Food brings people together. This is something author Patricia Tanumihardja knows well. While her name is typically found on the covers of cookbooks, she recently cooked up something new — her first children’s book. “Ramen for Everyone,” released earlier this year, is a story seven years in the making, inspired by Tanumihardja’s own family, including herself, her husband, Omar, and her son, Isaac (13).
They live in West Springfield, Virginia, where she spends her time testing out recipes, baking for fun and doing craft projects.
Tanumihardja, who was born in Jakarta and grew up in Singapore, has long had an affinity for weaving food and culture into compelling stories. But it wasn’t until her son was born that she realized how much she loved children’s stories.
In “Ramen for Everyone,” she celebrates the bond between father and child as young Hiro tries to make a bowl of ramen as delicious as his dad’s.
What was the inspiration for your book?
The main inspiration is actually my son. He’s now 13, but he absolutely loves noodles. Starting from a young age, we brought him to his first ramen restaurant when he was 3 or 4, and he just loves noodles. I was observing the relationship between my son and my husband, and what little boy doesn’t totally look up to his dad, right? He wanted to do everything his dad does.
I’m also a cookbook author. When I was writing “Ramen for Everyone,” I was also working on some ramen recipes for an upcoming cookbook.
What do you love most about your job?
The ability to transfer my thoughts into words. My brain is always filled with so many ideas and thoughts, and I just love being able to go through the creative process. I’ve done a couple book events. I went to my son’s old elementary school a couple weeks ago, and there’s just so much joy in bringing books to children. Being a person of color, being able to see kids who look like me see themselves reflected in books is totally amazing. The biggest joy is interacting with the kids who are reading and enjoying my books.
What do you love most about being a parent?
There’s so much to love about being a parent. As a parent, you want the best for your children and you do everything you can for them. And to see the result of all your sacrifices and hard work—when I see that my son has taken what I taught him to heart and he does those things, it just makes me so happy to see that. To see him growing up to be an accomplished, kind, gentle soul is amazing. I see him being so compassionate and kind to people and his friends, and it just warms my heart.
How do you balance work and family life?
With great, great difficulty! It’s been really tough for me and my husband in the last couple of years because he has a job that requires him to travel 25% of the time. We try very hard to make sure we set aside time for family. I make sure to go to my son’s games. I take him to practices. One thing is for sure, sometimes my husband can’t make it home for dinner every night, but I make sure my son and I have time at dinner. We make sure we have time for family, even if it’s just playing a board game for an hour or two. If there’s a time I have back-to-back deadlines and I can’t spend [the] time, I’ll make up for it. Family meals together are definitely a must.
What do you hope your son learns from you?
So many things! That it’s not all about you. I grew up in a family where you always thought about other people before yourself, and it’s not the easiest thing to do, but I realize that you also have to put on your oxygen mask first before you help others. [I hope he learns] to be a kind and compassionate person. I hope that he’s able to be empathetic and know how to put himself in other people’s shoes.
Family favorites
Meal: Ramen!
Dessert: Tres leches cake
Vacation Spot: Hawaii; My sister lives on Oahu
Local Place: Marumen in Fairfax, [Virginia]
Family Activity: We enjoy going hiking.
Game: It’s a toss-up between “King of Tokyo” and “Dragonwood”
