One Year and Counting…

On May 16, 2017, I laid down my yoga mat on the fire escape of my apartment, opened a crisp cold beer and pressed the launch button to this website. It has been a year of sweat, blood, and tears (yes, I mean that literally,) one that I would never exchange for anything in the world. I have been unemployed before, never for a year, but for brief periods during my career, and they always involved self pity, a lot of pigging out on the couch, and finally coming around to apply for jobs. This time around, I had none of those. Okay, there were a few days when I’d revert to the twenty-five year old unemployed me, but for the most part, I didn’t feel the pain of unemployment because I was too busy showing off to myself and the world what I was capable of.

During the one year, I learned how to handle a website (and those who know me, know how technologically challenged I am,) practiced both my writing and cooking everyday, mastered macaroons (still my biggest achievement!), posted close to fifty recipes, got picked up by a local media outlet, taught a cooking class, and managed to lose a few kgs despite all that sugar and butter. I owe all my success to the people around me, so here is my list of weird thank you’s:

First, to everyone who has ever patiently read my stories, tried my recipes, or thoughtfully left a comment. Thank you.

To my grandparents, for passing on the cooking genes. They were the best cooks I’ll ever know.

To my mom, for allowing me to sit next to the stove all the time, nevermind that I was in her way. I watched her cook with such grace and elegance, tasting every few seconds and adjusting until the dish was just perfect. She’s the silent hand behind my cooking and my go-to person for recipes. Every dish I make, I wish she was here at home to taste.

To my dad, who despite his initial disappointment over me quitting law, always makes it possible for me to chase my dreams without any fears. And, for introducing me to my two loves, fish and whiskey.

To my sister Nans, for making me the writer I am today. Growing up, I wanted to be just as smart as her, matching her book for book. If she wasn’t the voracious reader who shoved me into the world of different genres, I would still be reading Danielle Steel (no offence to the author.) My love for books was what got me writing, and my love for her was what inspired my first illustrated book, Worms As Pets (yes, she was that weird kid who collected worms.)

To  my brother-in-law Vish, for being my ally in pigging out. He has been my fiercest competition for my mom’s food and because of his love for food and travel, showed so much of the world to me.

To Ni, for being my partner-in-crime throughout my cooking journey. If not for hours ambling up and down Hannafords talking about what dishes we could make, or fighting with him about the right right way to make rasam (and I still maintain that his way is too sweet!) Passive Aggressive Kitchen would have never existed. Thank you, for enduring all the disaster dishes.

To Joris, for the name.

To Varza, for always pushing the quirky writer in me and being honest when I sucked. Bouncing ideas with him has brought out some of the best stories in me.

To Vamshi, for actively fighting my urge to fill the house with junk food and for always being ready with a hug when I get too frustrated and want to throw things at my laptop.

To Nihit, for always calling me when his inspiration to cook strikes. We come up with the weirdest dishes and he cooks them all!  

To Vini, for filling my mailbox with cheery coloured envelopes with long letters of love and encouragement.

To Manas, for introducing me to my first ever baking experience. We baked a delicious chocolate cake out of the box for our first sleepover.

To Swetha, for always being there, encouraging me and for trying out my recipes.

To Sharanya and Esha, for inspiring the creative in me. The former works with a loving company that provides the space and resources for kids to come and learn everything about anything! It challenges them to explore their wildest interests. In the last year, I’ve seen Sharanya learn with the kids about things from like working a loom to implosion glass art! Esha has started a business called Handcrafted by Esha which is a boutique for handcrafted paper products such as scrapbooks, diaries, accessories, and home decor (If you don’t already know about it, check out her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pg/handcraftedbyesha/about/?ref=page_internal.) Everyday, I see their posts on social media and it encourages me to push my limits.

To Deepika, for sharing my love for baking and for taking me into her beautiful little kitchen to teach me how to make Boston Cream doughnuts.

To Analisa, for introducing me and my kitchen to the Dartmouth community.

To Mayuresh, for travelling 300 miles to eat my food.

To Valli, for always being convinced to stay for longer if desserts were involved, it made me feel powerful.

To my uncle Das, for his loving messages of encouragement.

To my aunt Saraswati, for being my dessert queen. I can still remember standing in her hot kitchen watching her make delicious multi-coloured desserts as the sweet aroma filled the air. Her recipe for badam halwa was the first sweet dish I ever successfully made.

To my aunt Rathi for the summers in her kitchen. She taught me everything from chopping a cabbage, to pickling mangoes, to making Mysore Pak.

To my cousin Asha, for introducing me to salads. Yes, I complained and cried at that time, but I love them now.

To my mentor Prof. Kreiger, for pushing me to write a successful manuscript without which I would have never discovered my true passion.

To Preetha, for bulldozing me to enter the Cupcake Wars, my first ever test of limits, and for always being there to eat my cakes.

To Kevin, for placing the first ever order to Passive Aggressive Kitchen.

To Stephanie, for reaching out to me, gracing me with her ideas to further my dreams, and for giving me the chance to make a French Silk Pie.

To Sally’s Baking Addiction and other bloggers out there, for inspiring me everyday with the outstanding work that they do.

To Ken, for believing in me and introducing me to his colleagues.

To Justine, for always coming to dinner with the weirdest gifts and for expanding my vegan menu.

And finally, to my Dartmouth family, for filling my house with love, laughter and games. My year would have been nothing if they hadn’t been over every other weekend, travelling hundreds of miles to come home for dinner.

It takes a village to raise a baby, I found that it takes more to launch a career and I’m thankful to everyone who helped me kickstart mine. Here’s hoping for another successful year.