And it never tasted as good again
PSA: order your favourite food before you proceed, trust us, you will need it.
Tango with Avani
Something to think about - when we go through a period of lows, grief or sadness in general, the first thing to get affected is usually our appetite (or is that just me?). Everyone knows what they LOVE eating on a good day, on vacation, at their favourite restaurant, but the real heroes are the dishes or nibbles of food that get us through our worst days (even when don’t feel like making it).
Khichdi (porridge) has always been that dish for me. I eat it when I’m sick, I eat it when I don’t feel like eating, I eat it when I don’t know what else to cook and I even manage a spoonful or two on the shittiest of days. But the weird thing is it tastes different each time, as if a different recipe is being used when in reality it’s just the same proportions of rice, little bit of dal and water.
I feel like this would be the case with a lot of the IT meals I’ve had in my life which I wish I could eat again. It just wouldn’t be the same because I’m not the same. That corn fritter with guac and sweet chilli sauce at a cafe close to where I used to live in London will hit different the next time I visit the city. My favourite cocoa bubble waffles in Chinatown might taste too sweet, not sweet enough or just right - who knows? It’s a little sad when you think about it, but also beautiful? A bite that lasts a lifetime, but never to be recreated again. Almost poetic.
Tango with Darshita
What is one meal you really, really wish you could have but is almost always out of your reach?
The dal baati churma in Udaipur, the besan ka halwa my nani makes, the should-stop-but-can’t-stop cajun fries from Paris Panini (in India), the brown but not burnt dosa my mom made circa 2016—no ma, no matter how much you lie to me I know the batter is different because it TASTES different—the feed your soul, not your stomach khowsuey from Burma Burma for real, *kiss* the chef for this one, the heavenly cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory and—
aahhh I could go on but my brain is screaming “gosh it’s supposed to be ONE meal” so let’s pause and think hard.
Okay I’m ready, are you?
It’s 2017, I’m wearing a denim dress (that doesn’t fit me in 2022) with golden floral slides, holding more shopping bags than I need and walking along the Duomo in Milan with my Colombian friend who has a knack for spotting unassuming but unfathomably good restaurants. She picks a little bistro enclosed in the facade of an old Italian home as our supper club for the night. As a mushroom-loathing vegetarian, I loved Milan menus for their many (more than 2) pasta options, but this one was still better. This beautiful, beautiful menu had homemade pear and Gorgonzola ravioli along with the conventional spinach (or pumpkin) and ricotta, and my very persistent friend ordered some for me.
This was my first tryst mixing seemingly sweet in strictly savoury and god was I ever in love before then? The soft folded parcels melted before I could moan, teasing the tangy pear ever so slightly while letting the crumbly, salty cheese scream through the dense butter emulsion. Oh and did I mention the hazelnuts? My deepest sympathies lie with humans who are scared to wear yellow—it is the happiest colour, fight me—and next with those allergic to nuts, you’re really missing out fam, I’d lowkey carry an epipen.
As someone who usually eats fast, I took my time with this meal; every bite felt like a jazz performance on my tongue and believe me, I’m underselling it here. You’d think I would have spoken to the chef, saved their contact, begged for an Indian franchise even. But alas, I was so starstruck I didn’t even retain the name of the restaurant: peak dumbassery as my best friend would say. Tbh I think I just want to savour the memory of a perfect meal; since then I have eaten the magical combination several times but it never felt as good. Do I dare to walk along the Duomo seeking absolute, undeniable goodness again? Hell no, it will always taste better in my memory and just like that it will stay.
OOPS we did it again! (Random recommendations to tango with, curated 4U
The BFF curates the ultimate food diary on Curry Smoodles with MORE meal reccos around the globe!!
Food and identity? The Goya Journal does it best.
Oh wait, I lied. It’s a tie with Cat Sarsfield’s newsletter Since No One Asked.
I second this to the MAX ^^ so now you really have to subscribe.
This and this are regular food instas by regular people but so wholesome that I feel full just by scrolling through it.
I went to Lina Stores on a date last week and yes the truffle tagliolini is yum but Ave Mario’s ravioli with the girls wins by a long shot.