Food trail with an IITian

The time I had spent with this person had filled me up with memories of travel, food and cooking. Describing him here, therefore, I thought, would do justice to what my blog stands for.

I met this Kanpuria in Bihar where we were on a field work in the rural locales of poverty ridden Madhepura. 

 As we started talking, I realised I was getting to know someone who knew quite a lot about food. A subject that has fascinated me all through my life. Our very first conversation itself revolved around the goodies that he had bought for us to Bihar. For the rest of the days that we were working together, he talked to me about the shop in Lucknow that sold the largest number and variety of spices, about making rotis in a matter of seconds, Punjabi cuisine etc.

  One day at the sweet shop, the 22 year old foodie ordered each one of the milk sweets that were on display. That was his lunch for the day!

 Another late evening, the food expert barged into our room with a packet of hot Jalebis and a bowl of dahi for us to try- a combination I had never known till then.

  Among the many food memories that we shared- stories of paan chewing, Rajbhog ice creams and the Great Gujarati thali remain special.

Back on the campus at Gandhinagar, the vegetarian (though he looks like a carnivore, thanks to his blessed genes!) cooked a yummy paneer dish for my friends and me.

I cannot sign off with just these food memories. I should add that this person I was talking about is a perfect blend of fearlessness, compassion, strength and patience. Qualities you rarely find stacked together in correct proportions in an individual.

 mathematician in the kitchen