Some foods felt energizing, especially quick snacks eaten while moving through the city, while others felt calming, such as the longer meals shared at a table with friends and teachers.
I also felt more aware of time and place. Food tasted different depending on where I was eating, whether on a train, at a restaurant or during a quiet moment alone. Over time, food became a way to notice my routine and understand daily life in India, becoming not just something I ate, but something that helped structure my days.
Many foods in Chennai are prepared fresh each day using simple ingredients such as rice, lentils, vegetables, spices and oil. For common dishes such as idli (not pictured) and dosa, rice and lentils are soaked, ground into a batter and left to ferment overnight. The batter is then steamed to make soft idlis or cooked on a hot flat pan to make crisp dosas. This method is common in South Indian homes and small restaurants.
Other foods, such as sambar (a type of soup) and vegetable curries, are made by cooking lentils with vegetables and spices such as mustard seeds, curry leaves and chilies. Snacks and street foods are often cooked quickly so they can be eaten right away, whereas travel meals are packed carefully into containers for buses, trains or airplanes. Overall, food in Chennai is prepared in ways that fit daily routines, which is fresh in the morning, portable during the afternoon, and shareable and bigger during longer meals like dinners.
