Sometimes descriptions of food and eating in literature can go on repeating themselves in one’s head like a stuck record. In my case, those unforgettable lines are from RK Narayan’s The Guide. ‘He had a craving for bonda, which he used to eat in the railway station stall when a man came there to vend his edibles on a wooden tray to the travellers. It was composed of flour, potato, a slice of onion, a coriander leaf, and a green chilli — and oh! how it tasted — although he probably fried it in anything; he was the sort of vendor who would not hesitate to fry a thing in kerosene, if it worked out cheaper. With all that, he made delicious stuff…’
We open with this quote from an article by the author of the bestselling Mr. Majestic! Hari, a Hero for Hire and Tropical Detective as it focuses on R K Narayan, venerated in India for his writings. Also I love bondas.
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| By Thamizhpparithi Maari (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons |
Alas, the only comprehensive article I could find, on the Net, of the sort required, was 4 Must-Read Fiction Books About Indian Food.
The first book in the list appears a botched recipe so far as food in fiction goes
The cooking theme is a great concept so underdeveloped it is rendered meaningless. What a waste of sambar and spice.
However, another critic, though with similar thoughts about the food in the book, also has this to say:
the recipes (provided for the dishes Devi cooks) are interesting. I’m going to make Malladi’s apricot-ginger-mint chutney, which I plan to have with baked brie.
Another novel in the list is
a book-club-friendly story of a mother reconnecting with her family through traditional Indian cooking
At the centre of the book is an unnamed Indian mother who makes dahi the traditional way, curdling each new pot of yogurt with a spoonful from the one before it. To ensure this “dynastic succession”, she smuggled some in a test-tube when she emigrated from Gujarat to Ohio. Now, with two grown children who have their own families, she “colonises [her] grandchildren with the magical cultures”.
We also find an Anita Nair but it's a soup that does not spell a good rating as food in fiction:
Reviews always range from sweet to sour and Food fiction: Some high notes but Anita Nair's ‘Alphabet soup for lovers’ lacks depth of flavour has a tangy look at this popular name in Indian writing in English:
It’s all there, but in “Masterchef Australia” lingo, this soup fails to develop a beautiful depth of flavour!
And then there are many academic articles about food in Indian fiction. Between Fiction and Food, for instance, examines how
Gabriella Ferro-Luzzi describes the cultural uses of food in modern Tamil literature
Indian food is so diverse that the fact is hard to comprehend for an outsider. it ranges from dishes which come close to the balti and butter chicken of European tastes to entire ranges of vegetarian or vegan food (seemingly, this peculiarity first took prominence in India).
Also, in India, so many elaborate customs can govern all stages from preparation to eating that the whole exercise is quite mind boggling. Happily, or unfortunately, a lot of dross is being spooned off as the scum of time. Today, cuisine is less divisive - young Indians enjoy a global diversity of tastes in food.
And this holds good for fiction, as well. There are hordes of youngsters, across the sub-continent, munching through mountains of manga even as we nibble at the concept of food in fiction. And, since Japan plays Master Chef in the genre, it's a given that these young minds are drooling over food in manga. Almost every J dorama I watch pays homage to food in ways that are irresistible. Korea, too, has a rich tradition of flavouring fiction with food. But all that is for another post, someday.
As for us, we leap from the frying pan of food in Indian fiction to the fiery spices in fiction from persons of Indian origin. All diaspora carry recipes across continents as we have seen in the case of the Indian 'dahi' in one case above.
And this holds good for fiction, as well. There are hordes of youngsters, across the sub-continent, munching through mountains of manga even as we nibble at the concept of food in fiction. And, since Japan plays Master Chef in the genre, it's a given that these young minds are drooling over food in manga. Almost every J dorama I watch pays homage to food in ways that are irresistible. Korea, too, has a rich tradition of flavouring fiction with food. But all that is for another post, someday.
As for us, we leap from the frying pan of food in Indian fiction to the fiery spices in fiction from persons of Indian origin. All diaspora carry recipes across continents as we have seen in the case of the Indian 'dahi' in one case above.
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