In Buddha's Kitchen

Kimberley Snow offers an outrageously funny and honest account of her adventures as head cook at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center. With her earthy sensibility and sharp sense of humor, the author shows this world in a light devoid of preciousness—while expressing with heart the integrity of the spiritual work being undertaken. We come away from our visit to this exotic realm having found it both extraordinary and surprisingly familiar. The neuroses, obsessions, and petty concerns exposed by Snow—both in herself and her fellow staff members—prove to be grist for the mill for discovering the grace inherent in life just as it is."In this book, the Buddhist teaching comes from the stove instead of the meditation cushion, making it concrete, engaging and generally highly entertaining. This is a small jewel, and it's altogether refreshing to read a Buddhist book with a sense of humor." —Publishers Weekly

"Snow cooks up a sumptuous meal, rich with laughter and wisdom."—Philip Zaleski, editor of the Best Spiritual Writing seriesKimberley Snow cofounded the Women's Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of Writing Yourself Home and Keys to the Open Gate. She travels and teaches reading and writing seminars on choosing peace, and is also a visiting lecturer at UC Santa Barbara in writing and women in literature. Recipes are available on www.snowlight.com.