"Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell." Ratatouille gets us. In this series 'Food for Film,' we pick food films/shows that make our mouths water and our souls richer.
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I know food can be magic, but my relationship with it has always been tempestuous. I’ve never had the pleasure of engaging with food in a touching way that’s connected to treasured memories. The warmth of cherished childhood moments had more to do with foods like Maggi and rice with ketchup (I know) than proper meals.
So the idea of food for me, has built slowly, with memories made over time and connected to certain people and moments as they happened. And among them, media has played a big role; especially The Big Bang Theory.
Even though it is just not-fancy takeout, every time I see the characters of The Big Bang Theory sit around a table and eat, I get cravings for whatever they’re eating — except the time Raj decided to eat a bowl full of broccoli to get in shape! I think now my cravings might have had more to do with a group of friends sitting around and dining together each night. My friends are all scattered across different cities and continents. But while watching the show, I just wanted a bite of that pizza or a taste of the noodles they were playing around with.
My eating habits have always been confused, influenced sometimes by cravings and other times by what’s available at home, which was usually bread and butter. And then there’s the erratic timings that I ended up eating at, with no regard for time of day or the size of gap between my meals. So it was a refreshing change to see Sheldon plan every meal with absolute precision. It wasn’t quirky or annoying; to me, it seemed extremely put together and, well, sorted. Planning out each meal seemed a great way of tackling food, a big part of life.
So I decided to try it too. For months, I followed a set routine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, ranging from upma and poha in the mornings to the roti-sabzi-dal trio for lunch and cheelas or oats for dinner. I have to admit it got boring fast. But it was such a relief to have things all planned out, to not have to wonder what my next meal is going to be. It also took much of the erraticism out, and led to a generally healthier state of life. Thanks Sheldon!
Obviously that wasn’t the end of it. My relationship with food has never been that straightforward. The planned meals got repetitive, and I couldn’t stick to them for too long. Slowly, the gaps between meals started becoming larger again, and the consistency of meals started reducing. I started looking for other options again, confusion came back, and I realised I was edging back toward unhealthy eating habits. So I took inspiration from Sheldon’s diet, added some more options like sandwiches and Chinese, and tried to get back to my schedule.
Over time, I started noticing a shift in my eating habits. Instead of binge eating or eating when I was frustrated, I started seeing food as a friend.
For me, friendship with food only became possible after I’d learnt to discipline myself around it. Then cherished memories started to surface. Among them was sizzling brownie with ice cream, that my family and I would relish till the last bite. Eating it now brings with it a happy nostalgia I willingly dive into.
It was through The Big Bang Theory that I was able to put a name to this feeling. The memories attached to food are strong, and in many cases, final. This is in fact an exact science, as Amy proves with the date night she plans for Sheldon in a bid to accelerate their relationship. For their dinner date, she puts on the Super Mario music as background accompaniment, prepares Strawberry Quik as Sheldon’s beverage, and the star of the night is spaghetti with little pieces of hotdog cut up in it, just like his ‘mommy used to make.’ And Sheldon is trapped, wanting to do this more often. That’s how I feel when I share sizzling brownie with anyone today!
Another cherished memory that came up while watching the show is of eating panjeeri, which my nani lovingly made for me every time the meek winters rolled around in Mumbai. I thought of that when Amy bakes Christmas cookies for Sheldon using his meemaw’s recipe, which Sheldon attests tastes like her hugs. When my mami made panjeeri last winter, it felt the same way. It reminded me that besides bringing up personal memories, food also acts as an archive for communities, with recipes being passed down from generation to generation.
While Sheldon plans his food to gain a sense of control in life, it’s also a way for him to connect with the people around him. And while I learnt the former from him, the latter is something I’ve realised happens as a byproduct. It’s most clearly on display when Leonard insists on buying a dining table, and the group is separated from Amy and Sheldon. ‘Sometimes the baby wins,’ flaunts Sheldon when they all finally give up and come back to their old seating arrangement. And I’m glad the baby won. I personally often miss the olden days, before we had a dining table, when my entire family would sit on the floor in a circle and eat together. The harsh lines and height of the dining table just don’t compare.
Although it’s a comedy about scientists and talks about several things, food is an aspect that’s turned out to be huge for me as a viewer of the show. It has helped me put a name to the feelings food has given me, from Raj’s overeating when he’s sad to Sheldon’s instant joy when he sees his favourite spaghetti with hot dog cut up in it (made first by Penny, and later by Amy). It has also helped me inculcate the practice of planning my meals, something I never thought to do before. Through bringing its cast together over food, and having them all respond to food in such different ways, The Big Bang Theory makes food a central aspect of the show. It’s a coming together of people that love each other, and it makes me feel a surge of warmth to see them all together.
Read more from the series here.
Aarushi Agrawal is a culture journalist with interest in research, reading, writing, and spending time with her cat.
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