Eating, Eating and Eating

FOOD… My Favourite Four-Letter Word

FOOD… what an amazing word! And probably my most favourite one. Just looking at me, anyone can probably figure that out. 😄

I am not a very choosy person when it comes to food. In fact, I just love to eat. I love trying different kinds of food — food from different countries, different restaurants, vegetarian, non-vegetarian… basically, I am open to almost everything!

Ever since I was a child, I loved eating at restaurants. Unfortunately, my parents were not big fans of the idea. My mother cooked really good food at home, so naturally she wanted my sister and me to eat at home. But we were much more interested in eating outside. 😄

Luckily, my grandmother understood us!

I still remember how, after our exams — and sometimes after we got our results — my grandmother would take me, my sister and my cousins out for a day. It was a complete little adventure for us: going out with Grandma, shopping, and then eating our favourite food at a restaurant.

Wow! As a child, that felt like the best day ever.

Another favourite childhood programme was going to Jayashree near Sarasbaug with my cousins to eat pav bhaji. My Mavashi and Uncle would often take my sister, me and their children there. At that time, Jayashree was a very small restaurant, but the food tasted absolutely amazing.

Later, they opened branches all over Pune. But somehow, once there were so many branches, it didn't feel quite as special anymore.

As I started college, my restaurant visits increased dramatically. And by then, I had also gained a little more freedom from my parents to do what I wanted. 😄

When I was studying — hahaha, yes, let's call it studying! — at S.P. College, our favourite meeting spot was S.S. The main attraction there was the Vada-Pav and Samosa-Pav.

Even today, when I visit Pune, I sometimes make it a point to go there and eat Samosa-Pav at least once. Some food memories simply refuse to disappear.

Another popular destination during my college days was Vaishali, especially for SPDP. It was quite far away, so we couldn't go there very often. But my mother loved the dosa at Vaishali, so sometimes on Sundays the whole family would go there.

Another all-time favourite of mine is the Marzorin sandwich on M.G. Road. Even my father loved those sandwiches, so I was officially allowed to go there quite often. 😄

The last time I went there, I took my husband along — and now he likes those sandwiches too!

When I was doing my Master's, my family and I used to go out for lunch almost every Sunday.

Which meant that my sister and I had an important job: finding a new restaurant every Sunday!

Usually, at least one of us had already been to the restaurant, so we could give our parents our expert recommendations. My parents were always amazed by our knowledge of restaurants. 😄

Those Sundays were so much fun.

At that time, though, my food world was still limited to vegetarian food because my parents are strict vegetarians. So we mostly ate vegetarian food.

Out of curiosity, I did try chicken two or three times. But honestly, I didn't find it particularly exciting. I clearly had a lot more food to discover!

Kanda Bhaji at Sinhagad

During college, my friends and I also used to ride our motorbikes to Sinhagad just to eat Kanda Bhaji.

And guess what?

Even my husband is now a huge fan of that Kanda Bhaji! 😄

For him, going to Sinhagad and eating those onion fritters is almost a compulsory programme whenever possible.

Germany Changed My Food World

After I moved to Germany, my food world expanded dramatically.

I have always been curious about different kinds of food, so I never really had a problem adapting to German eating habits. I tried all kinds of food, and my love for restaurants definitely continued.

One of my favourite restaurants is a sushi restaurant in Heidelberg. My husband and I are both huge sushi fans. We simply cannot stop eating sushi once we start!

Italian and Chinese restaurants are also always on our list. I particularly love Chinese-style duck and all kinds of pasta from Italian restaurants.

We also love Mexican food. So far, Enchiladas in Mannheim is one of the best Mexican restaurants I have discovered.

When I first came to Germany, I was not very good at cooking — and, to be honest, I was also quite lazy about it. 😄

So eating out was often the easiest option.

That was also when I discovered one of Germany's most famous everyday foods: Kebab.

Okay, technically it isn't German — it's Turkish — but it is such a common part of food culture in Germany that it quickly became one of my favourites.

In my early years in Germany, kebab and pizza were my go-to foods. They were tasty, easily available and affordable. What more could I ask for?

Luckily, I also made many friends who were excellent cooks, so I was never short of good food!

Marriage Made Me Even Luckier

After I got married, I became even luckier.

My husband and my mother-in-law are both excellent cooks! 😄

During my first year of marriage, I don't think I cooked more than twelve times the entire year. Many times, my husband cooked, or we simply went out to eat.

Every Saturday, my mother-in-law used to invite us for lunch. That was when I first started trying traditional German food at home.

I really liked it.

A lot of traditional German food is based on different types of meat, often served with delicious sauces and typical German side dishes. And honestly, some of it tastes really, really good!

One dish from the Black Forest region that I particularly love is Käsespätzle. When I was living in the Black Forest area, I used to eat it whenever I got the chance.

Christmas = The Ultimate Food Festival

Christmas is probably my favourite time of the year when it comes to food.

First, there is all the food at the Christmas markets.

And then there is the Christmas feast at my in-laws' house, prepared by my mother-in-law, my husband's aunt and his grandmother.

All three of them cook absolutely delicious food during those three days.

There are so many things to eat, but a few are my absolute favourites.

On the evening of the 24th, my mother-in-law makes her special bread with potato and cucumber filling, which is served with drinks.

Then there are the incredibly delicious cream rolls made by Grandma.

And then there are the Kartoffelknödel, the traditional potato dumplings, made by my father-in-law.

And, of course, the Christmas-special vanilla sugar cookies.

Absolutely amazing!

There is much more food, of course, but these four are definitely my favourites.

And Then… I Started Cooking!

Around four years ago, something unexpected happened.

I suddenly developed an interest in cooking!

And today, I am a much better cook than I  was before. 😄

I now cook all kinds of things — Thai food, Chinese-style dishes, Indian food and sometimes even typical Maharashtrian food.

I make things like puri, bhaji and shrikhand, and my husband seems to like them too.

At least, that's what he tells me! 😄

I also make different kinds of pasta, cakes and sometimes even my own creations.

There is one thing I have to admit, though: The internet taught me how to cook.

Without the internet, I don't think I would have learned even half of what I know today.

There are so many amazing cooking websites and, even better, videos where you can actually watch the entire cooking process. That has helped me enormously.

Nobody could believe that I could actually cook — and that my husband and I could eat what I cooked! 😄

But my mother finally believed it when I cooked for her during her visit to Germany.

That was a proud moment!

Restaurant or Home Cooking?

Today, I actually enjoy cooking at home. It is fun to experiment, try new recipes and sometimes create something completely different.

But… Restaurants are still our first preference. No doubt about it! 😄

Because for me, food is not just about eating.

It is about discovering something new, remembering something old, spending time with people you love, travelling through different cultures without leaving the table — and, of course…eating something delicious.

 yes, FOOD really is my favourite four-letter word. ❤️