"Starting with nothing?" He asked as if by saying it he would make it true. He too was painting a dream.
The Sri Lankan refugee working at the gas station looks to Triton for encouragement, assuming Triton created a successful life in England through simple hard work. Since the gas station attendant is a member of the oppressed Tamil minority, he likely suffered discrimination and poverty both in his home country and in England. Triton does not express that he did not start "with nothing"; Mister Salgado's wealth and privilege were essential for Triton to develop and expand his restaurant.
She had seen monkey-suits give way to Nehru shirts; Sheffield silver replaced by coconut spoons. But her cooking and her wood-stove—two black stones outside the kitchen—remained timeless.
Lucy-amma worked as a cook for multiple generations of Mister Salgado's family. Though she lived through massive political changes, such as decolonization, Lucy-amma's domestic world remained unchanged. This quotation uses the domestic imagery of "monkey-suits" (Western-style suits) and "Sheffield silver" as shorthand for English colonialism and "Nehru shirts" (an article of clothing worn by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru) and "coconut spoons" as symbolic of Sri Lankan independence. Lucy-amma's disinterest in politics foreshadows Triton's journey as Mister Salgado's cook, turning a blind eye to the growing socialist revolution.
It was better, I thought, to leave it untold. That way maybe the event would fade. It would disappear. Without words to sustain it, the past would die. But I was wrong.
Triton decides not to tell Mister Salgado that Joseph sexually assaulted him. This quotation introduces the theme of willful ignorance, as Triton hopes to erase the event from his memory by simply ignoring it. However, the traumatic experience impacts Triton for the rest of his life.
They were both indulging my unenlightened habits, they thought, but I was not a believer. In my own way I am a rationalist, same as Mister Salgado...
Triton decides to offer ten cents to a temple as an act of "tactical obeisance" after Mister Salgado's car almost hits a cow on the road. Though Triton is not religious, he does not rule out the possibility that "the temple exerts some influence" over his destiny. Rationally, Triton concludes that if there is no supernatural force and his donation does nothing, the ten cents can be used to feed the monks who live in the temple. Intimidated by the class differences between them, Triton does not explain this logic to Dias and Mister Salgado, allowing them to believe he is superstitious.
I needed praise. I needed his praise and I needed her praise. I felt stupid to need it, but I did.
Triton is an experienced and self-taught cook whose culinary skills are a significant part of his identity. Since Triton has worked as Mister Salgado's servant since childhood, he rarely receives validation or affection, and his self-worth comes from pleasing Mister Salgado. When Nili and Mister Salgado begin to court, Triton also desires her approval.
The mood, I am convinced, is the most essential ingredient for any taste to develop. Taste is not the product of the mouth, it lies entirely in the mind.
Triton, an expert cook, plans an elaborate Christmas dinner, cooking the entire meal and decorating the house, though he has never celebrated Christmas before. Triton intuitively understands the power of food to create shared memories and meticulously plans how the dishes will be presented. The perspective represented in this quotation foreshadows Triton's inevitable success as a restaurant owner, a profession that requires him to create evocative experiences for his customers.
"But in those days I had no real interest in the politics of the countryside: we each have to live by our own dreams."
In this quotation, Triton expresses that he is not unaware of the political tensions in his country but rather refuses to dwell on them. The only way Triton can find meaning in his life is to pursue his "own dreams" of perfecting his culinary skills, leaving little room for any other concerns. Ironically, the "politics of the countryside" that Triton chooses to ignore centers around creating equal opportunities for members of the working class. Thus, paying attention to the "politics of the countryside" might have helped Triton pursue his dreams.
"You think it won't look good. Yet another sign of your depravity is it? I am not a pedigree bitch, is that it? When it comes down to it, not good enough?"
Mister Salgado and Nili attend a party to celebrate the launch of the Mahalaweli Scheme. This program promised to improve living conditions for unemployed families by using the Mahalaweli River to create hydroelectric power and irrigation systems. Ironically, the party is for privileged individuals, though the project proposes to promote equity and economic justice. Mister Salgado and Nili embody this irony; the couple cares more about how the party reflects their social position than what it celebrates. In this quotation, Nili expresses her hurt and frustration that Mister Salgado is embarrassed to bring her, a member of a lower social class, as his date.
But it takes time, years, to learn how other people cope with themselves, how they come to terms with the changes that happen, always happen around them.
Triton watches Mister Salgado grow upset while talking to Robert and Sujie, the reporter, about sea erosion. Though Triton cannot understand why the conversation angers Mister Salgado, he predicts that Mister Salgado will recover from his bad temper with "a good meal" and "a glass of beer." This quotation exemplifies the theme of willful ignorance, as Mister Salgado does not use his research or privilege to affect change but rather broods over his own emotions surrounding the dissolution of his romantic relationship and the destruction of the coral reefs.
But are we not all refugees from something? Whether we stay or go or return, we all need refuge from the world beyond our fingertips at some time.
Triton and Mister Salgado move to England, where locals ask Triton if he is a refugee. Triton considers this question and ponders the meaning of a refugee. Ultimately, he concludes that since human beings are often unable to change the world or their own situation, everyone needs to escape their feelings of impotence at some point.
