My mother brought Bangalore home in brown paper bags. From Fatima and All Saints came patties, samosas, butter biscuits and plain cake. Creator gave us warm milk bread, Thom’s had doughnuts and Dilpasand, Albert had kheema samosas, and the Iyengar bakery had honey cake and khara buns. There was bread from Thomson’s, coconut burfi from Excelsior, and every evening, at 4 pm, we dunked biscuits into Mama’s cardamom chai. This is a story of the Bangalore she gave us.

Going out on weekends meant spending time in and around the MG Road area, and Airlines Hotel was a significant part of those outings. The hotel, which still stands today, looks very different from the one I remember. It was a true drive-in. The premises had two gates, allowing you to drive in through one and exit through the other. There was a play area located in the portion that now houses the canteen. It had a slide, a swing set, a see-saw, a merry-go-round, and a jungle g

At Conversations on Food, the intention is not to catalogue cuisines, but to listen. To sit with stories. To recognise that food is not just about difference, but about connection, and a way to learn about culture through food.

This post-wedding feast is a Kannadiga tradition featuring rich, flavorful dishes like ragi mudde with mutton curry, spicy chilli chicken, and steaming biryani. It’s more than a meal—it’s a warm, intimate gathering that lingers long after the plates are cleared.

Sumaiya Mustafa shares how Kayalpatnam breaks its fast with rich, meat-forward Kanji, prepared at Masjids during Ramzan.