What a shame. The first half of this book tells a quirky tale of a culture clash, showing what happens when a big, boisterous Indian family opens a restaurant across the road from an elegant French establishment. If that had been the whole story, fleshed out enough to fill a book, I would have enjoyed it. But the second half, which follows narrator Hassan as he moves across the road to become the French chef's apprentice, ultimately becoming a star in France's culinary world in his own right, is just boring. The entire second half feels like a recitation of events, rather than an engaging or immersive look into Hassan's world. I didn't need to know that much about the French economy or the restaurant business, especially without feeling any connection to Hassan's inner life or personal development.