Shiva became her single mom’s caregiver at just eight years old after her mother had a car accident. Growing up in a home where affection wasn’t spoken, but was served up in a wide variety of dishes, Shiva learned that love came through food—especially her mother’s dal, the dish that anchored their family through poverty and loss. Now as her mother’s dementia softens the emotional distance that once defined their relationship, Shiva finds roles reversed, as she’s cooking for the woman who once cooked for her – and wouldn’t share her secret recipes. Shiva has obsessively documented every step of making the perfect dal—hundreds of notes, photos, and recordings—in an effort to preserve their heritage and keep her mother’s culinary memory alive, especially since her mom now lives in a care home that serves food she doesn’t like to eat. As they work through preparing a pot of dal, Shiva’s mom teases her about her method, rebuilding a relationship decades in the making—one that’s full of love that can finally be spoken.
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