Nostalgia as a critical element in dining?

The very mention of the word nostalgia brings comfort. It's the intrinsic association with memories that makes us feel all fuzzy. However, does it also play an important role in the food and dining space?

The answer is YES. However, it's not a cardinal rule to follow because diners are also open to newer and creative formats. Intermingling creativity with nostalgia is what is working wonders across the world. That's also because storytelling is an integral part of the mix here.

Experimentation has become a buzzword for the younger generation–while a good story makes them tick, it is also the substance that matters in the end. But for the older generation, nostalgia plays a comforting role, probably why legacy restaurants are continuing to do well.

It's also a cycle or a ‘chain reaction’ because the feeling of nostalgia is passed down from parents to kids and so on. For instance, foods like butter chicken, biryani, seekh kebab or mutton tikkas, or maybe dosa and more will always have romance around them. There are nostalgic elements present in multiple cuisines in India.

The world has evolved into a more curious world–as one may say the era of social media. And what sells over there are stories or romance. Romance is the central theme that keeps binding experiences. For example, the fact that galouti kebabs were created because emperors couldn't chew sounds fascinating to many. It had a lot of herbs and spices which were both aromatic and therapeutic.

But while this is from an era bygone, nostalgia is also being created with novel experiences today. As much as you would see legacy restaurants talking about these things, there are many more legacies being created not just with Indian food but various other cuisines. A case in point is The Pasta Bowl Company, where we largely do classic Italian food. We also try to experiment on a lot of things but that's only at a chef’s table.

Most classic recipes on our menu have their origins in Italy that have been passed down generations and are also served during specific seasons that are imbued with stories from the past.

There are also multiple scientific reasons behind the recipe that we serve at the restaurant, be it at The Pasta Bowl Company or Ye Hai Bombay Meri Jaan. Here's another example, say the vada pav that we serve has a backstory…it was created for industry workers during the Industrial Revolution, when Bombay was being developed as the financial capital of India.

There are also many dishes at The Pasta Bowl Company that have interesting origins. For instance, there's a pie that is inspired from a book, and is a homage to it. We have been serving such dishes year on year, and we try to bring forth dishes from the remotest parts of Italy.

At Bombay Meri Jaan, our focus is on classic street food which is delicious, hygienically friendly, authentic and pocket-friendly. Even with the catering division, we have been doing classic chaats. The whole crux of Indian cuisine earlier was safar ka khana. It evolved over time.

All in all, nostalgia has been one of the biggest reasons why I even started The Pasta Bowl Company. I was very little when pasta was not as easily available, people also didn't understand much. Since my father travelled to various parts of the country for work, when he went to places like Bombay, he would get his hands on various kinds of pastas for us. I remember on Sundays he would be home and would cook us tomato sauce pasta with basil.

Another memory I have is of eating dal tadka, I would enjoy the dal of a particular restaurant. Just like how dal Bukhara has a story, this little place also had its own origin.

Samosas is another food which I have a soft spot for. There's this hole in the wall kind of place in Gurgaon…I personally feel they touch the right spot. It takes me back to times where the options were limited but everyone had something which they loved. Today, options are abundant and people have different palates. I feel whatever hits the right spot is what will bring nostalgia to them!

Bon Appetit!