Food, 食べ物, भोजन, อาหาร! A blend of ingredients capable of creating edible art. Sugar, salt, fiber, protein and acid: simple chemistry, until you add in a bit of heart, giving a dish character and an unforgettable experience. “A tavola non s’invecchia”. An Italian proverb that stuck with me; literally translating to “At the table, one does not grow old“. A philosophy of slowing down, savoring the moment, and enjoying the company of family.
Let’s talk about taste for a second. How can bitterness taste so fulfilling, and something salty taste so sweet! What did Anton Ego feel when he tasted the Ratatouille? How does food take us back to the most nostalgic moments from our childhood? We keep chasing our childhood with adult money. Buying inexpensive moulds for the homemade orange-flavoured popsicles, buying glass jars to cure pickles like our Grandma used to, waiting for our mom to set the cake to bake and then eating the leftover batter with the sister.
I have a faint memory of my first time in the kitchen. Maa was making an omelette, and I stood watch next to her. Curiosity begged me to explore, and unfortunately, I figured I had to know how hot the pan was. Not my first scar, but certainly a core memory. Tears flowed from my adolescent eyes, and my maa scolded me first and then healed me by applying ice and band aids.
Ten years in the future, life put me on the precipice of a kitchen again, this time not to burn, but to experience the art of preparing a meal. Alone this time and desperate for guidance, but with a similar overwhelming sense of curiosity. This time around, I am wiser than my younger self, or so I thought. I had learnt not to touch the hot surfaces, but the knives posed a unique threat I hadn’t encountered. The ease with which Chef Ramsey showed how to cut an onion felt simple enough; hours of watching Master Chef, in fact, did not give me the skills in reality. All kinds of knives cut me, old, new, sharp, or blunt. Once again proving it’s not the knife, it was my lack of skill. But I persevered. Cooking gave me a sense of happiness I hadn’t felt before.
I loved watching garlic sizzle in butter, spices cook in mustard oil, onions brown, and batters rise under the heat. I felt in control. A whole kitchen to myself. Clean, organized and fully stocked with my favorites. I looked forward to the expedition I would embark on every time I entered the hallowed kitchen! I started learning from my cuts and bruises quicker than any tutorials. Not that it kept me from getting burnt and cut once in a while. Years of cooking followed, and I usually found myself running out of band aids to cover my cuts. I just told myself a good recipe often asks for a sacrifice, and in my case, it was blood that brought out the flavour of all the ingredients, figuratively speaking, of course (or am I).
Each new country I travelled to helped me discover new vegetables, ingredients, spices and recipes. The phenomenal combination of basil and coconut milk from Thailand, the amazing aroma of the curry leaves from Southern India, a never-ending variety of peppers and the criticality of coriander and lime juice in Mexican food. A balance of flavors, ensuring the aroma matches the presentation and both enhancing the first bite that transports a human to relive a nostalgic moment.
In my years living alone, I started appreciating the tastes I grew up with. A bitter gourd tasted magnificent. A bland bottle-gourd felt fulfilling. A meagre amalgamation of radish leaves with red chilli and garlic took me back to the dining table in 2012, where I sat with my sister watching Power Rangers or maybe Hannah Montana. No social media, no responsibilities, just pure happiness. The house where Maa and Dadi (Grandma) made food that we remember for our whole lives and cherish above all the fancy dishes of the world.
Now think about your past. What’s that one dish that Dadi cooked that kept you coming for seconds? That one dish that Maa made, which felt like the warmest hug in a bowl. That one dish Maasi made that you always wanted whenever you went to her home. The incredible recipes of the trailblazing women of our family are our heritage. Recipes that are passed down each generation as the young ones hear legends of how the all-healing recipes came into existence. I sure remember the scalding hot tomato soup that cured my throat, the carrot and beetroot juice that energized my core, the chickpea greens (चने का साग) and radish leaves (मूली के पत्ते) that once served with cornmeal flatbread (मक्के की रोटी) removed all the stress from my being.
Anthony Bourdain famously said, “Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go. Good food is very often, even most often, simple food.”
I will never forget that one dish my Dadi made. That one dish that we took on our travels across the country by train. The fragrant spices from green peas and diced potatoes, rich fried bread, mango pickles and a spice blend from the lands of Kanpur; Translation: ‘आलू मटर की सब्ज़ी, पूरी, आम का अचार और बुक्नु‘. A meal served on disposable plates while the train swayed through the night. An unforgettable plate. An eternal preparation of simple ingredients. An inimitable art that I will try to reproduce forever!
P.S.: Here is a list of Movies/TV Shows that explore the realm of food, from farm to kitchen and more. I do feel that these movies improve my appetite for new flavors and rush back to the kitchen to try them out.
- Chef (2014)
- Burnt (2015)
- Ratatouille (2007)
- Nonnas (2025)
- The Bear (2022-2026)
Diamond Dogs 
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