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    The Hundred-Foot Journey
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    The Hundred-Foot Journey
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    The Hundred-Foot Journey
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Hundred-Foot Journey

    Written by Richard C. Morais

    Narrated by Sartaj Garewal

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this audiobook

    Hassan Haji, a boy from Mumbai, embarks, along with his boisterous family, on a picaresque journey first to London and then across Europe, before they ultimately open a restaurant opposite a famous chef, Madame Mallory, in the remote French village of Lumiere. A culinary war ensues, pitting Hassan's Mumbai-toughened father against the imperious Michelin-starred cordon bleu, until Madame Mallory realizes that Hassan is a cook with natural talents far superior to her own.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateDec 4, 2014
    ISBN9781471278952
    Unavailable
    The Hundred-Foot Journey
    Author

    Richard C. Morais

    Richard C. Morais is the editor of Penta, a Barron’s website and quarterly magazine. An American raised in Switzerland, Morais has lived most of his life overseas, returning to the United States in 2003. He is the author of The Hundred-Foot Journey and Buddhaland Brooklyn. He lives in New York City.

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    Reviews for The Hundred-Foot Journey

    3.5/5

    362 ratings48 reviews

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    • 3/5
      An interesting book, focused around food. Some character development, but I would have preferred much more.
    • 4/5
      This book was such a delight to read, or rather listen to! If you're looking for a feel good book that makes you laugh and your tummy rumble, then this might be the book for you. I am by no means a gourmand, but I love reading about food adventures, and especially about how food unites peoples and cultures.The strange events that lead Hassan Haji from his family owned restaurant on the Mumbai coast to the French Alps is the backdrop of this quaint novel. Tutored at a young age in the art of cooking by his grandmother, Hassan inherits an artist's eye for flavoring and exotic food combinations. Before he knows it, he's on his way to becoming one of the most sought after chefs in Paris! While magical realism plays a key role in foodie fiction favorites like Chocolat and Like Water for Chocolate, the plausible storyline of this novel made it more of an original little treat. Moreover, the marriage of two completely different cultures put me in mind of how well done The Elegance of the Hedgehog was, and also why the French are so stinking cool! I cannot wait to watch this film. I am a die hard Helen Mirren fan!
    • 3/5
      Pleasant enough and saturated with food, but all the bumps seemed external to the protagonist, whatever the impact on him. He just plows ahead and even the changes in direction and implied sacrifices are more events than development. Good food descriptions but any passion leaves the book when Hassan leaves Lumière.
    • 4/5
      This was beautifully written with rich, make-me-hungry descriptions. The characters are well-rounded and well-drawn, and the relationships between them are complex.I found myself enjoying the Mumbai chapters more than the ones in Europe, I think because in addition to the lush setting, the family had such a vibrancy. This got lost in the London section (quite understandably–the whole family was reeling from loss), and I think it never fully returned. Neither Lumiere nor Paris has the wealth of place or of people that Mumbai does though Lumiere is beautiful, and full of interesting characters.I also regret that the food turns entirely French once Hassan gets to France. Perhaps this is because I infinitely prefer Indian food to French food (and though I prefer a somewhat calm, quiet dining atmosphere, I know plenty of people, especially Asians, who feel more at home in a boisterous party atmosphere).I enjoy Hassan’s success, but I find myself wondering why it is that he must leave his culture behind–at least professionally–to achieve it.
    • 4/5
      A rich, warm book that is all about the beauty in the gifts that we have.
    • 4/5
      Fiction for foodies. Not bad
    • 3/5
      This little novel is a fun fast read for serious foodies. If you aren’t into food it will be difficult to understand most of the food and culinary references in the book. (I’m into food and there was a lot terms I didn’t know.)

      Morais gives the reader a behind the scenes look into Haute Cuisine; the food, the restaurants, the chefs, the critics, and the business side of the restaurant "business." All of this is shown through the eyes of a native Indian chef, Hassan Haji, who is trying to make his way to the top of the highly competitive culinary world in his adopted city of Paris while trying to stay true to himself.

      This novel is destined to become a movie. The author, Richard Morais, says in his acknowledgements that he hopes someday it will become a film, and I have no doubt it will. The book itself is almost like a screenplay-not a lot of depth to the characters, lots of visuals of opulent restaurants and food, easy and predictable plot line. These are not criticisms of the book per se, because I did enjoy it for what it was, an entertaining little read, but I think it might actually be one of those rare books that makes a better movie than a novel. (I absolutely see Dame Judy Dench as the quintessential snobby French chef and hotelier, Madame Mallory!)

      Foodies will eat this little morsel of a book up, but others may want to wait for the movie version.
    • 3/5
      Barely a three. The story would keep you awake if you are driving, but beyond that, I can't think of anything to commend it. Writing is common place. The name seems to me as ironic as the story doesn't lead to anything.
    • 4/5
      This was the book for my work book club. We are going to discuss at an Indian restaurant because you can’t read this book and not get hungry! I saw the movie a couple years ago. I remember liking it but I think the plot is pretty different.
    • 3/5
      Book on CD performed by Neil Shah Hassan Haji was born into a restaurant family. Starting with his grandfather’s restaurant in Mumbai, the family has made food their passion and careers. But after a tragic fire, they pull up stakes and set out across continents, ultimately settling in the small mountain village of Lumiere France. The village has never seen anything like the noisy extended family with their exotic Indian cuisine. And across the street from their Maison Mumbai is the venerated Le Saule Pleureur, a Michelin 2-star establishment run by the formidable Madame Mallory. The book focuses on Hassan and his decades-long career as a chef. The clash of cultures is a major element in this novel that reminds me of and old-fashioned fable. I liked the way he and Madame Mallory slowly developed their relationship, and how he continues to grow as a chef when he moves to Paris. I would have liked a little more attention paid to the family relationships; they seemed to be an afterthought rather than an integral part of Hassan’s life. I loved the food descriptions:Champagne: It made me want to sing, dance, fall in love. Rather dangerous, I thought.A memorable meal: …a teacup of Marseille fish soup, before moving on to a delicate dish of tiny clams, no bigger than babies’ fingernails,…”A special dish created for a memorial to a fellow restaurateur: I stuffed the birds with glazed apricots…and then so blackened the fowl with black truffle slices inserted in their skin that they looked like birds dressed for a Victorian funeral.Neil Shah does a reasonably good job of voicing the audio version. His pace is good and he was able to clearly differentiate the many characters. I loved his Madame Mallory! I don’t speak French but his pronunciation of various French phrases and names of various restaurant offerings seemed authentic; ditto for the Indian phrases.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed the movie version, but the book overwhelms the sense with the excellent use of language in describing food, settings, and characters. The book takes a different path than the movie, and towards the end of the book that path has faltered. The story leads the reader through delectable, but haughty cuisine; and along the way, many memorable characters enhance the senses. Richard C Morais carefully explains many exotic dishes to the reader, and I for one, still prefer the ordinary menu. I enjoyed hearing about the cost, the training, and the competition for top chefs in French, and the status of the Michelin star for a restaurant.
    • 2/5
      I have this thing for movies and books about food and cooking. They attract me. So while I was book shopping a few months ago, I found this book with a sticker on it saying "Coming Soon" as a movie. I got it and watched the trailer and I was hocked. Can't wait to watch the movie and finish the book.

      The movie was amazing! I loved it so much I watched it twice after the first screening, but the book is so disgusting so far, I'm revolted by the book and it's description. The movie is charming, but the book is not.
    • 3/5
      The book was lovely in writing and so descriptive that I could smell and taste the words, but it didn't stay with me like a true 4-look-book does.

      The story of Hassan and his family is beautifully painted by Morais from their time in Bombay to their eventual settling in France. The haute cuisine is a character in and of itself, making this a truly amazing journey.

      On Bombay:
      From the shantytown rose the pungent smells of charcoal fires and rotting garbage, and the hazy air itself was thick with the roar of roosters and bleating goats and the slap-thud of washing beaten on cement slabs. Here, children and adults shat in the streets.

      On Harrod's Food Hall in Paris:
      The Food Hall smelled of roasting guinea fowl and sour pickles. Under a ceiling suitable for a mosque, we found a football pitch devoted entirely to food and engaged in a din of worldly commerce. Around us: Victorian nymphs in clamshells, ceramic boars, a purple-tiled peacock, An oyster bar stood beside handing slabs of plastic meat, while the grounds were covered in a seemingly endless line of marble-and-glass counters. One entire counter, I recall, was filled with nothing but bacon -- "Smoked Streaky," "Oyster-Back," and "Suffolk Sweet Cure."

      This beauty continues throughout the book, as Hassan meets the antagonist-turned-benefactor of the story: Madame Gertrude Mallory. A truly unlikable character, Madame Mallory's range of emotion, thoughts, experiences, and (finally) completely winsome charm is as full-bodied as a fine red wine. She surrounds herself with a variety of characters with whom the reader becomes attached, including Hassan's first lady-love, Margaret.

      The journey continues as Hassan becomes famous in his own right, surpassing even his famous teacher. The delight of bringing forth cuisine morphs into the struggles of being in business. Like his father before him, Hassan grows to learn that passion always has a price.

      There are so many layers to this book, it is impossible to list them here. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Hassan Hajji arrives by circuitous means from Mumbai via London to the French Alps town of Lumiere when his extended family's car breaks down. Patriarch Abbas Hajji decides this is as good a place as any to settle and open a restaurant dedicated to Indian food. Mme Mallory, chef of the haute cuisine Michelin two star restaurant directly across the street is none too happy with this boisterous crowd encroaching on a town she literally rules. One would imagine the book with its impending conflict is all but written at this point. The author's descriptions -- particularly of location, food and cooking -- are stunning. Any reader, especially of the foodie kind, will be booking a reservation at their favorite eatery in response. Those who have seen the movie will note that some serious changes from the second half of the book. One suspects the producers wanted more romance and more Dame Helen Mirren. The movie tie sit all up in a nice little conclusion. The book seeks to explore the demands on haute cuisine chefs, which our hero Hassan eventually becomes. This is a serious look at the powers of critics, the ever tightening profit margins, economics demanding more 'branding' and even a hint of the soon to come emphasis on local and 'simple' cooking. Maxims didn't go out of business for no reason. The business of fine dining is ever changing. Even in France, where many consider fine dining begins and ends. This second half emphasis on the economics and politics of fine dining might be jarring for those more caught up in the relationships of the first half. Once Hassan moves to Paris, there is little mention of either his father or his mentor, Mme Mallory. There are great reads about restaurants and food industry (Michael Ruhlman, Anthony Bourdain, Bill Buford, and Garielle Hamilton immediately come to mind.) If you enjoy books like those, I suspect you will truly enjoy this book as well. If you come after having seen the movie, not so much. In this homage to French cuisine, the greatest journey isn't from Mumbai to Lumiere, or even from a small town to the heights of Michelin stardom, but in Hassan's first few steps across the way to snatch at his dreams and destiny.
    • 3/5
      I listened to this book because it has been on my list for over a year. The book did entertain me while I was doing some paperwork the past two weekends. Because of the many French words, I was glad I had decided to listen instead of read this book. I have not seen the movie based on this book because I wanted to give the book a try first. I did enjoy the variety of characters. The story did not flow smoothly, there were many starts, jerks, and double-backs. I will say the book was okay the first time,but I don't want to read it again.
    • 2/5
      Eh. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Listening to it on CD kept me semi entertained while on a road trip. Basically, it was better than constantly hitting the scan button on my radio, especially when in the middle of nowhere & there are only 3 radio stations that come in clearly, but not entertaining enough to leave a lasting impression on me. I'm not sure that I would've finished the book had I been reading it instead of listening to it while stuck in a car.
    • 3/5
      Well, this is one instance in which I think that the movie was far better than the book. The story focuses on Hassan, a young Muslim from India with a natural talent for cooking: his taste buds are "the equivalent for a chef to what perfect pitch is for a musician." After stricken by a tragedy in Mumbai, the family moves first to to London, then to France to open a restaurant featuring Hassan's mother's prized recipes. Unfortunately, their new place is across the street from a three-star Michelin French restaurant run by the haughty Mme. Mallory. The entire movie and a significant part of the book focus on the relationship between Hassan and Mme. Mallory, who at first tries to drive the family out of town but eventually mentors the young Indian. Even though the characters are somewhat stereotypes, I found them rather charming on film--but less so in print. And the last third of the book, when Hassan is trying to establish himself in Paris, tends to drag. The film's director was wise to bring back Mme. Mallory near the end and even to suggest a budding romance between her and Hassan's father. By the end of the book, we just find out that she is long dead. Bummer.
    • 4/5
      Recommended for people who like books about food, and books about traveling.

      Okay...sure there isn't a whole lot of traveling happening in the book, but the main character does do a bit of traveling himself over the span of the book. I did feel that the first part of the book did seem a bit slow, but as I progressed and began to understand the characters for who they really were, it grew on me. The story was written with such lucidity and details as if he were recollecting the events of his life that I had to double check and make sure that this wasn't a memoir. It really felt like Hassan was a real person that I could perhaps run into on my next trip to France.

      I felt that only three characters were well written: Hassan, his father, and Chef Mallory. All other characters were given a brief introduction and played small parts over the course of the story.

      Overall, this is worth a read, especially if you're planning on watching the movie.
    • 3/5
      What a nice book. Not great but it is funny, sad, romantic, hilarious. And it is about cooking and food. But even without this it would be a good book. I read Morais' first novel Buddahood Brooklyn and didn't like it too much. It was too poorly researched in my eyes. Too stereotype. You could accuse him of this with this book as well. He seems to easily fall into stereotypes. We have the typical Indian family we all know from Bollywood movies and other TV series etc. But still this book is very entertaining and also a happy book. It describes a journey from one side of life to another. Which is only hundred foot in distance but worlds apart. From the Indian slums to the Haute Cuisine in France.

      Apart from the stereotyping what I did not like very much was the fast forward mode the author gets into sometimes. It isn't really worked out very well how the man characters journey from a dishwasher in his dad's Indian restaurant to a highly acclaimed chef did happen. A lot of this is just handled in a brief fast forward section.

      An entertaining read with a nice lesson to learn.
    • 2/5
      I started this book with high hopes. I had seen the film version first, and was anxious to read the book. Be advised. This book is nothing like the film. The book failed to hold my interest, and the plot details were of such difference to the film that I wondered if it was the same story. I know that books and films are hardly ever alike. But this was a stretch. Props to the genius who created the film, which was a much better story than the book.
    • 3/5
      I heard about this book because of the movie but I haven't seen the movie. This is the story if Hassan Haji and his journey to running a 3 star Michelin restaurant in Paris from his beginnings in Mumbai. While this book was enjoyable it seemed to falter after Hassan's relocation to Paris and my attention started to waver. I think it would appeal to those who like to read at length about food and recipes.
    • 4/5
      I also read The Hundred-Foot Journey and watched the movie. They really changed the plot in the movie, so be advised. In fact they took out all religion--which means they also took out the climax of the story.The story follows Hassan's life starting in India growing up over his grandfather's restaurant, then working in his father's restaurant. Tragedy strikes and they leave India for a short stint in London, then land in Lumiere, France. Hassan's father opens an Indian restaurant across the street from Madame Mallory's French restaurant. A battle of wits, cross-cultural misunderstandings, and trouble ensues, but Hassan discovers he has a gift in the kitchen.What I thought: Well, I enjoyed it but it wasn't a favorite. The plot seemed a bit unrealistic because Hassan was a Muslim who went on a wild boar hunt, drank French wine, slept with multiple women, and never married which seemed weird to me since he was an Indian Muslim. Furthermore, I would think he would include yummy Indian cooking in his restaurant--but no, he stuck to classic French cooking.Without reference to religion, the movie was a feel-good story, rated PG.
    • 4/5
      Not as often as I should, but occasionally I break from my genre reading habits and crack open a non-fiction piece, or an adult work of fiction. One that has such care with the language and deals with the themes that adults experience poignantly. This last summer we went to see the movie version of this tale and of course with screen adaptations one expects the book to be better. However, the storytellers that took this work and adapted it to the screen were better able to realize the vision of what the underlying story that appeals to all should be.Here the theme has much more to do with the journey after the 100 feet. In the movie as a contrast, things are much more full circle. Here the influence of the Mother is explored much longer and then disappears as a second guide comes in the last third of the book. A guide that causes the distinct message to disappear.The movie binds family, and created family much more strongly while the book has us look more at a journey that abruptly changes with our introduction of Paris and its successes, while making light of the years and milestones before getting to it as so much of what surely occurred was not added, or deleted. The influence of Madame Mallory so great in book and movie, that she as the main guide makes us wonder how she become secondary in the last act, and for this, looseness, the introduction of a three star chef whose life is the catalyst for action on our heroes part, rather than our hero growing internally, which we see in the movie, loses that star quality we would expect in such a hero that we have followed.This is why a solid, almost great novel, is an almost great novel. And why the movie is something I will enjoy over and over, and never return to this work. (Though the early India scenes, and the descriptions there of food and smells and tastes and India are awesome, much less so after the Haji's leave for Europe yet Hassan comes to love the flavor of Europe more.)
    • 4/5
      Get ready to crave Indian food, and French cooking - this novel is as much a paean to wonderful recipes and the sensory pleasures of preparing/eating delicious meals, as it is the story of Hassan Haji. Hassan is born into a hard-working, "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" kind of Muslim Indian family who do accumulate the trappings of economic success, until the troubles begin between the competing religious groups. His family is driven out -after a tragic attack and house fire- and go for a brief sojourn to London, living close by relatives and trying to make sense of their drastically changed world. When relations sour between the extended family, Hassan's larger than life father, Abbas, insists on packing everyone up and doing a restaurant/food tour of Europe. One exhausting day, their car breaks down in the beautiful little French town of Lumiere, and as fate would have it, in front of a dilapidated estate. Of course Hassan's father, persuaded by his travel weary children, purchases the estate and their Lumiere years begin -the longest section of the book. And as the Haji family settle into small town French life, they do battle with their proud, completely French neighbor, Madame Gertrude Mallory, a renowned chef of a beautiful restaurant: Le Saule Pleureur, in the bottom floor of her estate. The author's descriptions of her ferocious anger against the noise, the effrontery of the Haji family,not only for imposing themselves on her neighborhood, but opening an Indian restaurant right across from hers! Quel scandale! Yet the plot's threads continues to weave a very different story than readers might expect. Told with humor, and the unmistakably sincere voice of Hassan, we readers fall under the Haji spell: wandering grandma Ammi, grumbling Auntie, loud and impetuous Abbas, and Haji's siblings. But it is Haji's journey - his love interests, his decision to leave his family, and his desire to become a world famous chef- that captivate until the very last page. A book for adults - sexual encounters are described, adult struggles are the focus of the last section, "Paris", but a treat for anyone ready for a multi-cultural bildungsroman of the 21st century.
    • 3/5
      Nicely written, but after awhile I got tired of the culinary talk and I feel like the story could have ended 3/4 of the way through. The last bit just didn't seem to flow as well with the rest of it.
    • 4/5
      A great read that makes one want to run out and eat delicious food in a restaurant with some ambience. Can't wait to see the movie.
    • 4/5
      I chose to read this book solely on the fact that members of my book club suggested we read it "on the side" of our current selection so as to see the movie together. I think thus far I'm the only one who has read it.Beginning in Mumbai this is far more than a hundred foot journey. After the Haji family experience a tragic event they decide to move to London first to start over but end up settling in the small village of Lumiere nestled in the French Alps where they open an Indian restaurant. Across the street is long time resident and favorite local chef Madame Mallory and her beautifully esteemed hotel and restaurant. Not welcoming the competition nor flamboyant style of these foreigners she sets out to ruin them in what becomes a battle of wills between she and the Haji's. After some clashing Madame Mallory agrees to mentor Hassan, the son of Haji who she suspects holds great potential as a future chef.Richard Morias is skilled in his description from the picturesque countryside to the mouth-watering creations the chefs in this story create. I truly appreciate the details an author uses to paint a scene where the result is my wanting to visit a place I've never been, taste a food I've never tried or make a dish I've never cooked. This was a most pleasant read and would definitely one I recommend. Any foodie would adore this novel. I expect it will be a great movie.How I acquired this book: Sent my son on an errand to purchase for me.Shelf life: None, read immediately
    • 3/5
      An acceptable plot line, interesting characters but not much action as we follow a budding professional chef from his childhood in India to the top of the French cuisine world of Paris. Flowery passages of French and Indian cooking. A little goes a long way. No surprises here. Actually, I think the movie may be of more interest with the exceptional talents of Helen Mirren to play the young chef's nemesis as well as his benefactor. O.K. read for a rainy day.
    • 4/5
      My expectations were high: I had seen a preview of the movie based on this book (and who can resist Helen Mirren....) and set out to read it before the movie's premiere in the local theaters. So far it seems that it might be one of those cases when the movie turns out better than the book (to be confirmed, of course). While reading it, I regretted the author's decision to narrate the story from the first person - as an Indian Muslim. It just didn't ring true coming from this author, even with all his experience of having been a foreign correspondent. I found that he couldn't put himself in the shoes of his protagonist. At times, there was too much unnecessary information - shockingly unpleasant but aiming at rough frankness, thus lacking grace. But at other times, the writing was rather appealing, especially his description of England and France where the family was compelled to move from India in the wake of a horrible event, in search of a better start. French cuisine was also given an thorough depiction, which was quite enlightening. However, in the course of reading I was distracted by a recurrent grammatical mishap of sorts throughout the book - using too much of what is called "double subject" (ex. "The champagne, it was as fresh and sparkly as the blushing bride..." or "Hassan, he has the makings of a great chef..."). It's almost OK (though not in my book) in an informal conversation, but not in a fiction book - here it was just too widely used both in narrative and dialogue. But as far as plot goes, the book was quite engaging and a fast read.
    • 4/5
      Beautiful descriptions---the writing was wonderful even though I got a little lost in people's names, ie., keeping straight who was who, and understanding the food varieties. And three stars---worth all the effort? Maybe that's the big question.