Food: The bond keeping us together!

It is believed that food brings nostalgia, to me it brings memories! Memories which are not crystal  clear, but as I remember them they are followed by a sheer sense of content and belonging. When  I smell a ﬂavour or a dish it takes me back down that memory lane when I ﬁrst experienced it or it  could just be a part of another story in my life. So I personally believe food has memory, it has  stories of what has been and what could be. We grow up eating dishes cooked by our mothers  and grandmothers, and usually spend time re-creating those dishes to experience them once  again. For the longest of time, eating “Chole Bhature” took me back to the cold breezy mornings  near the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu, where I had the most delicious “Chole Bhature”. The  memory that comes to my mind is not the amazing taste, but the joy of eating it together with my  family and the scenic view behind us. Experiences like this made me fall deeper in love with food,  and what intrigued me the most was that just a simple act of eating or cooking holds together a  plethora of emotions.

The love with which food is prepared and the gratitude of the one having it is a bond beyond  words, because we might not even need to know the person who is cooking for us or witness  their love through words or touch, but just a bite into the delicious food that they have cooked  with all of their heart is enough to experience the magnitude of their aﬀection. Once I invited some  friends over for lunch, which is a rare occasion as we are not in the same city most of the time.  They are young boys who have an appetite that no amount of food can fulﬁl apparently, and at the  end of the meal, they obviously appreciated the food I prepared but they also pointed out that   they were completely satiated and could not believe it. The one thing that came to my mind after  hearing this was that maybe the amount of food does not matter but rather the amount of love  with which I prepared the food and the warmth with which I served them, ultimately ﬁlled their  stomachs. While thinking about love and food the ﬁrst thing that comes to mind is a mothers food  and how can it not! Every child believes it in their heart that nobody cooks better than their moth- ers. When I think of this adage my understanding comes down to this, that it is not that all moth- ers are extraordinary cooks but they are all equipped with the same amount of love that they pour  unconditionally when they prepare food to feed their children.

I am a culinary enthusiast and I have known it for the most part of my life but when I think about  how it started, my passion or belonging to food that I hold, the one person that comes to my mind  is my mother. I hear fellow students say we cooked with our grandmothers, they told us stories,  and thats where they received their calling but I personally cannot relate to that. The only person  from whom I have gained this love for cooking is my mother. I do not remember the big exact  moment when I had an epiphany to pursue a career in Culinary Arts, but there were small, deﬁn- ing occasions which made me realise that this is what I can see myself doing in my life. My moth- er is a Home Maker, and I have grown up watching her manage a house eﬀortlessly and with  ease. Even when I cook now, I believe that she deserves to be the ﬁrst person to eat as home  makers do not have that privilege, they feed everyone and then they feed their own stomachs. I  am inspired by the way she cooks, she has a clear vision of how the dish is supposed to be, she  works organised and with a lightning speed. I try learning dishes from her and her methods to  cooking, and I observed that her recipes are so uncomplicated and simple, yet they give such  amazing results. When I try re-creating those recipes, I realise that its not as easy as it seems to  be, but rather she makes it looks eﬀortless because of the years of experience on hand and the  immense portion of love that she pours everyday into her food without fail. Basically the food that  we cook resembles the feelings and emotions that we hold while preparing them. If we are happy  and ecstatic the dish prepared might not be correct but it will surely taste delicious. If we are wor- ried and sad, the food comes out bland and ﬂavourless. If we are not well and low on our energy,  the dish will come out good but it lacks that spice and essence of joy. My analogy is solely based  on what I experienced during the pandemic as it gave me a lot of time to experiment and not al- ways was I in a good mood.

With the whole world at stand still and the whole population being conﬁned to their homes, the  one thing that we thrived upon was food. We could see a dish trending every week, inspiring oth- ers to do the same and for that we have social media to thank. We went through phases of ba- nana bread, focaccia, popsicles, dalgona coﬀee and what not. Food was keeping us sane, enter-

tained, relaxed and most importantly occupied. People who detested cooking were enjoying, ex- perimenting and attempting to try out dishes in their kitchen. Lockdown was lifted up, the virus is  still surrounding us but so is food. With the lockdown lifting up people saw opportunities, they put  their kitchen experiences to use and started their home businesses. We saw emerging home  kitchens, weekend kitchens and even people providing food to the needful. Soon I realised that  even through such tiresome circumstances food found a way to lighten up our lives and it was  inevitable that it is the bond that is keeping us together.

My philosophy of food is that it has the capability to love, nurture and heal. We have the power  and the strength to provide people with the same, through food inspired by our mothers, grand- mothers, memories, stories and bucket full of experiences. Here’s to food and the meaning it  brings to our life with such an adamant existence!


Food : The bond keeping us together ! It is believed that food brings nostalgia , to me it brings memories ! Memories which are not crystal clear , but as I remember them they are followed by a sheer sense of content and belonging . When I smell a ﬂavour or a dish it takes me back down that memory lane when I ﬁrst experienced it or it could just be a part of another story in my life . So I personally believe food has memory , it has stories of what has been and what could be . We grow up eating dishes cooked by our mothers and grandmothers , and usually spend time re - creating those dishes to experience them once again . For the longest of time , eating “ Chole Bhature ” took me back to the cold breezy mornings near the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu , where I had the most delicious “ Chole Bhature ” . The memory that comes to my mind is not the amazing taste , but the joy of eating it together with my family and the scenic view behind us . Experiences like this made me fall deeper in love with food , and what intrigued me the most was that just a simple act of eating or cooking holds together a plethora of emotions . The love with which food is prepared and the gratitude of the one having it is a bond beyond words , because we might not even need to know the person who is cooking for us or witness their love through words or touch , but just a bite into the delicious food that they have cooked with all of their heart is enough to experience the magnitude of their aﬀection . Once I invited some friends over for lunch , which is a rare occasion as we are not in the same city most of the time . They are young boys who have an appetite that no amount of food can fulﬁl apparently , and at the end of the meal , they obviously appreciated the food I prepared but they also pointed out that they were completely satiated and could not believe it . The one thing that came to my mind after hearing this was that maybe the amount of food does not matter but rather the amount of love with which I prepared the food and the warmth with which I served them , ultimately ﬁlled their stomachs . While thinking about love and food the ﬁrst thing that comes to mind is a mothers food and how can it not ! Every child believes it in their heart that nobody cooks better than their moth- ers . When I think of this adage my understanding comes down to this , that it is not that all moth- ers are extraordinary cooks but they are all equipped with the same amount of love that they pour unconditionally when they prepare food to feed their children . I am a culinary enthusiast and I have known it for the most part of my life but when I think about how it started , my passion or belonging to food that I hold , the one person that comes to my mind is my mother . I hear fellow students say we cooked with our grandmothers , they told us stories , and that s where they received their calling but I personally can not relate to that . The only person from whom I have gained this love for cooking is my mother . I do not remember the big exact moment when I had an epiphany to pursue a career in Culinary Arts , but there were small , deﬁn- ing occasions which made me realise that this is what I can see myself doing in my life . My moth- er is a Home Maker , and I have grown up watching her manage a house eﬀortlessly and with ease . Even when I cook now , I believe that she deserves to be the ﬁrst person to eat as home makers do not have that privilege , they feed everyone and then they feed their own stomachs . I am inspired by the way she cooks , she has a clear vision of how the dish is supposed to be , she works organised and with a lightning speed . I try learning dishes from her and her methods to cooking , and I observed that her recipes are so uncomplicated and simple , yet they give such amazing results . When I try re - creating those recipes , I realise that its not as easy as it seems to be , but rather she makes it looks eﬀortless because of the years of experience on hand and the immense portion of love that she pours everyday into her food without fail . Basically the food that we cook resembles the feelings and emotions that we hold while preparing them . If we are happy and ecstatic the dish prepared might not be correct but it will surely taste delicious . If we are wor- ried and sad , the food comes out bland and ﬂavourless . If we are not well and low on our energy , the dish will come out good but it lacks that spice and essence of joy . My analogy is solely based on what I experienced during the pandemic as it gave me a lot of time to experiment and not al- ways was I in a good mood . With the whole world at stand still and the whole population being conﬁned to their homes , the one thing that we thrived upon was food . We could see a dish trending every week , inspiring oth- ers to do the same and for that we have social media to thank . We went through phases of ba- nana bread , focaccia , popsicles , dalgona coﬀee and what not . Food was keeping us sane , enter- tained , relaxed and most importantly occupied . People who detested cooking were enjoying , ex- perimenting and attempting to try out dishes in their kitchen . Lockdown was lifted up , the virus is still surrounding us but so is food . With the lockdown lifting up people saw opportunities , they put their kitchen experiences to use and started their home businesses . We saw emerging home kitchens , weekend kitchens and even people providing food to the needful . Soon I realised that even through such tiresome circumstances food found a way to lighten up our lives and it was inevitable that it is the bond that is keeping us together . My philosophy of food is that it has the capability to love , nurture and heal . We have the power and the strength to provide people with the same , through food inspired by our mothers , grand- mothers , memories , stories and bucket full of experiences . Here ’s to food and the meaning it brings to our life with such an adamant existence !