I never realized how hard it is to write about yourself. I have been sitting here staring at the screen and not knowing exactly how to condense my life into a few paragraphs. But here goes…
My name is Jyoti. I was born in New Delhi, India. My father worked for UNICEF so we moved around and traveled quite a bit. I would love to tell you that I was an adventurous eater. Spaghetti with meat sauce and consomme were the extent of my repertoire. I do remember when I was twelve we went to Holland. After a day of sight seeing, my father stopped at this smoked eel stand. My brothers and I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. My dad must have ordered about four of them. We didn’t even get squeamish watching the vendor peeling the eel before cutting it up into bite size morsels. All I seem to remember is salivating until it was my turn to reach for a piece. That must have been my break out year.
We eventually ended up in New York. Living in a small community of UN ex-pats in Queens. My parents were adventurous eaters and would try anything. My mother once ordered escargot at a French restaurant and that just elevated her in my eyes.
I now live in Mercer Island, near Seattle, with two amazing children and a wonderful dog named Daisy, who aren’t afraid to try anything I put before them. My son declared last year that he wanted to be a vegetarian. My daughter on the other hand is decidedly a carnivore. It makes for very interesting dinner time meals.
Come join me on my culinary journey as I try to navigate this slippery slope between feeding a vegetarian and satisfying a carnivore.
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