READERS GUIDE

Discussion Questions
1.        What dish might you ask the Kamogawa Detective Agency to recreate for you?
2.        Who was your favorite character, and why?
3.        Did any of the dishes Nagare recreates speak to you? Why or why not?
4.        In the “Hamburger Steak” chapter, we see Koishi staunchly disagree with a client’s point of view, yet she has a duty to help the client regardless of how she feels. How would you react if you were put in such a situation?
5.        The idea of the healing power of food is taken to the next level in this book. Do you believe in this notion? Why or why not?
6.        What do you think “home” would taste like for you?
7.        What was your favorite scene, and why?
8.        In the “Christmas Cake” chapter, customers Yoshie and Masayuki desire to connect with their son who has passed away, through a Western-style Christmas cake he had frequently enjoyed. If, through the medium of food, you could reconnect with someone from your own life who has passed on, who would it be and what meal or dessert would you choose?
9.        Many of the guests at the diner deal with a complicated relationship with their father but find understanding through the lost recipes they shared. Why do you think that is, and in what ways do you think this theme might be related to Nagare and Koishi and the special bond that they share?
10.   In each story, the customer learns a vital lesson after eating their meal. What do you imagine you might learn if you visited the Kamogawa Diner?