3 min read
Gifts: Parents & Saints
Gifts from a parent I lost my father in July 2016. It was a dreadful day; the pain still haunts me. In a fit of cruel rage, someone...
4 min read
What are Masalas or spice blends?
I will share something I said to a friend about making ghee. Some people will deliberately complicate an otherwise stupidly simple...
5 min read
On Bossy Women
As this blog is about food, women and life - here is what I think of a show that threatens patriarchy as it centers around the narratives of
1 min read
Verse: Couch
Couch (c) Nandita Godbole, 2019 A quaint twosome on a couch for two. Sat silently. Absorbing the hours. Doing absolutely nothing, except...
2 min read
Resume or Résumé?
A few days ago, we visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, to see their latest exhibit, "Dream Flora" by Patrick Shearn of Poetic...
3 min read
No resolutions. No reservations.
I have no words for 2019. I have written more than I ever expected to, done more media than before. It kept us on our toes. Yesterday,...
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Traces
A poem and a reflection.
10 min read
What is in a name of an Indian dish?
People like me, with roots in India, have struggled through the Biryani Roll controversy, the Chickpea Tikka Masala drama, the...
5 min read
My Summer Garden of Scents & Sensibilities: a meditation on the ordinary.
.. I let the bee balm bloom because the bees enjoyed them more – or I would have made a bee-balm tea. The purple basil sits tucked in with t
3 min read
Enough parenting
"This woman shared her expert perspectives on how adults and young people see time and needs differently, how men and women respond to
3 min read
Really? Is it today?
It was a brisk cold February morning. I had tried washing a teal green silk salwar kameez in the bathtub earlier that week, laundromats...
1 min read
If you know, you need only ask - Helena Ravenclaw
The second half of this famous dialog comes to mind today, uttered by Helena Ravenclaw, scripted by author J K Rowling (yes, Potter fans...
4 min read
Gifts For Artists: Part Two
Although art can happen on any surface and in any medium, this post shares some wrap-able and practical gifts for the artist on your shoppin
5 min read
Gifts For Artists: Part One
This is part of a two-part post on gifting for the artist. This piece shares notes on the basics, the tools of the trade.
6 min read
Are we the anti ‘Norman Rockwell’ Society?
Norman Rockwell – the classic American painter painted simple family life, picturesque settings, quaint little communities with happy...
3 min read
Cold-coffee with Ice-Cream, is for sharing.
...This quintessential staple from most eateries in India represents the carefree days of youth for many people, enjoyed with friends often
3 min read
Recipe: Spiced Lemonade with Watermelon
..."This past weekend, at a book reading, I threw together a lush watermelon cooler, reminiscent of the days of summer, when life was s
6 min read
Om.
"It is no secret that I like to cook. And I have met tonnes of people who don't. People who don't cook often don't believe
6 min read
Aah, Randall’s your monster!
"...Home, the place we felt most safe in, most at ease, is now an uncomfortable place that we have no choice..."
3 min read
Prologue: Not For You, Book Two
"The sun had just set and as the shadows began to form, the silhouette of an early Victorian home played hide and seek with the elusive
5 min read
The order of chaos
... "We bonded over the fact that we were both women, and she was glad that I understood and respected the concept of the energy of the
4 min read
The Kite
"But Life meticulously reminds us each day, that it chooses to remain unpredictable.
The rollercoaster of these last two weeks include
4 min read
Sacred Space
I cannot pen down our feelings, except share our sentiment with adequate disclaimers. Because in this (ridiculous) time we live in, sharing
5 min read
No Offense?
Our family emergency, less than 48 hours later. The following content is EXPLICITLY copyrighted to me, Nandita Godbole. I do not provide...
5 min read
Trapped, On My Cherry Blossom Driveway
"In the barrage of the challenges of being a teen, I heard the single, most disconcerting statement in a long time. It hit harder, perh
3 min read
Glory & Solace
(above: 'Glory', an optical phenomenon as seen from the air, early January 2017) I slept through the ‘ball-drop’ of 2017, because I was...
2 min read
Word (of) Mouth
A big part of getting Not For You to people is making the rounds of media channels, making appearances and providing opportunities for...
2 min read
Emerging Identities
Born into a patriarchal culture where women remained second to the men who raised them or those who married them, these women followed their
2 min read
Is this book for you?
I have been talking about this book for more than a year now. It has taken its time to get this far, and there is more to be written. The co
1 min read
Words
Words ~7.16.2017 Today is stained with sadness, as it has every day since last year. It is drenched in memories of bodies arched in...
2 min read
Not For You
a cookbook with character (s) Not For You: Family Narratives of Denial & Comfort Foods Pre-order Here (Release: Spring / Summer 2017)...
5 min read
A Paused Diwali
... when he married my mother and she orchestrated celebration around it (Diwali), he felt truly happy....
6 min read
Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?
mama-bear reflects... The biggest and most unsettling emotion I have about the aftermath of this election - is fear.
3 min read
A word with an identity crisis!
Through Not For You: Denial and Comfort Foods I plan to write about 3 generations whose lives were shaped by social customs, personal choice
3 min read
Ordinary Time
is ordinary important? Dad has been gone a month today. Thirty-one days ago. The first thirteen days were surreal, filled with prayer...
5 min read
Independence Day: August 15 1947
the spirit of an expat (This essay was first shared on my old blog, c. 2012. In the light of personal events, I am sharing again.)...
6 min read
One Mixed Up Lunch Box
navigating the minefield of preferences This week, our school district started up again. Backpacks and school supplies were bought, pens...
2 min read
Mothers' Day BOGO
last minute gifts Each mothers’ day since I became a mom (and my daughter could talk) – I get my daughter a little a keepsake to...
2 min read
Friends don't...
on friendship It has been a while since my last post, and so much has happened, it is difficult to recap now. In a nutshell, one of the...
8 min read
When 'Kit-Kat', 'Jook', McDonalds & Memories Make Fried Rice
interview with my cutie-pie friend, Jessie Wan. I met Jessie as part of a secret Tiffin series I did in Los Angeles in 2012. A young girl...
7 min read
Enjoying Healthy Lifestyle Choices (interview)
interview with cookbook author: Lisa Howard In the mad crowded conference space last year, when I did not know a soul, a sweet woman came...
1 min read
Pre-orders for Crack the Code-2 (print)
better late than never . . It was exhilirating to see the progress of Crack the Code-2 on Kickstarter. This globe-trotting book will be...
6 min read
Dont spend a single naya-paisa (shiny penny) on your author friends
Yet, five no-cost ways to help yourself Two months ago, I launched a Kickstarter for one of my newer books 'Crack the Code: Cook Any...
6 min read
New Beginnings
reflections on the new year Happy 2016, everyone!! Things have been very busy in our household since November. Unlike previous years when...
5 min read
Vegetarianism, Santa & The Nude
intersection of culture, religion & self Preface: I wrote this essay in 2009, when my daughter was 6 and we were just beginning to have...
6 min read
Diwali Observances
common practices & traditions This weekend onwards listen for the fireworks - because so many Hindus will celebrate the auspicious...
3 min read
Counting Beads & Other Memories
my debut auto-fiction novella, available Winter 2015 I have been writing these stories for more than 20 years now, picking up the pieces...
4 min read
Raw thoughts on the mean child syndrome (PG-13)
inclusion via respect Parenting brings so many challenges and the myriad of corresponding advice columns to go with it. Who possibly has...
3 min read
2015: The Summer of Selfies
reflections on a busy summer As many of you already know, our family works differently – even more so when compared to a single...
3 min read
Celebrating Life: A Somber TBT
on loss & life I was living in Bombay in 1993, and my father was still stationed in Bhiwandi then - a town filled with weaving / loom...
