A food lover’s thoughts: Enjoying good food and appreciating great cooks

I love food—not just one specific type, but pretty much everything. My favorites are salty and spicy dishes. As Gokul often says, "Hot Chips thrives wherever I stay." Though I don’t openly agree with him, there’s some truth to it. I’m a regular customer at snack stalls, sweet shops, and restaurants—though it’s mostly snacks rather than full meals. Even for team lunches or buffets, I prefer the starters and desserts!!!

When I moved from Madiwala/Koramangala to the inner roads of Sarjapur in Bangalore, I was quite disappointed at first. There were hardly any snack shops around, and I really missed them. It took a while, but my silent wish was eventually granted—now, there are plenty of options within walking (or rather, driving) distance. There’s Hot Chips, where I get salty and spicy potato chips, tapioca chips, and more. An Andhra restaurant nearby serves deliciously crispy mirchi bajji, vada, and a few other items, plus tea with a slightly different flavor. A little further away, there’s a pani puri stall (Divya loves pani puri, though sadly, the vendor near our home doesn’t come anymore), a momo stall, and a fresh sugarcane juice stand (no water or sugar added). Then there’s Rajasthani sweets and chaats - vadapav, pav bajjis, kachories, and small food counters inside a hypermarket making all sorts of dishes with bread, eggs, and paneer. Han, who can forget the nice kulfies coming out of kulfi shulfis. The list goes on. One new snack I started recently is chaaps (mainly made of soya).

Unfortunately, I love eating but not cooking. That said, I truly appreciate great cooks. In India, for some reason, chefs—whether professionals, mothers, or sisters—don’t always get the recognition they deserve for their amazing work in the kitchen. Divya is an excellent cook, and she picked it up quickly. My only role was to give feedback—good or bad. I wish I could cook like that too, but maybe I’m just too lazy or unwilling to put in the effort. My mom is also a fantastic cook—her masala curries have a distinct, aromatic flavor. Divya’s mother, too, makes incredible dishes, especially fried mathi (sardine). Her sharkara upperi (a Kerala sweet dish), banana chips, and red chili chutney are just as good.

Well, I guess I went on for a while! But if you’ve read this far, I have a small request: the next time you eat something, put away your distractions (Instagram, WhatsApp, etc.), focus on the flavors, and if it’s good, take a moment to appreciate it. Great food, like great art, deserves recognition. And to me, a chef is an artist.

Sajeev