Someone
has rightly said, “Food is your body’s fuel, without fuel your body wants to
shut down”. And I personally believe, all great minds are set to work after a scrumptious
meal. In fact I indulge myself completely when I am low because a zestful meal
takes me higher and higher. Blame it on my ‘kitchen friendly’ upbringing; I am
addictive to anything and everything about food. In fact I have this ‘Breakup
friendly’ food theory that’s quite amusing.
It says Yummy and fatty food is the only way to heel a broken heart. Who
wants to mourn over heartaches when you are served a divine platter!!!! But you can never predict what life has in
store for you or so was the case with me.
Hailing
from North India, where an evening tea sans ‘samosa’ /’kachori’ is a sin, both
me and my hubby are big time foodie. Without elaborating my hubby’s sweet tooth
saga, will move on to the turning point of my flavorful life. In 2011, I moved
to USA with my hubby, with dreamy eyes as that of a new bride. Spending initial
days in a hotel, Indeed life was all flowery and I felt like some Yash Chopra
heroin singing my heart out to the magnificence of life until the villain made
its entry. And in this case the tormentor came well placed on a tray with all
its accompaniments and we made eye contact for the first time. I kept staring at
those sausages, bagels and oatmeal and not to forget, peanut butter and mourning
over the loss of my regular ‘Aloo paratha’ and ‘poha’. ‘Golgappas’ and ‘jalebi’
kept haunting me for so many nights. Life is so tough sometimes…!!!!
After
my first encounter with self-assumed tasteless meal, the next thing on
to-do-list was to visit the first- seen Indian grocery store and stock my
cupboards with all that I can manage to dump into it. I was equally happy to
see Indian restaurants, which meant duty free weekends!! Life was back on track with my taste buds
taken full care of. Then during one of the summer evenings we happened to go
out to dine in this Mexican joint with our friends and I kept my fingers
crossed. And to my surprise I developed a taste for it. “Chipotle “is a Mexican
version of Rajma rice with salad, if put in simple words. I was amazed at its
presentation and soon it was on my favorites list. Basically the problem with
foodies is we cannot stay away from food and love to explore different cuisines
(as long it is better looking than better tasting, we can try anything). Next on our list was “Maggiano’s Little Italy”
known for their authentic flavors. And their Cheese ravioli will leave you
craving for more. They use very subtle flavors to give it a typical Italian
touch. It’s interesting to see the
variety of cuisines that every region has to offer. The high-point came when
while waiting for my order to come in an Indian restaurant, I saw a group of
Non-Indians relishing our very own Shahi Paneer and Naan, in a pita style
though but being an Indian I felt so proud.
From
‘parathe wali gali’ to ‘Greek Kitchen’, the journey has been very fulfilling
and enriching. What amazes me is the fact that Food is one divine creation that binds us all globally.
At the same time, someone back there in India is gorging on ‘Chicken gyros’ and
‘falafel’, and just a continent across someone is devouring ‘Mysore Masala Dosa’. !!! If you look at it closely, you will realize
spices have no nationality. They may have different origins but they emit same
aroma across the globe without any discrimination. Little things in life have a
lot to teach, if only we could learn.
Raising
a toast to all the food lovers….
Cheers
