Rant, Reminiscence, Rumination In the era of mindless content consumption, when people idly scroll their way through a labyrinth of subpar but annoyingly regular content, you often come across a gem or two, which make you stop and ponder. You marvel at how great it is, and stop to wonder why none of the stuff…
Tag: nostalgia
Eggs and Bread: A Slice of Nostalgia
Food has a way of etching itself into our memories, and it’s usually the simple dishes that stand out. My first ever article took a cursory glance at this idea, and time to re-explore it, with a more specialised approach. Few dishes are as simple are the humble bread and eggs. Let’s start with a…
পুজোর রেশ, খাওয়াদাওয়া জম্পেশ!
“রাম খটাখট ঘ্যাচাং ঘ্যাঁচ, কথায় কাটে কথার প্যাঁচ।” কথার প্যাঁচ থেকে মাঠের পাঁচ-শূণ্য, গলার জোরে গোল নিশ্চিত। দুই পাড়ের ইলিশ চিংড়ি, দুই পাড়ের সাহিত্য, রান্না বা ভাষার মাধুর্যে আধিপত্য বিস্তারের নিরন্তর প্রচেষ্টা অব্যাহত, আর এই আদিম লড়াইয়ের আঁচে ফুঁ দিয়ে দুধে-ভাতে আছে বাঙালি। আমার এপাড় চেনা আমার বাবার থেকে, আর ওপাড় মা’র। কখনো এমার্জেন্সি আমলে…
মনকেমনের অষ্টমী
যেদিন ঘুম ভাঙলেই মনে হয় এ পৃথিবীতে এত আনন্দ এর আগে কখনও আসেনি, সেই দিনটাই অষ্টমী। পায়ের দিকে জানালা। চোখ খুলেই দেখব বাইরে ঝকঝক করছে রোদ। দূরের ইউক্যালিপটাস গাছটার মাথায় পাশের শহর থেকে আসা তিন-চারটে পাখি। তারা আমাদের শহরে এসে অবাক হয়ে গেছে খুব; সে গল্পই করছে নিজেদের কাছে। বারোয়ারি পুজো মন্ডপ থেকে পুরুতঠাকুরের গলা…
Dosa in a Time Warp
Vidyarthi Bhavan, located in the Gandhi Bazaar area in Bangalore, is a students’ eatery established in 1943, serving South Indian breakfast staples like idli, vada, and dosa. It constantly pops up in lists of “must-try restaurants in Bangalore”, and I’ll have to admit, I was a tad skeptical. I knew this place has a huge…
The Magic of Mangsher Jhol
In my house, mutton wasn’t cooked very often, and usually reserved for special occasions. One of those occasions was Pujo, when a batch of mutton would be brought from the market and cooked into a delicious jhol. Which is why, to this day, a mutton curry to me feels celebratory, almost ceremonial, and also why…
Machh : From Market to Kitchen
It is an understatement to say that fish is an integral portion of Bengali cuisine. It is hard to imagine Bengali food without fish and rice. The fertile delta of the Ganges means that there is never a dearth of freshwater fish, and we Bongs are experts at making the best of it. However, the…
The CR Park Saga
I’ve been writing food articles for over two years now, and I’ve realised that my articles usually fall into two categories. The first type is an expression of the nerd in me, trying to craft meticulously edited articles with extensive internet research tied together into a clear narrative, then edited and re-edited until the day…
The Not-So-Sweet Shop
It is the winter of 2017 in Kolkata, and the clock has just struck 8. Thoroughly exhausted after a night shift, I walk out of the of Gate 2 of Medical College, half-staggering. I cross the road, walk over to Surya Sen Street, and into my favourite sweetshop. I order the usual: kochuri, aloor torkari,…
The Biyebari Formula
It is officially wedding or biyebari season, with social media being inundated with countless posts and photographs of happy couples tying the knot. Although we aren’t totally out of the coronavirus woods yet, there is finally a glimmer of light, a new hope. Of course, the wedding ceremony and reception isn’t a matter of joy…
The Gourmet Glutton 