Love & food are Padma Lakshmi’s elixirs of life

CHENNAI: The popping of mustard seeds on a hot pan, thayir sadam (curd rice) and eating pieces of raw mango and tamarind in school – these are some of the fondest memories of Madras for celebrity chef and TV host Padma Lakshmi who went down memory lane as she interacted with students from city colleges while promoting her book ‘Love, loss and what we ate: A memoir’ here on Tuesday.

Stating that love and food are incredibly intertwined, she said they are the two things needed for survival – one for physical sustenance and the other for emotional sustenance. “Food is a direct way to show our care,” said the Chennai-born model who spent the day at MOP Vaishnav College answering students’ questions.

She also emphasised that everybody should have the ability to feed themselves properly. “It is a life skill. Just like how you learn to brush your teeth, make your bed, or do your laundry, you should be able to make yourself a handful of nutritious meals. I think that’s a skill we as parents should introduce to our sons and daughters. It is a good skill to have. It doesn’t matter who in the house does it,” she said.

She was also quick to point out an existing disconnect in the professional sphere. “If people feel that cooking is a woman’s job, then shouldn’t women be executive chefs and owning those restaurants? There is a real disconnect there,” she added.

When students asked if there was anything more Padma wanted after all her accomplishments, quick came the response, “I want a woman president in America.” Elaborating, Padma said that the fastest path to parity and equality in genders in any culture is to put more women in positions of power and legislative bodies.

“Each of us has very special and interesting stories. Remembering these stories not only makes us happier but also brings us closer together as a society, something that is on top of my mind as an American voter right now,” she added.

Padma also had a message for students on Valentine’s Day: “Don’t be happy just because someone loves you. Look at the way they love you and why. Love yourself, better yourself and focus on what makes you happy.”