In the midst of life, one must realize that not every person who lives in America is from America. In this collection we give honor and recognition to not only the Indian culture, but we express the importance of respecting our ancestors and their recipes that have followed us for many generations. In Rhythm of Food, we hear the story of the beating drum that comes from the ingredients that make up the special food of the Indian culture. It is a rhythm that all of us have for our own respective ancestry. Making the connection between generations and the recognition that it's just a little bit different when it hits home. And in Taste Test, we see a child being taught by their grandmother how to add the right amounts of everything to make it taste just like it would if they were in India. It is possible to relocate to a different country or even a different state, but what you should never lose is who you are, because in you are your parents and your grandparents and all of the generations before them. Holding on to who you are is also a testament to holding on to the food that only you can truly create. Because cooking from the heart, tasting from the soul, can never be duplicated or replaced.
Importance of Indian Food Culture
With closed eyes I wake up to
An unmistakable presence in my room
It simmers in the air
Sailing through the room
Resting on every piece of my clothing
Floating its way through every pair of shoes in my closet
I toss and turn trying to avoid it
But no matter where I turn
Where in the house I run
It is there following behind me like
The family dog that we never had
With still tired eyes
My four-year-old self made my way
To the kitchen to see my mother and grandmother
Standing in front of the stove
They turned to me and smiled
I smiled back as I closed my eyes to take it all in
The aroma
the heartbeat of India
saturated the air
as if the natives were hiding in the cabinet
sprinkling their lives into the cast iron pots.