My food is Louisiana, New Orleans-based, well-seasoned, rustic. I think it's pretty unique because of my background being influenced by my mom, Portuguese and French Canadian. There's a lot going on there.
Food is a way to explore culture and ground the story in a specific time and place. I still remember the meals and snacks from my first novel, 'Shug': pork chops and applesauce and Coca-Cola and peanuts, which are very Southern. When a character has roots elsewhere, food is a way to connect with home and another culture.
People love my collard greens. They love my macaroni and cheese. They love the gumbo. They love my Jamaican jerk or my Jamaican curry chicken. They love the jerk, though. And they love my Mexican food.
Food is everything we are. It's an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It's inseparable from those from the get-go.
Breakfast today, horse sausage. Lunch, minced mule and curried locust. All well.
When I was shooting in Pollachi, I had tried out a lot of local food, most of them I don't remember the names of.
I travel the world, and I can see in Toronto the cooking is very personal. These people cook with their hearts.
I love strong flavors too. Like I don't mind if it looks clean and clear and you know what you are eating if it has Italian, Chinese or Japanese flavor I love them all.
My wife Neelam is a North Indian, so she will make North Indian food, while my mother will make Bengali food.
Food is all about the story of a people through the ages.
The restaurants express the spirit of the chef, the spirit of the city, the country.
What makes cookbooks interesting is to find out about the people and the culture that invented the food.
