Whenever we travel, I’m reminded of the concept of soul food.
Every once a while, we taste some incredibly special food in places we visit – food that just touches our heart and mind. Sometimes, this happens at expensive places. More often than not for us, it happens in some hole-in-the-wall spot with that awesome intersection of $ (or $$) and 4.5+ stars on Yelp.
But, then, after a few meals of this delicious food, I find myself craving for “soul food.”
My soul food is simple fare – rice mixed with plain yoghurt – a staple where I’m from*. Throw in a spicy side and a scrambled egg and I’m in heaven. This costs next to nothing and, yet, I’d choose this over meals that cost hundreds of dollars.
That’s the beauty of soul food. It is generally simple stuff that we grew up with that somehow touches our heart, mind, and soul.
It serves as a wonderful reminder that we don’t need a lot of money or stuff to be happy. All we need is to surround ourselves with the simple things that feed our soul.
*In case you are wondering, this can’t be described as Indian food or even South Indian food. The analog would be European food or South European food. We have to get a lot more specific to get to the right label. :)
