Food And The Memory lane

We were on a Rajasthan road trip during the Diwali vacation. It was pretty cold and we got late on the way and stopped at a place called Pali. It was late at night and we were famished. We found a pav bhaji joint and in that chill weather, I had the best pav bhaji of my life. The year was 1998. Three years back I was in Rajasthan again but I could not find that taste. I guess some moments are truly special and relished for a lifetime. Similar was an experience at Kanyakumari where we came across a man selling Rasgullas on his cycle. So many people were buying from him and it seemed that all tourists really enjoyed this Bengali sweet in the far-off land.

The way colors remind me of people or incidences, same way food also has a special connection with my memories, especially of places and people. Most of my vacations have been road trips across India and every trip has some special food memory associated with it. My sister had just delivered a beautiful baby and she was coming to Chennai from Delhi to visit my parents who were then based in Trichy. I decided to join from Mumbai. Father had come to pick us up at Chennai Airport and sadly my flight got delayed. It was almost evening and it was a 6-hour car journey from there. We had some sandwiches and since the baby was very small we thought we would pack something on way instead of spending some more time at the restaurant. On the way to Trichy, in a small village, we had the best of idlis at around 10 pm that day. Big, hot, piping, steaming idlis with fresh coconut chutney. To date, I have never come across such soft spongy big idlis and yummy chutney.

After a night flight, we reached Lucerne in the late morning from Zurich airport. The breakfast timing at our hotel was over and they could offer us just coffee and some bakery items. I was not familiar with croissants till then. Our room was not ready and so our food bags were sealed. The lady at reception suggested that we could try the famous burger outlet across the road. Sadly it had all the non-veg options and I had to settle for french fries for breakfast. It was noon when we visited the famous Transport museum and decided to eat something at their restaurant first. And to my surprise and delight, we got the best Margherita pizza. It was thick,rectangle-shaped, crisp freshly baked, and loaded with cheese and all my travel fatigue vanished in minutes. Getting good food suitable to your palette in a foreign land is not always easy during travel. And so all the more I tend to remember places and dishes I had at those places. One such memory is of a joint in Zurich where food is charged as per the weight of a loaded food plate. This was something amazing and interesting. There is a whole spread and you have to fill in a plate and weigh it, In the first round, I was not aware of the minimum charge and took small portions. But then realized that minimum billing is applicable and to fill plate in the first go is a wise decision. Similarly, we tasted amazing pasta at one of the joints at the metro station. The place looked so small but the food was really good and served so well. One more thing I have observed is that soft drinks especially coke tastes better in foreign countries than here. Is it just my perception or is it the water or the composition I have not been able to figure out.

My mother is a very good cook and so was her mother. I have come to the conclusion that the good part is we got to eat delicious food throughout our childhood. The sad part is we can never be happy with our cooking fully or with someone else cooking easily. Every occasion or every preparation fills the mind with memories. In 8th class, I had to change my school and had to make new friends. It was not easy and I remember initially I used to be very sad. But come lunch break and mother's tiffin used to fill my heart with so much happiness and optimism. Sharing tiffin was also a way of making new connections in school or during my internship at the time of pursuing CA. My bestie was very shy. We were assigned the same audit work and we were complete strangers. To strike a conversation I used to insist on having lunch together. And yes the conversations we had over food became the foundation for a lasting connection. Even today the trick works. Food is a great way to connect to the souls.

I once came early from school and there was no one at home. It was raining heavily and our neighboring aunty took me home and lovingly offered me lunch. It was methi sabzi and I really dint like green veggies. But I couldn't even flatly refuse and ate it like a good girl. And it was so amazing. The preparation was so different and it tasted so heavenly. From that day I started eating methi happily.

I used to relish shrikhand with rice. I always thought I was the only unique one until one day when I found someone relishing aamras with rice. Before the modern catering concept came in, marriage halls in my hometown Nagpur had big kitchens with big chulhas. Firewood cooking had a unique aroma and to date, the smell of hot Masale bhaat( Spicy rice preparation) and jalebis makes me nostalgic. Whenever I see someone frying jalebis outside sweet shops I stop there just to check whether that aroma is around.

On a deeper thought food is one thread that the Almighty has created to bind all souls.in Indian culture, so much importance is assigned to food because it is the fuel that keeps our mind and body healthy. We worship food and follow rituals making it an integral part of our existence. Every festival has a sweet and savory associated with it and we tend to cook it over years. Every household has its unique specialty with some secret formula of ingredients.No celebration, no get-together is complete without good food. Everyone has a way to prepare the dishes. The recipe or ingredients may be different but one thing that remains common is the love with which it is made and served. Also, our state of mind decides how we like and appreciate the food. Just the way love and a pleasant state of mind is important in preparing food, eating and relishing food needs love and gratitude too. The taste and aroma of food can have a long-lasting effect and take us down memory lane whenever we are in a low mood or whenever we are craving for some warmth and optimism for sure .As they rightly say in Marathi," Mast kha , Swastha raha"