Why this blog?

"Not being obligated to feed anyone but yourself can make it very easy to just settle for whatever you can find or have delivered. Calling for take-out or substituting snack food for a meal can be tempting."

In my six and a half years of living away from anything resembling a family unit and a kitchen, I've done enough for my digestive system to walk out on me. For a few months, my breakfast was a glass of Coke and two cigarettes. Even instant noodles was a treat.

Yes, I'll admit, I was too lazy to cook. And my first few jobs did not pay me enough, so I could not eat out all the time. After all, I had to pay rent, I had to pay the bills. Add to this my lactose intolerance and aversion to fruits, and you get the picture. I just did not eat healthy. In my Delhi flat, my 4'x4' kitchen was a small cubicle that I would walk into only for a glass of water.

In my last few months in Delhi, I had worked out an arrangement with my landlords, who were Amritdhaari sardars. In exchange for dinner for a month, I had to pay them Rs 1500/-. Good healthy food, and cheap. This also meant I would not get any fish/meat/egg, because they were vegetarian, but it was ok, I could always stuff up on meat outside. The food was healthy, there were enough green vegetables, and I was happy.

It is only in Chennai, and only in the last few months, that I have become an avid cook. Well OK, I still don't serve five-course meals, but I can make good, healthy food that me and my friends adore.

This blog is therefore, not a recipe blog. However, I do intend on making this an account of a single Bengali woman's quest to cook food that tastes like what Maa made, in cities that are far from her home.