July 2019 │ │ 63He feels that food bloggers and influencers in the
Northeast can play their part to educate the masses.
‘It is good to review the restaurants in the bigger
cities and town, but we also need people who will
blog about local food because only then will we do
justice to the local food scene.’ Sayan also thinks that
culinary tourism should be explored in the Northeast.
‘Since more and more tourists are travelling to this
part of the globe, they will be looking to experience
the local culture and what better way to do that than
through food. The region is home to many different
ethnicities and tribes, meaning diverse food and that
should be explored.’The Next Plate
Instagram being a visual portal works great
for Sayan. After all, ‘we eat with our eyes.’ In fact,
his photos have even sparked the interest of people
outside the country. ‘When you are representing
food, the visual element is key. You can write pages
after pages about indigenous food but it will have less
impact than a good photo. Many people have reached
out to me, complimenting me for shedding light on
the underrated and underrepresented side of local
cuisines. People from other countries and well-known
food bloggers have also commented. This helps keep
me motivated.’
Currently, he balances the Instragram account
with his 9-5 jobs and so there are limitations that
he has to work around. Even then, he tries to be as
regular as possible, and hopes to pursue it full-time
sometime in the future.Instagram: @mashedpotatoes36
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Mashedpotato36/Local Eats
‘I started the account to document indigenous food
practices existing in different tribal communities.
This is also a continuous attempt at normalizing food-
habits from tribal cultures and promoting slow food
culture among the people, especially youth, who use
digital platforms.’ He met most people featured on the
page during his many trips, some official, and others
personal. Having worked extensively in Eastern and
Central India, particularly in the tribal belts, it has
been relatively easy for Sayan to find the right content.
He also shares that people are always willing to share
their thoughts on food. ‘Whenever you visit a new
place and are invited to someone’s house, they offer
you something to eat and the conversation naturally
steers towards food.’
He believes that rapid urbanization and takeaways
are detaching people from the kitchen, and cooking is
no longer being taught to children. ‘This can adversely
affect our traditional diets and food wisdom. Seed
saving culture in communities have gone down, and
junk food and convenient food has entered in to the
kitchen (urban and rural).’ But not all is bleak as some
communities are still following traditional diets.
‘Some are consuming local food in the form of fruits
and vegetables, or say a basket full of fish from the
early morning catch. Many households have a small
home garden or a kitchen garden. Foraging is widely
practiced in villages, and some local home grown
products see the light in daily bazaars, allowing the
urban population to also relish on seasonal local food.’
And, it’s not like the communities are unaware. Sayan
shares that they talk about it openly and there is an
acceptance in the air. ‘They have accepted the change,
but they still take the time to pass down the food
knowledge nevertheless. It is important to understand
that, back in the day, food wasn’t only important as a
way of sustenance, it was also essential for its healing
properties, and helped improve bonds among people
and communities. This sort of food knowledge needs
to be passed down to generations.’
Exploring the Traditional Taste
A lot of youngsters refrain from eating local
cuisine because they are under the misconception that
it is not tasty. ‘Young people think that it is boring or
tasteless but that is not true. There are a lot of new-age
chefs who are using local produce to create delectable
dishes. They are constantly innovating and are fusing
the modern and traditional.’