There are times when I feel handicapped as a food writer who is Bengali, and yet not deeply acquainted with the nuances of Bengali food. I guess that’s the result of the itinerant nature of my life. A foreign born kid, who grew up in Calcutta, raised by a mother who is a Bengali from Delhi and who lived abroad after marriage. I moved out to Mumbai after I finished my higher education and married a non-Bengali. Ironically, it’s in Mumbai that I grew closer to Bengali food. In the early years of my life, my father would encourage me to try food from diverse cultures and did so himself before he passed away. That left a deep influence on me.
As I looked at my lunch plate today and saw the chhole and alu methi on it, I remembered that both of these were dishes my mom had introduced to us in Kolkata based on her memories of Delhi.
Well, I definitely have my parents to thank for the diversity in my thali and that counts for something.
I had lunch with Scooby & Smol first before I came home and sat with Baby Loaf and Nimki. Neither was impressed by full veg lunch. I promised them that there will be fish tonight.
