Books for me in Coronavirus lockdown

I am writing this blogpost in such a time when forget restaurant food, you can’t even go out of your home. It’s day-2 for the home-quarantine during the Coronavirus outburst. Now you may ask me a very simple and valid question- why am I writing on these places in this turbulent time. The answer, my friend, is quite simple. One day, someday, this too shall pass and we’ll come back stronger. Life will be happier and people will actually look forward to seeing others. And I hope people will stick to their (so called) new-found passion for food. And then, my friend, this article on books during corona lockdown, will come in handy. And lastly, we are content writers, even if we don’t survive this state, the content on Mohamushkil will make me immortal.

It’s probably a fortnight since we have stepped out of our homes. By nature, the human breed loves social interaction. And we understand it nowadays, more than anything else. Just the sheer joy of talking nonsense to another friend, or some mindless bitching (with the bestie) is what we miss the most. Of course, many are not privileged enough to have work, so that they can enjoy the WFH life. But then, the grass is always greener on the other side and the saying has never been able to prove itself better. I’ve been fed up with the countless OTT or web series. The Fire TV Stick is doing overtime. But then, there is something which is keeping me busy in these turbulent times. And it’s those books, which have been piled  up for me. And I thought of making a listing of the same. My favorite food and recipe books during the corona lockdown. 

Food Kahini

Loving one’s own baby is human nature and I’m no exception. My first book Foodkahini was published on 6th April 2019. And it was a gala event, thanks to Peerless Inn and team Foodka. And this is the book that I’ve read again, from first to last, in this period. Food Kahini means the story of food. I personally have a belief that every food has a story. It rarely happens that we just go and eat something. there are memories associated with the meal- good bad whatever. Even the food items have got stories associated with it. And trust me, stories need to be documented.

Now, I’ve personally felt that there is a dearth of Bengali book, where food stories are written. Recipe books are there and I’m sure they do a fantastic job of documenting food. But when I was approached to write the food stories by  Book Farm, I thought of the most neglected item in the food scene- stories of and on food. This book was dreamt to be talking about the history and geography of food. History means the background story of the food and geography means, the places where I personally go for that particular item. I understand food choices vary from person to person. But this book, Food Kahini, is very very personalized. The book is available in Flipkart. Please click here to check it out. 

Travelling belly by Kalyan Karmakar

If my book, foodkahini talks mostly on the food of Kolkata and Bengal, this book by Kalyan Karmakar talks on the food stories or food walks of different places in India. It’s a paperback version and written in a breezy lucid language. Ten places in India are covered in it. And once you’re in the city, you need to simply carry this book to find the must-eat places there. Of course, I understand that the definition of good food varies from a person to person, but a good compilation along with human stories, never really hurt anyone- right?

Cooking up culinary adventures by Jayabrato Chatterjee

Well, this is a book which, I myself love to read as and when I want to look deep into the food. And let me assure you, if you’re looking for books during corona lockdown or food recipes during corona lockdown, this is one of the books to refer to. This book has around 17-18 chapters and each one is written based on one theme. And apart from the storyline, they also feature a few recipes in an easy manner. This might come in handy for you to check the stories of food, or simply to try some food recipes during corona lockdown. While this book is a limited edition version,  but somebody told me,  they’re still available in Starmark.

From Bangladesh- books by Shawkat Osman

Shawkat Osman is a noted authority and food researcher on food from Bangladesh. I 2018, I was invited to dhaka to study the Hilsa dishes there and that’s when I met him for the first time. But once we met, I had to go through a few questions, like the old school viva to have him talk. “Tell me, what do you mean by Nihari …” was the first question and luckily, the idiot in me remembered the answer. And he was over answering my stupid questions, maybe as a consolation gift, I got two of his books signed by him. Recipes from the Raj and  Recipes from the Rasoi. Now while they have excellent recipes described in an easy manner, what intrigued me, was the stories and research done behind each food item. You may like to check his video, which I had shot at his home here. 

And finally,  THE Food book by Lonely Planet

Honestly, I’ve not traveled that much internationally. But that probably never stopped me from reading about food stories from different countries. But regarding from the internet is one thing, and getting hold of a curated brief, done by experts, is something else. And this book from the famed Lonely Planet is just that. Suppose you’re traveling to Hungary and want to know about the food culture there. This book might be one of your best companions. While this book was gifted by  Subhasish Dutta, while he was having a stopover at Mumbai airport, it’s readily available online and is definitely recommended by me.

Now honestly, if I want to do a full compilation of the books during corona lockdown, it’ll be a huge one. And maybe this post will be updated in due time. Meanwhile, stay indoor, stay safe and let’s read more and share stories. Do let me know what all you’re doing during this Corona lockdown, in the comment section.

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এই সময়ে, যখন করোনা ভাইরাসজনিত পরিস্থিতির কারণে আমরা সবাই গৃহবন্দী, তখন জনপ্রিয় ফুড-ব্লগার ইন্দ্রজিৎ লাহিড়ী (@indrajit_lahiri ) ঘরে বসে কীভাবে এইসময়কে আরো মুখরোচক করে তুলছেন তা জেনে নিন তাঁর মুখ থেকেই I #ABSU2020 #IndiaFightsCorona #বাংলাসাহিত্য #কলকাতা #OxfordBookstore #IndrajitLahiri #Foodka #Books #Reading #BooksConnectUs #ApeejayGroup #covid19 #covid #coronavirus #socialdistancing #socialdistance #stayathome #staysafe #staystrong #stayhealthy #bookblogger #booksofinstagram #instalike #instagram #instadaily #insta #booksbooksbooks #bookreading #booklovers #covid_19

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Bon apetit !!!

I can be reached at 9903528225 / indrajit.lahiri@ymail.com