Now that you’ve finished reading Flavors of Life, below are some discussion questions to help you reflect on the book and the stories:

• Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
• Can you relate to any of the owners or their circumstances? Share an example from the book, perhaps even from your own personal life.
• Are there any chapters or owners that surprised you? What specifically surprised you? Was it an action that seemed out of place or more of a situation that you couldn’t relate to? Describe your reaction, and perhaps pick out a passage from one of the chapters.
• Choose one of the owners and discuss the qualities of him or her. What draws you to this person? Why do they stand out to you?
• Was there a specific passage that left an impression, good or bad? Share the passage and its effect.
• Do you see your own culture reflected in any of these stories? If so, how? Compare and contrast the aspects of your own story to what is portrayed in the book. If your particular culture is not reflected or missing, why do you feel this is the case? How can you potentially connect your experience and your culture with the cultural stories represented in the book? What could the author do differently to help you better connect with one or more of the stories?
• Choose two chapters – preferably from two different regions – and compare and contrast their stories. How are their backgrounds different? What sets them apart, and why? What commonalities do they share? How have their upbringings led them to the same passion, in the same place? In the end, do you feel these two people are more similar or distinct?
• Which owner do you think overcame the most adversity? Why? Pick out a passage from the text, or a quote, that you feel best illustrates this.
• Which owner do you think strayed the most from their “original” profession? Discuss their background and how you think they ended up in the restaurant industry.
• Which owner would you most like to meet, and why?
• How did this book affect you? What emotions does it instill in you? Do you feel changed after reading it? Did it educate you in some manner, or did it open your mind to new or different perspectives, challenging the norm? Did reading it help you to understand a person better, or even yourself?
• How does the book’s narrative perspective (the voice) help in telling the stories of the restaurant owners? Do you feel it is better told from a third person perspective, or would you rather read about it from a first person perspective? Why?
• Did you find the images (in the print version) were a help or hindrance to the book’s end result? Which images in particular did you like? Why did they stand out to you?
• Do you find this book has a central theme? If so, what do you think it is? Find a passage to support this. Do you think there is more than one theme? If so, is one more dominate than others? Do you feel it is well blended with the rest of the stories or is the theme forced? How important to the book is the theme?
• Do you feel this book is timeless, as in will people be reading these stories in 10, 50 or 100 years? Why or why not? Is this book one you would personally keep, as in would you proudly display it on your book shelf?
• Did you have expectations of this book? If so, did the book live up to them? Where did these expectations come from – reviewers, the author herself, social media, or other? Perhaps the back of the book?
• Would you want to read a similar book about another city?