The Book of Salt

Binh tells of going home with men, some of whom he met at Stein’s home. These were not in pursuit of a relationship bur instead only lustful exchanges. Binh longs for his scholar-prince, the hero of the stories his mother would tell him as they cooked together. He shares his plans for the meal he would prepare for Lattimore’s dinner party. Binh’s own recipes, along with those of his brother and his mother, are shared in sensuous detail.

Binh says his mother called him her little scholar-prince when he was about 11. This confused him, as he had always imagined himself in place of the young girl in the story, and he was awaiting his own scholar-prince.

Back at Lattimore’s the narrative skips ahead to Monday morning. No one came to the “dinner party,” as it was apparently just a rendezvous for the two men. When Binh dresses to go home, he notices a bulge in his shirt pocket and assumes it is money. He then hears his father’s voice calling him a whore. He rushes back to the Stein’s, worried about his late return.