Stir, Fry, Simmer

 The reason I made flan last Saturday was because my parents were hosting a screening of our friend Vani Subramian's recently released film "Stir, Fry, Simmer" (more information is available here), and we needed to make food for the people coming. The film was actually about food in India, and what it means in the context of cultural identity. This may perhaps seem like a stupid premise to an American, but in India, there is a very big emphasis on food. My uncle, a German (related by marriage), noted that when Indians get together, they only talk about food. With this in mind, food is a very natural lens through which to look at culture throughout India. 

The film basically tells a few stories: One of a woman who owns and arts and crafts business called Pure Ghee (ghee is clarified butter),  who talks about how she thought of the name, and of her cultural background, and how her views on food changed. (She is a Punjabi, but grew up in the South and did not like her North Indian family, as a result, she prefers South Indian food, but is now "warming up" to North Indian food) One of  band called Avial (which is a dish, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avial), and their experiences as a band singing in Malayalam trying to succeed internationally. One about the Naga tribe from Manipur, and how they are discriminated against by the Indian government and society, and how they are ostracized for their radically different food choices (they eat both beef and pork). One about unviersity students harassed for having a "beef-eating day". And one about the Irula people, a caste of rat-catchers, who, naturally, eat rats.

I found the contents  of the film very informative, as they highlighted the role food plays in establishing one's identity in India,  and they explained some regional differences in cuisine. I also got to talk to Vani afterward about why she chose the narratives she did,  which was a very good opportunity. She said that most of the choices jumped out to her as very obvious, but there were many similar things she could have used. I am not going to critique the film as I know the filmmaker, and would feel uncomfortable doing so.