food – Wine and Wasabi

Food Writing 2019 ｜Wine and Wasabi™ Recommends

2019 is coming to an end and we are moving towards another decade which is already looking like something out of a Margaret Atwood novel, so I’m forced to will myself into finding positivity in the form of food once again. A big part of this has been reading, especially this year. Here’s a few that have comforted and inspired me to learn more, rediscover myself, cook, be unapologetic and become a better eater.

2019 has been a lot. Just… a lot.

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Oddly enough, it’s been quite a spectacular year for food writing. Food became part of mainstream political discourse in earnest and has stayed relevant. More people are slowly becoming aware of food and its impact on the environment in varied parts of the cycle from production to consumption. The industry is branching out and the Indian scene is moving towards catching up to the global scene. There’s been significant strides towards blurring of lines between stories and recipes.

My partner, who truly believes he knows nothing about food at all, came up to me and mentioned how he’s slowly learning more, independently, which to me means food writing is branching out. On a personal note, I discovered some brilliant new authors and found areas of interest related to food and life I didn’t even know existed.

But at the same time, some books got more undeserved attention than others and that is a bit of a shame. A certain Bon Appétit contributor’s book comes to mind (as petty as that makes me sound, I couldn’t not mention it). Please comment below on which one you think I am referring to and let’s talk about that.

My list is coming out rather late. I missed all the opportunities to publish something earlier on–unlike every other massive publication–but then again, we’re two people and they’re 20 at least, if the food department is modest. Between ‘spring cookbooks 2019‘ and ‘the cookbook gift guide that covers everyone you know 2019‘ there’s a mind-numbing number of lists featuring food writing.

Kitchen Control 101 : Cook/book｜Wine and Wasabi™

Healthy, sugary, savoury, maybe even nothing at all–the possibilities are endless when I’m in charge. The following list of books has been a massive help to me and others I know from the food community when we started cooking for ourselves regularly, when I realised that maybe shopping and cooking for one is kinda tougher than for eight, when I was a little in over my head with it all and mum was unavailable for recipe advice.

At a little over 23, I’ve had the privilege of living away from home a couple of times already and each time, the experience has been different due to differing circumstances.

While living in a hostel, student accommodation facility or PG can give you the comfort of having someone keep warm meals ready for you at the end of a long day, I’ve found that after a while it becomes repetitive, and sometimes might even seem like a bit of an inconvenience.

Also let’s be real, the timings for these set meals are a real bitch.

It’s a privilege to come back to prepared food when you’re away from home and can’t cook (or be bothered to) but unless it’s the kind that helps you miss home a little less, what even is the point? I find myself lacking that ‘magic something’ in food that is batch prepared at canteens and served by semi-polite people who don’t really give a shit all the time.

I’d much rather be in control and not bound to have puri and dal (a reference based on recent experiences) on a Monday morning just because the canteen thinks it’s the best option to kick start a work/school week.

The Way Out of these Elections is Through Our Stomachs｜Wine and Wasabi™

Food is often overlooked by the average voter when thinking of politics but it is often used by politicians as an insidiously powerful tool to further their agendas. The election season we are in now is no different.

Food is often overlooked by the average voter when thinking of politics but it is actually used by politicians as an insidiously powerful tool to further their agendas.

The election season we are in now is no different. The present government continues to use food to both galvanise and alienate voters with the obvious intent of remaining in power for another term and rewrite India in their own image, for good (pardon the dramatics, these are trying times).

So many of the things we consume have been catalysts for major administrative changes in Indian polity over the years. The 1857 Uprisings and the controversial ‘Chapati Movement’ before it (when something as simple as our round chapatis being distributed from hand to hand in the country set the ball rolling for the freedom struggle) are pertinent examples of the power of food to instigate unrest or disturb the status quo.

“A chowkidar–an Indian village watchman. All Indian villages had one, and it was these men, running between their homes and the nearest neighbouring settlement with chapatis, who so effectively raised panic among the ruling British.”
– Smithsonian

This election and India’s current state of affairs going back especially to the last five years seem to be moving in an eerily similar space. Only instead of a united movement against a government clearly not suited to lead in these changing and fragile times, opposing forces have still ended up standing against each other.

There’s no simpler way to say this: this is an clearly election fuelled by divisions of caste and creed. Those vying to (re)gain power get this very well and are making unflinching use of it for electoral gain.

Honey Cake, Or the Importance of Eating in Earnest｜Wine and Wasabi

Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut and even when you’re doing what you love, it’s all a little too monotonous and no longer as exciting as it was when you started? This winter, I received a book which had recipes surrounding the memories of the author’s life. I made a piece of cake, the kind that takes you back to your first baking memories. It’s important because it reminded me of why I like to cook and brought back the feeling of unadulterated excitement and joy, the kind I hadn’t felt in a long time while making something. It’s the perfect surprise to myself and I am better for it, inspired and prepared for the future!

Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut and even when you’re doing what you love, it’s all a little too monotonous and no longer as exciting as it was when you started?

I bake and cook for a living. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life. But I also want to make new memories around food, discover and learn about other cultures, and grow. Working in a kitchen, making the same recipes doesn’t really allow for that.

Not as often and as much as I’d like, anyway.

My customers are amazing people who give me the chance to be an integral part of their special days and I am grateful for that – that something I do on occasion makes someone smile. It’s a special feeling, and any chef you will ever meet gets off on it, specially the pastry people.

However, there are a few things that are set in stone when it comes to us apparently:

Food Trends 2019｜Wine and Wasabi

Food trends are getting crazier by the year. While some have been done to death and are finally leaving us in 2019, others might be here to stay or are possibly even making a comeback. Here’s my list of what’s just about to be hot!

Let’s face it, food trends are getting crazier by the year. While some have been done to death and are finally leaving us in 2019 – I’m looking at you unicorn/mermaid foods, bowl foods, and activated charcoal – others might be here to stay or are possibly even making a comeback.

Companies use everything from data analysis to intuition and make these predictions aiming to both maximize profits and try to influence public opinion. Every organisation has a different opinion and it’s quite confusing if you’re trying to manoeuvre your way around the complicated network of differing points of view.

Mine are based on reading (way too many articles) and keeping an eye out for anything that remotely smells of food.

Here are a few food trends I am looking forward to investing time and emotionally in 2019 and possible weird ones you may just see around you soon.

Wine and Wasabi (and Cocktails) – A Start

So finally, after years of just thinking and planning, I’m putting myself and my first post out there, as a cocktail recipe. It’ll be short and simple, and a cocktail to make and celebrate with to ring in the new year, new beginnings or anything new really, just like this space and is meant to be a hopeful, no-nonsense but still exceptional tasting start.

Secret Origins

Food and everything around it has been on my mind for a while now, almost as long as time itself, as far as I am concerned. While W&W is relatively new, a vague shape was always there, slowly trying to come to life in me. From when I was in culinary school endless walks around a cold London and a need to keep myself entertained gave me opportunity to think about what I wanted to do with my passion, time, and life.

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It came from being around a passionate, encouraging, positive, and talented milieu which opened my eyes to endless possibilities and exposure to the world at large.

On returning home inspired, I wanted to start this blog immediately, but couldn’t. What my partner and mum (who shall also be contributors here) thought was procrastination was simply a tiny voice in my heart and head that just wasn’t convinced. Nothing I came up with seemed like it was good enough. Something or other seemed off and I couldn’t commit.

I wanted everything to be perfect. For that, I needed to wait for the perfect first post, or the inspiration of it to strike like a bolt of lightning. I’m a romantic and dramatic. It was my version of a quest for a unicorn. I had committed to myself that I’d find it, and I’m nothing if not stubborn.