The Exotic Rissole by Tanveer Ahmed

University of New South Wales Press  2011

ISBN: 9781742232553

Tanveer Ahmed tells of the complexities of growing up in Sydney’s west in an immigrant Bangladeshi family full of turmeric and spices.  His stories emerge as a result of the culture clash, as he leads a double life dabbling in the Australian cuisine and cultural activities, while his family need him to follow in their traditional ways.  He is at one time a member of a rock group called the Taliban, a Bollywood host , a student of medicine, before settling for a career in psychology.  In a gentle and modest way he tells of his fathers painful acceptance of change and the surrendering of his place as a traditional patriarch. A charming and funny book.