Overview

One of only four girls from the 160 children in her primary school to pass the eleven plus, Sylvia Vetta was the first in her family to enjoy higher education and got to enjoy that post-WWII wonder: upward mobility. While battling racism in Smethwick in the West Midlands during the most racist election in British history, changed her life. The slogan bandied by the supporters of the Conservative candidate was, ‘If you want a n***er for a neighbour, Vote Labour.’ By chance she met Indian-born Atam Vetta. Being less than 21 years of age, her boss could legally inform her parents of her young man and his racial background without Sylvia knowing of it. Sylvia and Atam married anyway and 55 years later, they’re still married. When Sylvia married Atam, mixed relationships were rare and viewed with hostility, not just in the UK. In 1966, they were illegal in South Africa and in most of the southern states of the USA (until Loving v Virginia). In India they are not illegal, but many upper-caste Indians do not approve of marriage outside of caste. Sylvia’s story embraces a revolutionary change in attitudes in the UK. Marriages and partnerships like hers are no longer rare and it is predicted that by 2075, the majority of the population will be of mixed ancestry. She was plunged into a challenging new reality. Through Atam, she learned about glass ceilings for ethnic minority Brits. Atam’s research in quantitative genetics confronted institutional and individual racism with the knowledge that discrimination had been justified by scientific racism. Atam set about helping to expose those lies. Nine months in the USA opened her eyes to the probability that she was more disadvantaged by being a woman than being married to a man of colour. Changing career from teaching to business, she entered into a world where women were mostly excluded. Sylvia set about changing that, creating a vibrant and successful business career. Peppered with facts and research, Sylvia’s life showcases the personal within the political, the successes and setbacks of forging a fairer, more tolerant and better Britain. Part of a unique demographic that challenges traditions, Sylvia’s life epitomises its clashes, its frustration, and its opportunities. Now on her third career as a writer, Sylvia explores what we have in common, while being honest about the challenges. The ultimate prize is an enhanced understanding that comes from ‘walking in someone else’s shoes’ and the creativity that comes from crossing cultures and allowing cream to rise. Food of Love is a poignant account of changes to our society from the mostly untold perspective of a white woman married to a man of colour. Recipes relishing the difference flow through the narrative. The recipes at the end of chapters reflect the diversity diet in our diet that rises with the diversity in the population. With food comes love and with love comes hope.

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9781910461587

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Reviews

A joy to read warm and familial, full of lovely sketches and archival photographs. It is a unique journey deftly articulated weaving the personal and the public, providing a socio-cultural landscape that is still relevant. There is much to learn from here digest, eat and imbibe these words with love. -- Sudeep Sen, author of EroText and editor of The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry Vetta takes us on a lively and delicious journey through her varied and culturally rich life. Her open-mindedness and generosity shine through. And she completely understands how food and memory are inextricably linked. The recipes are great too. -- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, London Evening Standard The Food of Love is a personal history while at the same time it is an honest portrayal of the post Second World War period. We are faced with our attitudes to class, education, gender, religion, race, politics and the expectations of peoples position in society. It is a serious social comment as well as being amusing and entertaining. The way food is used to link the chapters is brilliant. -- Diana Bell, artist Told with brio and verve, this is an astonishing life story that takes in working-class life in post-war Britain, and the transformation of society in the decades that followed. Encounters with India and China shape a life where enthusiasm for food, art and politics come together in a combination of profoundly serious issues and the laughter of liberation. -- Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, University of Oxford Vetta is a burning fuse on the score of an Oxfordshire cabaret. We can trace here the sweet unrelenting energy which has impacted the collective heart and mentality of its stakeholders and citizens. A Woman for All Seasons. -- Haldi Ravenna Sheahan, writer/editor Food for Love is a testimony of zest for life, and compassionate anger at the many forms of injustice in post-war England. Sylvia Vetta's story takes us through her many lives, as she reinvents herself time and time again, rising from the ashes of prejudice, misogyny, racism and greed to renew herself. Whilst it is a story of England's hidden everyday evils, it is a story too of what can be achieved with a life steered by passion, integrity and courage. -- Dr Jane Spiro, Professor of Education and TESOL, Oxford Brookes University A wonderful read with insight into how, having access to books at an early age, empowers social mobility. Sylvia's passion for creating access to books for the next generation is inspiring as she mobilises others to share her vision and is now fundraising to build a community library in western Kenya in partnership with the Nasio Trust. -- Nancy Mundenyo Hunt, Founder and CEO of the Nasio Trust, Winner of The UK NatWest Bank Most Inspirational Woman Award 2015 Touching, inspiring and approachable with a wide range of historical details, Sylvias memoir is a delight to read. She shares with us the human stories behind the transnational and multicultural formation of her family and shows how love persists in the face of great historical forces of socio-political change that can throw people into divisive vortexes. Not only is she courageous to write about the racist and misogynist abuses she and her family have encountered, the book also recounts her decades-long dedication to entrepreneurial and community work in Oxford that paints the city of dreamy spires in fresh colours. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in British life writing, cross-cultural journeys, and food! -- Flair Donglai Shi, Associate Professor of World Literature, Shanghai Jiaotong University

Author Information

Freelance writer, author and speaker, Sylvia Vetta took up writing and broadcasting on art and antiques in 1998, when she began writing features for the award-winning magazine The Oxford Times. She went on to write for numerous magazines on art, history and science-related events. Her long-running profile series, Oxford Castaways, has been compiled into two books. Sylvia has published two novels, Brushstrokes in Time, a fictionalised memoir of a member of the Stars art movement in China and Sculpting the Elephant, an interracial romance set between Oxford and India.

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