English

My first memory of being hungry is connected to a road journey. Many years ago, when our Shillong-bound bus had stopped somewhere between the hills and the valley, before any designated stop, something unfolded before me. Beyond the regular stoppages, these buses often indulged in unannounced intermissions. As it was... —Suranjana Choudhury

There is a saying among the Khasis that the kwai is a force that bridges the divide between the rich and the poor. Betel quid consumption is very common in the northeast region of India, where people use them by combining betel nut (Areca catechu) with a betel leaf (Piper betel). The popularity of betel quid is present in every state of the northeast region of ... —Sonam Dorji and Richard Kamei

This is Guwahati today: McDonald’s, Domino’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Cafe Coffee Day (CCD), Barista, Starbucks; Indo-Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Mughlai restaurants; Manipuri rice hotels and Naga kitchens; street food: momo, phuchka, chowmein, spiral potato, singora (samosa), kosuri (kachodi), chana chaat, sweet... —Rituparna Patgiri

Recently, my mom showed me a hand-written book of recipes by her aunt which included recipes ranging from Chilli Paneer to Mutton Korma ... —Debangshu Moulik

I am at my sister’s house in Patna. Whenever I come to Patna, during periods when my college is closed for either summer or winter holidays, I mostly eat at home. There must be fine restaurants in town but these aren’t the places I knew in my youth; the food that I get at home here also reminds me of my ... —Amitava Kumar

It begins, as quiet undoings often do, with the refrigerator light. Not the grand drama of hunger, but the soft, humming glow of indecision. 2:14 a.m., and the fridge is a theatre: steel tiffins stacked like scenes, half a bowl of dal looking up like it has something left to say. There’s the leftover sabzi, now stiff with time; a single roti folded like a note no one read. I stand there barefoot ... —Iftikar Ahmed

This word can be said in many ways, like “agless,” “ageless,” “egless” and “ek-less,” so the word “egg-less,” does not really hit your ears. It does not necessarily mean, less egg, but without egg. Meaning there should be no egg in the cake. Normally, this would shock a gourmet cook, a baker or someone who just loves real cakes. I am told, it looks like the original, but the cake knows that it is ... —Esther David