Voices Anand Neelakantan S Vaidhyasubramaniam Ravi Shankar Shilpi Madan Amar Bhushan Mata Amritanandamayi THE new sunday express MAGAZINE may 22 2022 SUNDAY PAGES 12 The Eativity Crisis From eating to live to living to eat, Indians have acquired an unhealthy obsession with food more than ever, which affects their wellbeing C By SHILPI MADAN orona cooking has spun out a colossal new culinary dimension. Eativity It involves the activity of eating almost all the time while . thinking of food simultaneously With growing food literacy greater . , leaning towards hedonic food shopping, binge eating, swelling appetites, unhealthy chomping, dependency on comfort foods, emotional gobbling and self-justification for shopping for ingredients during the cocooned months while the virus prowled out there (it still is) and unstructured days—the fixation with food has towered into a gargantuan inferno that threatens to swallow up Diet Nazis. Clearly this is not just a health crisis. , Look closely Food has . emerged as the biggest turn-on for a growing number of people. Forget the vitamin cocktails of fruits, veggies, herbs and spices. Or the satisfaction of mocking meats, getting vegan substitutes yada yada. An increasing number of people are now fantasising about food all the time. From ordering laddered-up burgers and making dum pukht biryani at home to prepping ramen and bibimbap bowls in the kitchen to planning getaways exclusively to rustle up a barbeque. Food cravings are a part of human nature—about 90 percent of us experience them, according to studies, anyway But food . fixation has emerged as a smothering overdose, with food porn ever cruising on telly , thanks to the melee of bigger, better, special offers on junk food by the kilotons; a thousand reruns of Masterchef episodes, cookoffs, foraging journeys and food commandos—both pro and amateur recipe developers— breathing instructions round the clock on social media, milking the palatable kingdom for all that is worth. Food has increasingly gained the ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) dimension (with ingesting morsels no longer just a survival issue), emerging as the biggest emotional crutch —that silent undemanding spouse, a profound ‘healer’, a mouth and belly filler which emotionally satiates our little hearts on a larger scale. DOPAMINE RUSH Planning and enjoying a meal has become a raison d'être for existence itself. “I am for you, and you are for me—it was as if the food was singing to us, especially now,” says Goa- and Mumbai-based psychologist Alaokika Motwane. “Call it a changed equation. People instinctively turn to food for comfort. Even pre-pandemic, food was intrinsically cooked into our lives. Whether we were upset, happy or wanted to , celebrate—nothing else gave us that dopamine rush. With the past few years making us socialise in isolation, even visuals of food made us feel good, just like a warm hug. Dishes danced forward on the table, when we were stuck at home. If a glass of wine felt good, there was no one to stop you from having five more,” she says, adding, “Along with emotional comfort, food has brought in a coping mechanism, bereft of conflicts and arguments. Humans are wired to follow the path of least resistance, so we eat and eat and eat—stress-snacking. All of us know, nothing grows in the comfort zone.” Except for our weight. Sounds familiar? It is common to see people fantasising about their next meal, even when they are munching—like a sensorial experience-in-anticipation that helps them raft through the day Aphrodisiacs have always . thrived in figs, strawberries and oysters, but even desi cooking has become a turn-on. From selecting and ordering foodstuff online or fondling fruits and veggies for freshness while buying them, to washing and wrapping them up to stow away the love tap has come on , strong. Dr Vipul Rustgi, consultant physician and diabetologist, Apollo Spectra, Delhi, points out, “Good food means a good mood for people. Why go far, to artichokes and asparagus? Even mushrooms, dark chocolate, quinoa, or leafy greens make you happy (and healthy), inducing the right emotions.” We’re a foodie nation. Says Aparna Chandra, a homemaker in Delhi, “Even the prasad has turned into an addiction for me. I love the Shirdi, and the Tirupati laddoos and just can’t stop eating them. It turned into a desperate bid recently with me cajoling friends and acquaintances for that special prasad. Believe me, it has nothing to do with devotion.” Add to that the additional stockpiling of foodstuff during the lockdowns. Explains Mumbai-based consulting psychologist and psychotherapist Rupa Chaubal, “Traditionally Indian food , celebrates taste, aroma and its sheer richness, rather than being just eye-catching. With almost every second person experimenting with cooking nowadays, social media is abuzz with photos, videos and collages of tempting, mouthwatering and attractively presented colourful dishes. Social media use or even mindless scrolling can effortlessly bombard us with these images. Whatever you watch more will occupy your mind because our brain works on the principle of associationism. While you are watching the images or videos of food, your brain is simultaneously connecting with past pleasurable experiences of tasting that food item and the memories that follow. It is like being in your own mini theatre with full works on display in your brain. All senses get involved: touch, sight, sound, taste and smell. No wonder then that terms like ‘foodgasm’ have found their way into the vocabulary of netizens, because watching food is associated with Turn to page 2 Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment