Where’s my sambar rice?

With every spoon of sambar rice, tears trickled down my cheeks. Don’t get me wrong. If I were to describe my time in Germany in one word, I would say ‘it was idyllic‘. Yet, that sambar rice at the temple in Bockenheim had this effect on me. They say, food has the power to appeal to all of our five senses, and this time around, I was sure it wasn’t my sense of taste that was put to test.

“What do I write about for my first blog post?” I thought to myself. “My experiences. Travel experiences?”. That is easy when you are in Germany and can be a topic for another post. What about the part where it was not merry all the time? People should know about that as well and hence, I started the article with what I had missed the most, the food.

Now, there were obviously the very many indian restaurants in Frankfurt to the rescue where I would get the dosas, rotis and the naans, but I would many a times miss home food. The amount of one’s love for home cooked food is often underestimated. It is only when you are away from home, you realise the value of a good home cooked meal. You realise that cooking is an art. By that logic, it was clear that I was no artist and was obviously missing the artist of my home, my mom.

It is my opinion that Indians and their relationship with food goes beyond just the sense of taste. It has become our cultural identity. There is a saying – “You are what you eat”. It simply means that to be fit and healthy, you need to eat good food. It is the key to the nourishment of our soul. Indian food is a blend of multiple cultures and ages, incorporating the use of many culinary methods. In fact, it is also offered to the almighty and served as a ‘prasad’ to devotees. That probably explains my fondness for the temple at Böckenheim.