Khaana khaaya kya?

Logo of SHUBHAM’S KITCHEN Instagram page. Created using Canva

Moving to Melbourne has been one of the best things that ever happened to me. Migrants among you would relate to the concoction of an assortment of feelings that one goes through when one moves to an alien land. If you are lucky like me and are going through a relationship crisis at the same time, the concoction transports you to unforeseen avenues. Juggling through a roller coaster of emotions while trying to find my feet in a new country took a toll on my physical and mental health.

My mom had a unique way of showing care and expressing concern, both at the same time, packaged into one question. “Khaana khaaya kya ?” which is Hindi for “Did you have food?”. Her tone made me feel that she was not particularly happy whenever I used to say that I ate something outside. However, she used to sound elated whenever I used to mention that I cooked. I wondered why there had to be a vast difference in the tone even if the result was the same. I never asked her that.

With every passing day, I gravitated more towards cooking. Instead of just an audio response to THE QUESTION, I started sharing pictures of my meal on our family WhatsApp group. Cooking food and sharing pictures became part of my daily routine. Looking at the pictures and sharing feedback became part of theirs. Something felt missing when this did not happen.

Some of the initial set of food pictures shared on the family Whatsapp group

“Why don’t you post your pictures online? Like on Insta......” my sister tried to suggest. “Nah, I don’t see the point” was my reaction even before she could finish her sentence. Maybe she was able to see something in those pictures that I wasn’t. Nevertheless, the seed was sown in my mind. All it needed was the right conditions to germinate.

Around the same time, I was looking for a new place to live. A beautiful kitchen with a 4-burner gas stove stood first in my selection criteria. I was lucky to find one. The apartment was just the way I wanted and the open kitchen was the highlight. White tabletop. White dinner table. Light on top of the table. Yellow lights in the kitchen. Ample drawers to keep things organized. “This is perfect”, I thought.

The kitchen of my apartment in Melbourne.

I moved in. Stocked up my kitchen with the basics. Started cooking. Took some prints of my food pictures. Blue tacked them on the wall. The kitchen was coming to life.

Collage of my food pictures that I used to refer to as “Physical Instagram”

One day, my friend Harsh came over for dinner. Harsh has been my sounding board for quite some time now. I consider him my Instagram guru. He wholeheartedly supported the idea when I told him what my sister had been suggesting, multiple times now. I asked him several queries related to Instagram which he patiently answered. This was when Instagram was just about photographs. I miss that. We started brainstorming names for my page. I came up with one and asked him “Since this project is an experiment, how about calling it Food Lab ?”, “Nah, boring” was his prompt response. “Hmm, How does this sound to you? Shubham’s Kitchen”. “Perfect hai bhai, Chalu karo” (It’s perfect bro, go for it.)

That’s it. I got onto it. The algorithm was simple. Decide what to cook. Look for the recipe. Fetch the required ingredients. Cook. Take pictures. Taste. Love it? No? Just eat it. Yes? Edit the picture. Post it. Repeat.

The constant love I kept receiving from well-wishers online kept me motivated to keep improving my cooking, photography, and presentation, and I am extremely grateful for that.

A slideshow of some of the pictures that were published on Instagram @ShubhamsKitchen

As everything that has a beginning must have an end, I took down the page after two years.

I feel the project not only served its purpose but went beyond. I found the answer (or at least I think I have) to the question that I refrained from asking my mom. Her tone was simply a reflection of my state of mind. Back then, I used to cook only when I was in a good mood. Otherwise, I used to just order some food. No wonder her tone would vary based on my responses. She knew what would keep me sane much before I realized it. That interaction put into motion a series of events that eventually changed me. From cooking only when I was in a good frame of mind, to cooking to remain in a good frame of mind.

I continue to cook and share pictures with my family. But no longer as a response to the question “Khaana khaaya kya?”(Did you have food?) but as a response to the question “Aaj kya banaaya?” (What did you make today?).

Welcome to the kitchen

Illustration of the kitchen of my apartment in Melbourne by @aasmafilms_art_academy

The picture above is an illustration of the kitchen of my apartment in Melbourne. Thank you so much Didi for making this.

This kitchen will always hold a special place in my heart. I would like to share two of the several reasons here.

Firstly, it was the birthplace of the idea called “Shubham’s Kitchen”. The idea found its first manifestation in an Instagram page that had pictures of the food that I prepared in this kitchen. (more about this in a separate blog)

Secondly, when my parents and sister visited me, this is where we spent most of our time. As it was a 1-bedroom apartment, it won’t be an exaggeration to say that we all lived in the kitchen. On any given day, the scene would be something like this. I come home from work. I open the door. My elder sister is creating artwork on the dinner table in front of the fridge. My mother is sitting on the IKEA chair, right in front of the kitchen table top, watching the television while making steady progress in her knitting. My father is engrossed in creating something beautiful from the discarded wood that he sourced from the streets during his morning walk. (you will find some artifacts in the picture). Tea is boiling on the gas stove. The family enjoys chai with Parle-G biscuits while sharing stories of the day. All of this is happening with the kitchen in the background……and cut!

So, whenever I look at this picture, it transports me back to those days as if all the cupboards, drawers, trollies, and racks have safely stored all the memories.

To me, a kitchen is not just a space to cook our meals. It is a reflection of who we are.

It is a space where we share stories. Exchange thoughts. Debate. Have dialogues. Conversations. Discuss a range of topics. Collage on the cupboard, books on the shelf, magnets on the fridge, plants peeking through the windows. Open a drawer, you will find spices from a particular region. Open another, and you may find something to nibble on from a different region. Every ingredient has a story to tell. Collective wisdom.

That’s why I chose to call my blogging website S H U B H A M’S K I T C H E N . blog. Just like on a cold day, we seek warmth in the kitchen, I hope this cloud kitchen will offer similar warmth through the stories. The kitchen will have a variety of ingredients like food, travel, meditation, permaculture, art, movies, gardening, and much more so that there will always be something to add flavor to your day.

Bon appétit!