Eats by Anya: Inspiration

01: Coffee Table Book

Publishing a coffee table book has been a dream of mine since I started Eats by Anya. It was remarkable seeing how anyone and everyone was able to relate to a photo of food. Seeing my photography being the medium through which I was able to meet so many new people, foster connections and build meaningful friendships, inspired me to pursue this idea of publishing a coffee table book. It felt fickle at first, and silly almost, to want to publish a book just filled with food photos. But my photos are more than just the food or drink pictured. They go beyond that. My photography commemorates the sentiment of community and comfort, and I hope it evokes emotion, nostalgia, and love that you have may have felt during a meal. It is my way of keeping a memory alive.

Due to the pandemic, we spent nearly 2 years away from our family in India, and I spent 3 years away from my friends in the US. So much had happened over these years, and even with texting, FaceTimes, Instagram memes, there's still only so much you are able to share. The first few years after graduating from college are pivotal, and instrumental in our development as we mature and become adults in the "real world". Whether it was discovering a new restaurant I knew my best friend Elizabeth would enjoy, or having a slice of bread with butter that my Nani would have loved, so many integral moments happened to have been around food. And that's how I thought I would share the past few years being here in Singapore with my loved ones who lived elsewhere. Each photo has a story. While we can't always capture every giggle, tear that was shed, rant that was expelled or lecture given, we can capture the food and drink that came with it.?

?This book is how I thought I could share those memories with my loved ones, friends & family, and especially after not seeing them for so long due to the pandemic.?

02: Book 1 (2021)

Thanks to an incredible Black Friday sale on Shutterfly (not sponsored, although I wish I was), I had incentive to put together the coffee table book I had thought so often about. While I already had 3-4 photo albums featuring my favorite photos, I hadn't quite put together a full book yet. How was I going to do it? Was there a theme? Will there be words? Decisions, decisions...

In only three-four days, a few late nights, I put together the first book, and eagerly paid and waited for it to arrive...

I was overcome with pride, joy and happiness when it arrived. It felt incredible to see my work in print.?

03: The Meaning of Book 1 (2021)

There was quite a jump between the first book and the version that inspired me to pursue publishing. It took over a year for me to settle on a new draft for the book.?

I will always have a soft spot for the first ever published copy as it tells a very different story than the book that is available to the public today.?

The first book was more of testament to the two years spent living during those pesky unprecedented times, and the process of finding a "new normal". It was a way for me to capture all of the good that happened in between, and celebrate all of the wonderful friendships and relationships that met over socially-distanced meals.?

The first book was printed in December 2021, just as my family and I were able to leave Singapore to visit our family in Delhi, after nearly two years of being apart. This book was how I showed my Nani, Nana, Dadi what my life was like in Singapore.?

Seeing photos of friends, the Singapore Botanic Gardens where I frequent for a walk, numerous selfies of myself?is great and all,?but we know when everyone is being polite, nodding and secretly waiting for the slideshow to be over.?To really capture someone's attention, why not tell a story by using food? We all love it, we all relate to it, and it's certainly a way to peak someone's interest...especially when the story you want to tell to tell isn't right there for them to see.?

This book became my way of sharing my pandemic story.?

04: A New Book

Just as the the first book was published in December 2021, the whole world welcomed 2022 with eager arms and hopeful for some semblance of a normal year.?

Travel became part of the routine once again. Dining restrictions eased. We could drink past 10:30 PM (which I have to admit is a restriction I was quite fond off and miss sometimes). Life was becoming normal again.?

While 2022 began with adjusting to a new, new normal...taking advantage of travel...celebrating each and every occasion for the hell of it... socialising relentlessly...it ended with a heartbreak when we lost my Nani. Even months later, I am unable to express how great of a loss we experienced. She was strong, beautiful and taught me what it means to love unconditionally. She was also the greatest storyteller, and could spin the most captivating tale and have you hooked almost instantly.

She is the inspiration behind this book. Throughout 2022, I continued to grow my collection of food photos, and was seeking a new story to tell.?

Finally, I found one.?

Here it is.?

Coming soon...Summer 2023.