Eating is one of my favorite activities. There’s something about food that leads me to it. It has nothing to do with hunger. More important than eating is eating with people. I enjoy the company of people who enjoy eating as much as I do. But if I am alone, I enjoy the company of food itself.

I have probably inherited my love for food from my parents. As children, I remember going out with them to eat pav bhaji at a street-side food joint called ‘Viju’s pav-bhaji’ in Jalgaon. The thought of Viju’s pav-bhaji makes me nostalgic. Viju’s pav-bhaji cart would be parked outside the Jalgaon railway station with small foldable tables and chairs laid next to it. That image of my family sitting at that table is vivid in my memory.

35 years on, I still make it a point to visit Viju’s pav-bhaji everytime I visit my hometown Jalgaon, which is now a small restaurant at the same location and retains the same menu and taste. The young man who ran the pavbhaji cart is now middle-aged. As kids we thought his name was Viju and called him Viju Bhaiyya but realized much later that it was his younger brother’s name. However, we continued to call him Viju Bhaiyya. We were regulars at Viju’s pavbhaji and over the years my parents were invited to his wedding and weddings of all his brothers. 

Love for food probably binds our family. When I visit my brother in LA, he plans elaborately of the places that we’d eat at. But it’s not only about eating out. Home-made food remains my favorite. Be it the khandeshi style chicken curry by mom or the finger-licking Kolambi bhaat (Prawns biryani konkan style) by mother-in-law, I could eat it any day.

I naturally gravitate towards people who enjoy eating. Perhaps that’s what clicked between Amit and me. I had always been more of a street food lover. Through Amit, I got introduced to fine-dining. Our first dinner out was at Mainland China in Pune. I was in awe of the luxurious setting and a bit overwhelmed with the menu. Until then, Chinese food I had ever eaten always had the Indian touch. This one had a touch of luxury.

However, we both enjoy a pani-puri at a Bhel Puri stall in the lanes of Matunga as much as we relish the Sushi at an upscale Japanese restaurant in Kuwait. We both like having friends over for dinner on weekends and having a variety of spread which we cook together.

Even as I sit down to write, I need the company of food. Either a cup of coffee or a bowl of peanuts. When I am searching for words, I find support in the warmth of a coffee cup or the crunchiness of the peanuts. I can easily say that food is a more reliable emotional support than anything else. It gives me comfort. And that is why, my mouth, my mind and my heart feels lonely when I am not eating.