Mishal Husain's ancestors ‘were in the room' at birth of the USA
Husain's Broken Threads was praised by The Times for its 'arresting … vivid' account of two maverick marriages set against the drama of Indian partition.
Now Husain, 52, who presented Today on Radio 4 for 11 years, has delved further into her family history for the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? The series starts on Tuesday night and Husain will feature next week. She was surprised to find she had American ancestors who were 'in the room' at the start of the American Revolution in 1775.
'It has given me a much broader sense of myself,' she said. 'To realise that I had a connection to the
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Tatler Asia
6 days ago
- Tatler Asia
Hungry for stories: 9 novels where food is the main character
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Set in early 20th-century Mexico, it follows Tita, a young woman forbidden to marry, who channels her passions into food so potent it makes her diners weep, hallucinate and even fall in love. Her cooking isn't just symbolic; it's supernatural. Each chapter opens with a recipe, but what unfolds is a story of repression, rebellion and chocolate mole so rich it becomes an act of resistance. Laura Esquivel's novel is equal parts love letter and war cry, reminding us that food is never just sustenance. It's story, history and, sometimes, the only language we have. 4. 'Crying in H Mart' by Michelle Zauner Exceptions have to be made for memoirs that read with the intimacy and lyricism of fiction. So yes, Crying in H Mart is technically non-fiction, but it is also emotionally operatic. It belongs on this list because food is its most expressive character. Indie rocker Michelle Zauner (of Japanese Breakfast ) writes about grief, identity and the loss of her Korean mother through the language of cooking: spicy kimchi jjigae, cold naengmyeon, glutinous rice cakes. This is a book about remembering someone through the recipes they taught you, and the ones you'll never quite recreate. It's lush, deeply tender and a reminder that sometimes the most comforting meals are the ones made in mourning. 5. 'Kitchen' by Banana Yoshimoto Kitchen is slight but devastating—kind of like a perfect consommé. In it, Mikage Sakurai, a young woman grieving the loss of her grandmother, finds comfort not in therapy, but in kitchens, which have become bright, humming spaces where grief quiets itself and the clatter of knives means you're still alive. Banana Yoshimoto's prose is minimalist, even dreamy, but there's muscle under the softness. It is one of those novels that don't over-explain, but it lingers in moments: the aroma of a night-time meal, the metallic lull of refrigerators, the exact shade of tea. Kitchen doesn't glorify food. Rather, it honours its ability to anchor us when the world drifts. See more: From viral videos to page turners: 8 food influencers whipping up bestselling cookbooks 6. 'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake' by Aimee Bender In this strange, lyrical novel, nine-year-old Rose Edelstein discovers she can taste emotions in food. Her mother's lemon cake is laced with despair. A school sandwich reeks of anxiety. And every meal becomes a psychic minefield. It's a surreal, melancholic meditation on empathy and what it means to consume the inner lives of others, literally. Aimee Bender's writing is whimsical but controlled. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake uses food as a metaphor, but never in a cloying way. It's less about flavour than about feeling. What's more, it tells you what happens when even dessert can't hide the truth. 7. 'Chocolat' by Joanne Harris This falls under novels that seduce you by chapter two. Before it was a film with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, Chocolat was a lush, hypnotic novel about a mysterious woman who opens a chocolaterie in a conservative French town during Lent. Twist? It causes moral panic, temptation and eventual transformation. Joanne Harris writes with a sensuous, almost decadent flair: pralines, spiced truffles and bitter ganache appear like spells. But the novel is ultimately about pleasure and judgment—how food becomes both indulgence and rebellion. If you've ever seen chocolate as salvation, this is your gospel. 8. 'The City of Brass' by SA Chakraborty In this dazzling fantasy set in an alternate 18th-century Middle East, food is a form of enchantment. From jeweled rice studded with fruit and nuts to stews simmering with centuries-old secrets, meals in Daevabad are not just delicious. 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Tatler Asia
24-07-2025
- Tatler Asia
Need a break from the noise? These 9 films are made for introverts seeking solitude and peace
'Paterson' (2016) A gentle masterpiece, Paterson follows one week in the life of a bus driver and poet named Paterson (Adam Driver) in New Jersey. He observes passengers, writes poetry in his notebook and shares tender moments with his spontaneous wife Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). Director Jim Jarmusch creates a startlingly undramatic work that finds profound meaning in routine and small details, celebrating the quiet act of creation as a beautiful antidote to our chaotic world. 'Tokyo Story' (1953) An ageing couple (Chishu Ryu and Chieko Higashiyama) travel from their small town to bustling Tokyo to visit their grown children, who are too busy to pay them attention. Only their widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko (Setsuko Hara), shows genuine kindness. Director Yasujiro Ozu's masterpiece uses static cameras and 'pillow shots'—brief, still images of everyday details—to create space for quiet reflection, letting emotion emerge from what remains unsaid. Don't miss: Celebrating Meryl Streep: 9 roles that built a legacy on the silver screen 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) After a painful breakup, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey), a bookish introvert, discovers his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has erased her memories of him. As he undergoes the same procedure, he relives their relationship in reverse within his crumbling mind. This surrealist romance argues that painful memories are essential to who we are, rejecting easy solutions while exploring the circular nature of destined connections. 'Her' (2013) In near-future Los Angeles, Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely, introverted man, develops a complex relationship with Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), an advanced AI operating system. In Her , director Spike Jonze creates a warm, inviting world that feels deeply human despite its futuristic setting. This quiet, introspective exploration of loneliness and connection is grounded by Phoenix's beautifully understated performance, examining love and consciousness in our increasingly alienated world. 'Paris, Texas' (1984) A silent, amnesiac man named Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) wanders from the desert after a four-year absence, reconnecting with his brother and young son before embarking on a road trip to find his estranged wife Jane (Nastassja Kinski). A visual poem about despair, Paris, Texas uses the vast, sun-bleached American landscape as a metaphor for Travis's internal emptiness. Ry Cooder's haunting slide-guitar score enhances the yearning within these quiet, expansive spaces. 'Arrival' (2016) When mysterious alien spacecraft appear around the world, expert linguist Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with uncovering their purpose. Working alongside physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), Louise races against global tensions and mistrust to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors. What unfolds is a profoundly human story about language, memory and the nature of time. Based on Ted Chiang's novella, director Denis Villeneuve's version is a quietly powerful narrative that favours introspection over spectacle, transforming first contact into a meditation on love, loss and the choices that define our lives. With its muted tones and haunting score, Arrival offers a cerebral, emotionally resonant alternative to conventional science fiction blockbusters. 'Drive My Car' (2021) Two years after his wife's sudden death, stage director Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) accepts a residency in Hiroshima, forming a profound bond with his quiet chauffeur Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) as they navigate shared histories of loss. Drive My Car is a three-hour Oscar-winning epic adapted from a short story by Haruki Murakami. The film rewards patient viewers with powerful emotional payoff through its deliberate, novelistic pacing. The film asks us to slow down and experience stark, quiet reality—a necessary palette cleanser for our fast-paced world. 'Blade Runner 2049' (2017) Released 35 years after the classic 1982 film, the sequel is set in 2049 Los Angeles, where blade runner K (Ryan Gosling) unearths a secret that could plunge society into chaos, leading him to find the missing Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford). Despite its epic scale, director Denis Villeneuve's sequel maintains deliberately slow, meditative pacing that immerses viewers in its stunning yet desolate world. This intimate story explores profound philosophical questions about humanity, creating a contemplative experience enhanced by practical sets over CGI. Credits This article was created with the assistance of AI tools
Tatler Asia
23-07-2025
- Tatler Asia
10 profound quotes on travel from famous writers through the ages
Henry Miller (1891–1980) 'One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.' - Henry Miller - Henry Miller, the American author best known for Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn , was an unorthodox and deeply introspective writer who viewed travel as a conduit for personal and artistic awakening. This quote appears in Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch (1957), a semi-autobiographical account of his years living in California's rugged Big Sur coast. In this work, Miller reflects on solitude, nature and the revelations that come when one steps away from society's routines. Maya Angelou (1928–2014) Above Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist and civil rights activist who spoke of travel as a bridge between cultures and peoples. (Photo: Brian Stansberry) 'Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples laugh, cry, eat, worry and die, it can produce the idea that if we try and understand one another, we may even become friends.' - Maya Angelou - A poet, memoirist and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou brought a deeply humanistic perspective to everything she wrote. This quote is taken from Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now (1993), a collection of essays on identity, tolerance and personal growth. In this piece, Angelou champions travel as a bridge between cultures and a powerful antidote to prejudice, drawing on her own extensive global experiences. Anita Desai (b. 1937) 'Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.' - Anita Desai - Anita Desai, one of India's most respected contemporary novelists, has consistently explored the themes of identity, memory and the emotional terrain of diaspora. This quote, often attributed to her from interviews and public appearances, encapsulates the lingering emotional residue that places leave on us; it's also a theme that is echoed in works like her 2004 novel The Zigzag Way , which explores cross-cultural encounters and the pull of distant geographies. Anthony Bourdain (1956–2018) Above Chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain left behind many eloquent quotes on travel that reflected his empathy for people he met around the world. (Photo: Peabody Awards / Creative Commons) 'Travel isn't always pretty. It isn't always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that's okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.' - Anthony Bourdain - Anthony Bourdain, the chef-turned-author and television host, was revered not just for his culinary explorations but also for his deep respect for cultures around the world and empathy with the people that he met. This widely cited quote is from No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach , Bourdain's 2007 bestseller that was published as a companion to the hit show of the same title. Bourdain's trademark honesty about the messiness of exploration, framed in his gruffly eloquent style, made his quotes on travel unforgettable. Don't miss: 11 Hong Kong restaurants loved by Anthony Bourdain Margaret Atwood (b. 1939) 'So much better to travel than to arrive.' - Margaret Atwood - Canadian author Margaret Atwood is known for her speculative fiction masterpieces like The Handmaid's Tale , but she is also a skilled poet. This quote comes from her 1981 poetry collection True Stories , a stark and vivid set of verses born out of her travels with Amnesty International. Evoking the age-old tension between motion and destination, Atwood suggests that the process of moving forward may be more instructive than the goal itself. Paulo Coelho (b. 1947) 'If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It's lethal.' - Paulo Coelho - Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho's work often walks the line between spiritual parable and practical philosophy. This quote, popularised through social media and cited often in motivational talks, aligns closely with the ethos of his global bestseller The Alchemist (1988); though not quoted in the novel, the sentiment captures its central theme: that the pursuit of one's 'personal legend' or true purpose requires risk, courage—and leaving the familiar behind. Anaïs Nin (1903–1977) Above Anaïs Nin, the iconic bohemian diarist, saw travel as a search for connection and kinship. (Photo: Elsa Dorfman / Creative Commons) 'We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.' - Anaïs Nin - Anaïs Nin, the French Cuban American diarist and novelist, is celebrated for her lyrical, introspective writing and her bohemian spirit. This quote is from The Diary of Anaïs Nin , in which she reflects on her lifelong search for emotional and intellectual kinship. For Nin, travel was not merely a physical act; it was a quest for deeper connection and alternative modes of living. Judith Thurman (b. 1946) 'Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.' - Judith Thurman - Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and New Yorker writer Judith Thurman penned this evocative quote on travel in Cleopatra's Nose: 39 Varieties of Desire (2007), a collection of literary essays. It perfectly captures the paradoxical yearning for the unknown, and speaks to dreamers, writers and travellers who feel the pull of imagined landscapes more strongly than those of their everyday lives. Roald Dahl (1916–1990) 'And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.' - Roald Dahl - British novelist Roald Dahl, beloved for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda , infused his children's stories with curiosity and wonder. This beautiful quote on travel comes from The Minpins (1991), one of his final works. Though it's aimed at young readers, the message is timeless: approach the world with awe and attention, and you'll be rewarded with unexpected magic.
