Rooted Palate: Getting back to my roots
How did we get here?
Have any of you experienced that magical moment of manifestation where you envisioned a certain lifestyle for so long that when the opportunity presented itself, you decided to grab it as quickly as possible?
That was how I felt when I met Misato Okaneya, introduced to me by a mutual friend. Misato is a self-proclaimed “Kitchen explorer” who travels around the world, visiting people’s houses, spending time in the kitchen with families, and through that experience, tries to understand complex social, economic, and environmental problems. She has been living this traveler’s lifestyle for the past seven years and has extensively documented it on Twitter (currently known as X), culminating in the publication of two books.
Around the time I met her, I had been yearning for meaningful travel. I had made it a point that once a year, I would find time to immerse myself in a different culture, learn as much as possible about vegetarian cooking, and gain inspiration to explore the potential of a localised, sustainable food system. I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do in that space, but I felt the need to explore and learn to gain clarity.
Misato and her lifestyle provided a perfect template for what I was looking for, and jumped at the opportunity to ask if I could travel with her. Eight months later, we were meeting at a bus station in Kotagiri, 1950m above sea level, to kick start our three-week journey.
Where did we go?
This India food journey began in the Nilgiri mountains, part of the Western Ghats in South India, where we stayed with families from the Toda and Irula tribes. After a short break where I went to Delhi and Misato stayed in the Nilgiris, we reconvened in Pondicherry, where my extended family (grandmother, uncles, aunts & cousins) lives.
①Pondicherry to Bangalore/Rishivalley
② Bangalore/ Rishivalley to Kotagiri/Nilgiris
③ Kotagiri/ Nilgiris to Delhi
④Delhi to Pondicherry
What next?
This three-week trip has provided me with so much food for thought about how food is connected to the heart and soul of people, the surrounding environment, and the type of interactions you have with those around you. The focus of this exploration was primarily on South Indian vegetarian cooking, from smaller tribal communities to urban second-generation non-Pondicherian families, exploring how cooking cultures shape worldviews and are shaped by socio-political and environmental factors.
In this version of the Rooted Palate, I hope to delve into my roots, exploring the stories intertwined with my memories of eating these foods as a child. The next set of articles will not only explore some of the socio-economic and environmental contexts that drive the experiences we observed in people’s houses but also touch upon my personal experience navigating India over the past month.
Stay tuned for more! 🙂
PS: This trip was possible because of the amazing souls who took the time to coordinate, offer shelter, and share their culinary knowledge and experience with us. Thank you to every single one of you! ❤
To find more information about Misato and the work she does please follow the links below:
- X Formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_okaneya
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misatookaneya/
- Link to her books in Japanese! https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4479394028?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_MY3PW89RT1HJ8ZD591CZ
