I always adored your mom's dishes whenever we gathered in your home in Aden, which was often. But I almost never entered the kitchen or witnessed the deft hands performing the magic. One thing I always told friends was that your mom's lemon pickle was beyond compare. I haven't tasted a pickle like that to date. Hope you outdo your mom, Chandika.
Fascinating discussion of Indian ways to cultivate an innate feel for food. I suppose that "kai manam" has a lot do do with the ability to observe the process of transforming raw into cooked food with all your senses.
On the note of cultural prejudice towards certain types of food: garlic was considered as working-class food when I was growing up. Prejudice - or predilections - change but they are deeply engrained in our response to food. What do we enjoy and how do we enjoy it?
I always adored your mom's dishes whenever we gathered in your home in Aden, which was often. But I almost never entered the kitchen or witnessed the deft hands performing the magic. One thing I always told friends was that your mom's lemon pickle was beyond compare. I haven't tasted a pickle like that to date. Hope you outdo your mom, Chandika.
Fascinating discussion of Indian ways to cultivate an innate feel for food. I suppose that "kai manam" has a lot do do with the ability to observe the process of transforming raw into cooked food with all your senses.
On the note of cultural prejudice towards certain types of food: garlic was considered as working-class food when I was growing up. Prejudice - or predilections - change but they are deeply engrained in our response to food. What do we enjoy and how do we enjoy it?