Love and Saffron by Kim Fay

I am a frequent visitor to my branch library only a few blocks away.

Why you may ask? Don’t you have a houseful of books waiting to be read? Yes, and your point would be?

So as I was saying, I stopped by the library on Friday — (I was feeling down, but we won’t discuss that here). A visit to the library always cheers me up, and I was looking for an escapist read, something light and easy.

Love and Saffron seemed like the perfect cure. Especially after I read these:

In the vein of the classic 84, Charing Cross Road, this witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine.

And this: “In an age when we’re barraged with Twitter blow-ups, pandemic deaths, and political discourse of the most uncivil kind, Love & Saffron is as refreshing as watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and a bowl of garlicky clams at your elbow. Kim Fay convincingly recreates a charming and civil world, and a touching friendship, in a period piece that will restore you to your kinder, gentler self.” —Richard C. Morais, author of The Hundred Foot Journey

So, of course Love and Saffron came home with me — and I gobbled it up this weekend (pun intended).

In the early 1960’s, Imogen Fortier writes a monthly column called “Letter from the Island” for Northwest Home & Life Magazine. She writes about summers spent in her family’s cabin on Camano Island in Puget Sound, Washington. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Joan Bergstrom, a budding food columnist, is a fan of Imogen’s column and writes her a fan letter, explaining how much she admires her column and noting that Imogen had mentioned mussels as a nuisance. Joan suggests that Imogen collect some, suggesting a French recipe and even sending a packet of saffron to use in the recipe. Saffron was not easy to come by in 1963 and Imogen, who can dig clams or hunt an elk, has never even tasted fresh garlic — so she was greatly impressed by the gift of such a rare spice.

Thus begins a beautiful friendship told through their letters in the early 1960s.

These letters bring to life the issues of the time period — anxiety over the Cuban missile crisis, grief at President John Kennedy’s assignation, their mutual dislike of Helen Gurley Brown’s ‘Sex and the Single Girl’, despite which they share their hopes for what the future holds for women (!)

(biting my tongue here – I won’t write about women’s futures in 2022 – you don’t want me to get started)…

Imogene or “Immy” encourages Joan in her career path, and their letters discuss pop culture, the Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan, John Updike’s novels, the racial climate in Los Angeles, and of course, the food culture in both the Pacific Northwest and Los Angeles — especially the ingredients unique to their areas.

There are serious subjects as well, a bi-racial relationship, Immy’s husband’s PTSD, and an unplanned pregnancy. But wait there’s more — there are recipes throughout, told within the letters and described in prose. How to make perfect scrambled eggs (Julia Child does the same) and mouth-watering instructions for Carne Asada*.

Immy and Joan’s personalities are wonderfully developed and their daily lives so full of beauty and detail, that I felt fully immersed in their stories. We have lost the art of letter writing (among many other things this weekend — okay I’ll stop now) and this quote made me sigh in remembrance of long-lost pen pals and romantic missives to (and from) boyfriends.

There is unequaled satisfaction in composing words on a blank page, sealing them in an envelope, writing an address in my own messy hand, adding a stamp, walking it to the mailbox, and raising the flag. It’s like preparing a gift, and I feel like I receive one when a letter arrives…

It’s always appealing to immerse myself in an epistolary novel (written primarily in letters and one of my favorite genres). Ms. Fay gave me a wonderfully delicious way to escape this weekend – which indeed was my plan.

Love & Saffron is a lovely, quiet novel that has much to say below the surface, but the friendship between two women was the main appeal. This book is short, the letters only span the years 1962-1966, but much richness and life is contained in those four years.

What started out as a simple letter about adding saffron to muscles, turns into a lifetime of friendship, love, and companionship. For me, Love & Saffron made me stop to think about my true friendships and how much I cherish them.

*NB: I found this very similar recipe on the internet

I forgot to copy out this recipe from the library book before I returned it this morning.

Carne Asada

• 3 lb. Steak (skirt, flank or beef flap)

Marinade Mixture

• 2 Oranges juiced
• 4 Limes juiced
• ⅓ cup Olive Oil
• ¼ cup Soy Sauce
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 bunch fresh Cilantro leaves chopped, stems discarded
• 3 Jalapenos (optional) minced
• 2 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine the marinade ingredients in large mixing bowl.

Whisk until well combined.

Put the steak in a gallon-sized zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the steak. Close the bag letting out as much air as possible. Let refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Grill the steak to your liking.