Scientists and food form a great combination, Siva exclaims, when asked for her spin.
When I talk science, I automatically switch to food-talk after a while – not even the science of food but food itself!
My family and I love cooking shows. Mom ardently follows healthy recipes and granny prepares mouth-watering traditional sweets.
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| Mom's millet and methi paratha |
They are pros at what they do. But as I grew up, I also fell for street food.
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| Roti maker in action - Old Delhi |
After school, Siva joined the Women’s Christian College, Chennai as undergraduate in Physics. Timid and shy, she didn't venture out much and was scared of posh restaurants.
But there were enough more modest eateries to amuse me. I particularly remember an omelette shop just outside the college.
The college was very strict and we were allowed to go out only on Wednesdays and weekends. The weekend was reserved for visiting far away restaurants while Wednesday meant a bit of book hunting and an omelette.
I love the bread omelette at the shop: two slices of bread, a mildly runny omelette, and a splash of mint chutney. Every Wednesday for three years, I ate at that shop. Yummy!
Her next big food adventure began when she came to IISER-TVM. In her final year now, she's been a hosteller until very recently.
For the first four years, the campus was close to an upcoming IT park and that meant more people and more new places to eat. I went out to eat almost every night unable to put up with the food in the mess.
We fell for the chai shops. Suleimani soon became everyone’s favourite: On a rooftop with yellow bulbs and a terrace filled with plants. It was the most sought out place since it was open till two in the morning!
I went there for their ginger tea, rich with aroma and flavorful. I don’t like tea made with milk - it's too thick. Suleimani offered it just right for me.
Working on a PhD involves travels – workshops, schools, and conferences.
Though these journeys are mainly academic, they involve culinary experiences too.
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| Besan pakoda chaat - Old Delhi |
During the last five years, I travelled to different cities in India and fell head over heels in love with the street food. Oh, Delhi! Oh, the aloo tikkis and kebabs from Old Delhi.
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| Old Delhi - Tikka getting ready |
I have the habit of reading books about a place before visiting that place. Before visiting Delhi, I read Korma, Kheer, and Kismet: Five Seasons in Old Delhi by Pamella Timms.
Such a delicious read and I want to go to Delhi again, for the food!
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| Old Delhi - masala papad |
Funny thing, I was interviewing a Nobel laureate and he said he has been eating too much since he landed in Delhi.
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| Old Delhi - street food |
Another interesting food-related incident occurred when she went to Barcelona for a summer school.
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| Barcelona - fruit shop |
I ordered paella, a special type of shrimp dish. The waiter who served us was German. He asked if we were Indians and what we did and why we were in Spain. Then he told us how he is an ardent fan of Shahrukh Khan. He said he and his friends in Germany love Bollywood movies and he has watched Kuch Kuch Hota Hai multiple times.
When Siva travelled to Hong Kong she followed the path laid out by the legendary Anthony Bourdain.
His shows inspired my explorations of Hong Kong's nooks and corners in search of good food.
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| Hong Kong's Egg puff aka waffle |
From egg momos to Korean rice rolls to flat rice noodles, Hong Kong buzzed with a myriad foods.
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| Hong Kong's rice noodles and fish balls |
Siva Shakthi's Instagram page, Feasts and Fables, is her tribute to food and features foodie quotes from her favourite books.
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| Feasts and Fables |
She also volunteers at the Optical Society of America Student Chapter and at STEPS - Students Teach Experiential Physics in Schools.
In upcoming posts, we continue to explore the adventurous appetites of Indian scientists and it promises to be a very enchanting gastronomic journey.
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