Subcontinent India – land of diversities is the first thing that rings in your mind on hearing the word INDIA.
With 29 states and 7 union territories, each distinctive in its tradition, culture and most importantly food. it’s out of imagination how well these are connected.
The common thread running with regard to food is the love and passion for it. One finds it remarkable how Indians can go to any length for their share of bread and butter.
Soul mates
Indians take their food very seriously and I mean it. Cooking in this land is considered equivalent to an art. The rituals here are also centered around food and its taste. Mothers start teaching daughters the khaandani recipes at a fairly young age. Moreover, in some Hindu customs the day after marriage first meal for the house is prepared by the daughter in law and she is even judged on it. Such is the importance of cooking.
The quote “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” aptly describes what major role cooking has in the journey of a wife in India
The quality and the variety of the buffet at your service make you judgmental at any wedding. If the food there was finger licking good then unconsciously you end up publicising it in your own way. And the same is true for any party leave alone marriages.
Taste bonds!
Hum Saath Saath Hain has a dialogue- “A family that prays together, eats together …stays together.” The line very nicely depicts the significance of meals as an occasion. For the Indian families, meal times are a great place to de-stress themselves, forget their tensions and share a quality time. Cracking jokes, laughing on each other, discussing things on a dinner table is a great way for them to bond. The idea of eating together keeps them connected and known to each other in this fast paced world of competition.
Food Speaks!
The most astounding fact I find is that people here judge you by your attitude towards FOOD. No one can deny noticing the way people eat food and treat food or how generous or stingy they are in sharing it. Although in India you would find the next door unknown person welcoming enough to share his bread and butter with you even when he has nothing to himself. That is the way we Indians have been brought up. But yes these small things speak a lot for you as a person especially in India.
When in India, it’s all about 3C’s!
3Cs is a famous business mantra for the companies targeting Indian consumers. Do you know what this C’s stand for? Cinema, Curry and Cricket (not in order) is the full form. Base your product, advertisement etc. on these Cs and you have the boon to flourish. Recently we have witnessed films with a connection to food- Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurranna, Stanley ka Dabba and The Lunchbox and an old film like Bawarchi. The producers and directors very well understood how well the combination works for the audience. And these films never failed to entertain even for a minute.
Food Names of the States!
Punjab – The Leg-Peg League: Because their love for parathas, chicken and alcohol is eternal.
Rajasthan – Kachoris on Camel: The only place where variants of kachoris are innumerable, pyaaz kachori, mawa kachori, dal kachori…
Gujrat – Dhokla Fafda missiles: like Kareena said in 3 idiots, it’s all about khakhra, dhokla, fafda, khandva missiles.
West Bengal – Mishti-o-Maach: When Bengalis stuff their mouth with rasogullas; they are probably the sweetest people. Sweets, rice and fish is all what they eat :p
Kerala – Sona Chandi Chyawanprash: the state of exotic spices, silver and gold. Coconut oil is the staple ingredient of this state.
Indians cannot be separated from food, whatever the case may be. In every second of their life, their love for eating gets intertwined with their events. Healthy or unhealthy, spicy or bland, oily or non-oily, street or homemade food, whatever category it belong to we Indians can never get enough of it. You can easily state that in general people eat to live but this country lives to eat!! So go for it. Keep your taste buds curious to try all the delicacies in this world.
