In India, a Rich Food Culture Vanishes from the Train Tracks
<i>She held out a plate to me, which I shyly refused. Go on, she urged me. &quot;Food is never food unless you share it with others, no?&quot; she said. I accepted and found love at first bite.<p>I also remember a hearty Punjabi woman we met on another trip. She sighed at my mother&#x27;s humble offering of idlis. &quot;I can never make such soft idlis at home,&quot; she said, as I bit into her fragrant alu paratha (a flaky, potato-stuffed Indian bread), wondering why anyone who could eat such manna every day would ever want an idli.<p>These food exchanges would invariably extend into detailed introductions, exchange of family histories, discovery of common acquaintances, all culminating in a boisterous game of cards or round of antakshari (contest of Hindi movie songs) and a final promise to keep in touch.</i><p>There&#x27;s something very beautiful about complete strangers interacting and engaging deeply with one another, free of any selfish desires besides that of companionship. There are many things I love about today&#x27;s world, but that sense of camaraderie does seem diminished these days.