Durga Kurupath Week #14: Eating Your Heart Out. Literally.

Food. It's everyone's favorite. It brings a sense of nostalgia to every individual at some point in life. It can serve as a comforting thing, or even one that evokes powerful emotions as a response. The smell and taste of my ammumma's sambar is unlike anything else. It transcends past simple ingredients and speaks stories like all the times she would try to spank me with her ladle when I was acting out. But most of all, it reminds me of her presence, which is why I'm not one to ever deny another bowl. There's seriously nothing like it. It varies for everyone, but believe it or not, this sense of memory tied with elaborate or even simple meals can be interpreted through various lenses.

From an evolutionary and biological perspective, humans are built to prioritize anything to do with food as a key source of survival, linking the hippocampus and olfactory system to form heavy, emotional connections and experiences. Not only do the aromas persist in the memory centers of the brain causing people to be instantly reminded of certain times and places, but they weigh more when one is straying far away from home or a familiar environment.

However, the most powerful ability food has is to go beyond conscious awareness in pursuit of arousing deep memories. It creates a sense of sensory overload in one's emotional state, bringing early experiences, recent events, and even a look into the future together. When people sit down and eat with others, there's a certain shared sentiment over unchanging elements in time that brings communities together while indulging in the sharing of cultures.

In the modern era, people tend to take advantage of the basic necessities as they appear to be recurrent in our lives. Even though the meal one eats can seem like nothing special at face value, the real significance lies in where and who it came from, and the sacrifices it took to gain the privilege of having another one hot and ready at the table.