It seems like a lifetime away that I was writing down fantasy story ideas to share with you. Somewhere between detailing systems of magic and determining the perfect ingredients for a recipe, we grew up. And honestly as that was happening, the fact that life could change in any discernible way just seemed unfathomable. Do you remember discussing for a brief period about how you might take up commerce to become a CA? It was like a wake up call for me and I spent many subsequent summers trying to envision life without you. Lucky for me, you didn’t take up commerce and I’ve never really had to find out what life feels like without you a heartbeat away. For 5 years, we’ve survived different colleges, different states and different countries. The journey has been frustrating, comforting, overwhelming, inspiring, ugly and so so breathtaking all at once. Somehow, I find cooking to be a very similar process and I hope to be there for you, with you, every step of the way as you cook and as you navigate life. I love you Shrutika Jha and you will always have a piece of my heart.
Food was always a way for me to express love. Feeding people the most generic, everyday things, with small changes that I knew they would like. It was both a test of how well I knew them and a way for me to see their faces light up (sometimes) in surprise. You were, in some ways, the catalyst that sparked this culinary affair. A namak parantha was the most mundane thing in every book, but you showed me that it didn't have to be.
I thought our lives would always be like that. You bitching about people in Aakash, me being distracted in every Math tuition, both of us putting everything on hold to obsess over my Kindle. I hate the fact that I can't fill a bag with ingredients to make pasta in your house anymore. And that we don't make fun of Nehchal's weird food hacks (kala namak in coke???) together. But I know that apart from our geographical locations and schedules, not much has changed. Life changes and big decisions are not the same unless I share them with you, dabelis and spring rolls and bubble teas and LIITs remind me of your generally weird takes on life. When life kicks you down, I want to make you 2 round paranthas and remind you that there's more to life than the darkness you feel in that moment. Since I can't do that in person, I hope that you'll do it on my behalf. I hope that you'll create magic in the kitchen with a little bit of help from the pages that follow. The food may not be as good as others', but it will be yours, and it will be perfect for you.