time travelling through food
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Through the various discussions in this course, we have seen how food and emotions are so closely tied to the melancholia of migrants. For example, in our discussion on enslavement, Diouf mentions an instance where children were given sweet rice as a special treat, consequently making them happier. Or how we saw food as the glue for the South Asian community in East Harlem, bringing them together through the form of street food and restaurants.
This same connection is seen in Mannur’s text, where she discusses culinary melancholia. Remembering a past life through food is an experience many migrants go through during their lifetimes. Using food, through its scent and taste, takes a person back to a life left behind. Indeed, our senses are closely tied within our brain to emotions and memories. We often find ourselves being taken back to a certain point when, for example, hearing a song that reminds you of your childhood or smelling a perfume you associate with a certain part of life can trigger certain memories. Therefore, these sensory memories are activated by our five senses and bring them up to the surface. (I actually learned in a few of my psych courses that parts of our brain go through the same processes when retrieving a memory as it would when experiencing something for the first time). With this said, in the context of diasporas and the nostalgia of food, tasting food that was once eaten in a particular context in one’s homeland or even smelling a certain aroma can immerse an individual, make them relive the memory, and the memories associated with it, and almost transport them back to the past. One can compare this experience to stepping onto a time machine and walking away from the present moment into the past. Such an experience can be particularly evocative for migrants struggling to deal with the loss of their homeland and the parts of their associated identity. For them, food is used to reconnect to their culture and community, thus evoking nostalgia.
On the other hand, we have repatriated ex-colonials. In her text, Buettner discusses how these ex-colonials would also go to restaurants serving Indian-style food in Britain to re-experience memories from their past. Indeed, in the 1950s and 60s, these men would visit restaurants like Veeraswamy’s to experience the Raj culture. It was much more than about the food. These restaurants leaned into the “oriental” stereotypes, decorating with elements that mimic the “East” – with “Indian carpets, chandeliers, punkahs (fans)” (Buettner, 149) and having waiters play into the servile role that is expected from the ex-colonials. This recreated the power dynamic of the "sahib" and "bearer," reinforcing the colonial power structures.