With roots in Sivasagar, Assam, Sayan was born and raised in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. He is currently working in the Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (CFNS), Guwahati as a programme coordinator and researcher for a health and nutrition related project, supported by World Bank. He has travelled extensively in Central and East India to learn linkages of agriculture and women groups for better nutrition outcomes. This fuelled his interest to document tribal cuisines and indigenous food practices. He started his Instagram account named ‘Mashed Potatoes – Aloo Pitika‘ on May 2018.
Local Eats
‘I started the account to document indigenous food practices existing in different tribal communities. This is also a continuous attempt at normalizing food-habits from tribal cultures and promoting slow food culture among the people, especially youth, who use digital platforms.’ He met most people featured on the page during his many trips, some official, and others personal. Having worked extensively in Eastern and Central India, particularly in the tribal belts, it has been relatively easy for Sayan to find the right content. He also shares that people are always willing to share their thoughts on food. ‘Whenever you visit a new place and are invited to someone’s house, they offer you something to eat and the conversation naturally steers towards food.’
He believes that rapid urbanization and takeaways are detaching people from the kitchen, and cooking is no longer being taught to children. ‘This can adversely affect our traditional diets and food wisdom. Seed saving culture in communities have gone down, and junk food and convenient food has entered in to the kitchen (urban and rural).’ But not all is bleak as some communities are still following traditional diets. ‘Some are consuming local food in the form of fruits and vegetables, or say a basket full of fish from the early morning catch. Many households have a small home garden or a kitchen garden. Foraging is widely practiced in villages, and some local home grown products see the light in daily bazaars, allowing the urban population to also relish on seasonal local food.’ And, it’s not like the communities are unaware. Sayan shares that they talk about it openly and there is an acceptance in the air. ‘They have accepted the change, but they still take the time to pass down the food knowledge nevertheless. It is important to understand that, back in the day, food wasn’t only important as a way of sustenance, it was also essential for its healing properties, and helped improve bonds among people and communities. This sort of food knowledge needs to be passed down to generations.’
Exploring the Traditional Taste
A lot of youngsters refrain from eating local cuisine because they are under the misconception that it is not tasty. ‘Young people think that it is boring or tasteless but that is not true. There are a lot of new-age chefs who are using local produce to create delectable dishes. They are constantly innovating and are fusing the modern and traditional.’
He feels that food bloggers and influencers in the Northeast can plan their part to educate the masses. ‘It is good to review the restaurants in the bigger cities and town, but we also need people who will blog about local food because only then will we do justice to the local food scene.’ Sayan also thinks that culinary tourism should be explored in the Northeast. ‘Since more and more tourists are travelling to this part of the globe, they will be looking to experience the local culture and what better way to do that than through food. The region is home to many different ethnicities and tribes, meaning diverse food and that should be explored.’
The Next Plate
Instagram being a visual portal works great for Sayan. After all, ‘we eat with our eyes.’ In fact, his photos have even sparked the interest of people outside the country. ‘When you are representing food, the visual element is key. You can write pages after pages about indigenous food but it will have less impact than a good photo. Many people have reached out to me, complimenting me for shedding light on the underrated and underrepresented side of local cuisines. People from other countries and well-known food bloggers have also commented. This helps keep me motivated.’
This feature was first published in Eclectic Northeast July 2019 issue
