Return to Source: Food Journeys

Our friend M—— told us his tale of how he came to love Indian food. Growing up in a traditional Western household, he ate a lot of meat and potatoes. At that time, he thought it was tasty.
Then, he went to college in the East coast. As a student, he soon realized that he faced three challenges. First, to find cheap food. Second, he needed to find source of food that would fill him. He had a healthy appetite! Third, ideally, he wanted to find a place that did not place limit on the number of servings. His quest lead him to the Indian restaurants in the downtown.
He discovered a wonderful world awaiting him. He discovered the pungency of spices. He loved the explosive taste of the food he tasted. He enjoyed discovering the versatility of the cuisine. A whole new world of food, fulfillment and tastes opened up for him. And it changed his palette forever.
Not that everyone was happy with his discovery and evolving taste. His mother was shocked at the spice level he could tolerate. His siblings played safe with his culinary creations. It was a discovery he constantly expanded and enjoyed.
When he lived in Europe, he continued enjoying the ‘curries’ and Greek food. Sometimes he tasted Turkish food. On the whole, he said, his tastes had changed considerably over the decades. During every travel or extended stay, he took the opportunity to explore the food trousseau of the visible immigrants in the country.
The conversation reminded me about the types of relationship we all have with food. It changes over time. It adapts to situations. We cannot eat the same food the same way every time.
‘Return to source‘ cookbooks are aimed for lacto-vegetarians and vegans. You can use the chart below to clarify what type of vegetarian journey you are on. There are many variations of vegetarian practices in the world today. Even while eating, we have the opportunity to be friendly towards Earth and her creatures. Think about that.