Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience

In Colorful Palate, Raj Tawney shares his memoir as a mixed-race American, navigating his childhood and young adulthood in Long Island’s suburbs in the 1990s. Tawney is part Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian, and his experiences mirror America’s increasingly diverse and multicultural society. Tawney relays his bouts with unkind classmates and feeling out of place in predominantly Indian-American and White spaces. There are delightful moments of love and comfort, such as looking forward to visiting his grandmother or the memorable family trips to buffets. Meals with loved ones are nourishing on many levels. Tawney concludes each chapter with a family recipe, from Arroz con Habichuelas to Tandoori Chicken.

Colorful Palate is a delightful and honest look at the complexity of multiracial identities. As the Asian American mother of a bi-ethnic child, I read Tawney’s memoir with a lens of curiosity and understanding. Ethnic communities can often be insular. While Tawney situates his experiences firmly in New York, the narratives of struggling to fit in and not fully belonging are all too familiar. Tawney employs dry wit and self-deprecating humor in a memoir that bears his disappointments and joys. It is a quick and affirming memoir for readers who identify as multiracial, as well as allies and advocates of diversity.