2006-2008

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (June 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307588017
• ISBN-13: 978-0307588012
• Product Dimensions: 0.9 x 5.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Women the world over are made up of the same ingredients, it's how they are blended that mark who they are June 14, 2010

By Nicole Langan VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Connection is the self-proclaimed theme of Rita Golden Gelman's life. She hearkens back to a time of yore by calling herself a modern-day nomad. In Female Nomad and Friends, she is in hunter-gather mode collecting recipes from around the globe via submissions to her website. They are meticulously blended with real-life stories of 41 women who take a leap of faith and reach out to another human being - whether across town or across the world. Every hint of zest is appreciated and recognized in this culinary community of over 25 ethnic dishes.

Golden Gelman upped the ante even further by donating all of the proceeds of the book to a scholarship fund. It will enable high school graduates in the slums of India to attend vocational schools. The funds are being administered through a Maryland chapter of the Rotary Club. With a soul full of wanderlust, she may not have a permanent address, but Golden Gelman certainly does not equate the absence of hearth and home with a lack of responsibility.

The book is divided into five sections: Connecting, Mixed Messages, Language, Passion and Food. The recipes range from the familiar - Grandma's fried chicken - to the exotic - sun-dried worms. However, the downright peculiar are thankfully omitted (Filipino head of the dog, anyone?).

Among the accompanying stories, there are several stand-outs. One woman experiences the ultimate in hospitality when an elderly woman offers to carry her on her back across a flooded Vietnamese street. Another answers a want ad for a housekeeper and discovers a lonely Alaskan looking for a wife. A Swedish exchange student experiences her first Thanksgiving, Texas-style. An American schoolteacher in France is invited to the sumptuous table of her student's family. An orphaned Iraqi girl makes a connection with an American woman before and after the 2003 invasion. A visiting couple who miss their ferry stop are rowed upstream against the current by a kind native in Paraguay.

However, many dangers exist for women traveling alone, and these perils are not ignored. One woman is raped by a hotel manager in India and later returns home to discover that she is pregnant. Another drinks the water on a South Pacific island and succumbs to dysentery.

Overall, women the world over are made up of the same ingredients, it's how they are blended that mark who they are.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Go. Eat. Write. July 22, 2010

By S. Fishburn VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Food. Travel. Vignettes gathered from here, there, everywhere. Perfect for those of us who only have a scattered minute or two to read every day. One of the things I liked about Female Nomads is that while it might loosely fall in to the genre of "travel memoir", because each small essay is totally self-contained, and because they were crafted by various authors (and non-authors) and even a few male nomads, the book remained fresh from the first page to the last. I would have loved more recipes, though the ones included were almost as entertaining as the stories themselves.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and inspiring July 24, 2010

By Steve VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This compilation of stories from a variety of international female authors coalesces around the theme of breaking bread with new and different people. It is a warm and wonderful invitation to travel, explore, reach out, and live life fully and completely. The pieces are short and vary in tone across the emotional spectrum from funny to sad, charming to thought-provoking, and all points in between. The recipes are bonus material that allows you to replicate some of the delicious centerpieces for these gatherings, but the real joy is in the tales themselves and the worlds that are revealed when these courageous and joyful ladies call us to share in food and humanity.