Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Rituparna Patgiri and Gurpinder Singh Lalli (Eds.), Food, Culture and Society in India: Social, Political, Economic and Cultural Perspectives (Berghahn Books, 2025)
Host: Jaydam Sulankumar
Guest: Dr. Rituparna Patgiri
Date: December 13, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features a conversation with Dr. Rituparna Patgiri, co-editor of the forthcoming book Food, Culture and Society in India, which she co-edited with Professor Gurpinder Singh Lalli. The discussion explores the genesis of the book, its key themes—ranging from food as a social signifier to the impact of digital media on food consumption—and what insights it offers on the sociopolitical, economic, and cultural dynamics of food in India. The episode is rich in personal anecdotes, academic insights, and practical recommendations for both readers and aspiring researchers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis and Collaboration

• Personal Inception:

  • Dr. Patgiri discusses how her longstanding academic interest in food, stemming from her MPhil research ("the Social Nature of Food in India"), was revived during COVID-19 lockdowns, eventually leading to this collaboration (03:49).
  • She recounts approaching Berghahn Books with a proposal and highlights the supportive response from Gurpinder Singh Lalli, who became her co-editor through a connection on social media (X/Twitter).

  Quote:
  "I prepared the book proposal, sent it to Gurpinder, who was actually one of the series editors... we enjoyed each other's academic vibes and therefore we became co-editors and collaborators." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (04:38–05:25)

• Open Call for Fresh Voices:

  • The book was shaped by an open call for papers, intentionally including diverse and early-career researchers to ensure a breadth of new perspectives (05:33).

2. Food as Communication and Identity

• Beyond Biology:

  • The book argues against viewing food as a mere biological necessity, positioning it as a 'system of communication' that mediates identity, territory, and cultural values (06:34).
  • What one eats (and does not eat) communicates identity, marks social boundaries, and reflects broader cultural narratives.

  Quote:
  "Food is a system of communication because there is a messaging through food. What we eat as well as what we don't eat is very important. It helps in our identity construction." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (06:54–07:30)

3. The Culinary Other and Hierarchies

• Social Hierarchies:

  • The book explores 'the culinary other'—how foods are used to create social distinctions and reinforce or resist caste, religious, and regional divides (08:45).

• Representation of Marginalized Foods:

  • An example is given of Dalit food and its marginalization, recently challenged by works like Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada.
  • Northeast and other regional cuisines are also discussed as asserting their place amidst mainstream narratives.

  Quote:
  "Culinary other is actually based on this idea of what a person eats, but very differently from, you know, who maybe their opposite, you know, person is... Now there is a possibility of this other negotiating." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (09:16–11:30)

4. Place, Memory, and Gastonostalgia

• Migration & Food Memory:

  • The concept of 'gastro-nostalgia' describes how food serves as an anchor for identity among migrant/diasporic communities, preserving caste, region, and personal memory (12:39).

• Case Studies:

  • Examples include chapters on Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus, Afghan refugees in Delhi, and East African-Asian women, illustrating how displaced groups use food to maintain ties to their past (13:50).

  Quote:
  "Food becomes an instrument... to maintain and display their ethnic and national identities and engage in what Tulasi Srinivas calls gastronostalgia." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (12:56–13:13)

5. Gender, Labor, and Culinary Authenticity

• Role of Gender:

  • Food preparation and consumption are deeply gendered practices in India, with women’s labor in the kitchen viewed as both oppressive (patriarchal) and empowering (creative agency) (15:45–16:25).
  • Men’s association with meat and 'main dishes' is discussed in the light of cultural symbolism.

• Chapters on Gender:

  • One chapter examines gender in the context of India’s midday meal scheme, another analyzes gendered tropes in Bengali food advertisements (17:36).

  Quote:
  "The kitchen has been the space where [women] create authenticity, and food becomes one way of doing that... it is also the space where they are able to negotiate the politics of hegemony and create an identity for themselves." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (16:01–16:30)

6. State Policy, Taste, and Cultural Reality

• Nutrition as Social Construct:

  • The design and administration of state-run food programs (like the midday meal scheme) reflect sociopolitical dynamics and cultural biases (21:37).

• Controversies:

  • The introduction of eggs in school meals sparks controversy due to caste and religious dietary norms—even when eggs are the best nutritional option (22:15).
  • Regional ‘disgust,’ especially regarding coastal or Northeastern foods, often reflects upper-caste biases about what is ‘acceptable’ or ‘normal’ (22:58).

  Quote:
  "Nutrition is often only thought of as calories, whereas it is actually a socio political construct... What is disgusting is to the upper caste sentiments is normal, ordinary food habits for these coastal communities." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (21:53–23:08)

7. Digital Foodscapes and the Role of New Media

• Social Media’s Double-Edged Role:

  • The internet and social media have democratised food discourse, amplifying marginalized and regional cuisines, yet they also reproduce prevailing power structures (24:43).
  • Northeast Indian food is still often exoticised by mainstream and even local influencers, obscuring the everyday realities in favor of 'adventure'.

• Vlogging as Practice & Resistance:

  • Examples of confrontation over video content (e.g., when an Assamese vlogger makes 'mainstream' dishes like chole) demonstrate ongoing issues of cultural ownership and stereotyping (26:10).

  Quote:
  "The digital does not replace the social, but actually brings the realities that one observes in social life into the digital forefront." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (25:10–25:25)
  "[Social media] ends up sort of reproducing an idea of an Indian. So one cannot really see the digital as very separate from the social." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (26:56–27:32)

8. Key Takeaways and Advice for Readers & Researchers

• Diversity & Fresh Perspectives:

  • Dr. Patgiri emphasizes the book’s inclusion of “very different stories of food from different corners of the country,” written largely by younger scholars drawing on empirical research (28:40).

• For New Researchers:

  • Recommendations to explore interdisciplinary approaches, including food’s intersections with ecology, technology, agriculture, and urban studies (30:39–32:55).
  • Stresses the need for more historical research and documentation, especially in under-studied regions like Northeast India (33:16–34:12).

• Encouragement:

  • Aspiring writers are urged to be bold in reaching out to publishers and to believe in their ideas (34:24).

  Quote:
  "If I was a reader...I would be fascinated by the very different stories of food from different corners of the country... and most of it, they have collected data empirically." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (28:40–29:12)
  "If you are... in the process of writing a book, believe in the idea and reach out to the publishers." – Dr. Rituparna Patgiri (34:24–34:52)

Notable Quotes by Topic

• On Food as More Than Sustenance:
  "Food as the leakage between culture and society is very important." (07:52)

• On Caste and Marginality:
  "Dalit food has been marginalized as well as literally unspoken of in the context of food... now there is a possibility of this other negotiating." (10:34–11:30)

• On Media Representation:
  "It is not just about how the public sphere has become more democratic... we are also reproducing and reinforcing existing ideas." (26:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:13] Dr. Patgiri's background & path to the book
• [03:49] The collaborative origins of the book
• [06:34] Food as a communicative, social object
• [08:45] The 'culinary other' and social hierarchies
• [12:39] Gastro-nostalgia: food, memory, and migration
• [15:45] Gender, food labor, and culinary authenticity
• [21:37] State policy, nutrition, and food taboos
• [24:43] Food media, digital foodscapes, and influencer culture
• [28:40] Main takeaways and unique features of the book
• [30:39] Research directions and recommendations for new scholars
• [33:16] Upcoming projects—focus on food in Northeast India
• [34:24] Closing encouragement to aspiring authors

Conclusion

The episode provides a comprehensive exploration of how food operates as a nexus of identity, power, memory, and media representation in India. Through empirically-based, regionally-diverse contributions, Food, Culture and Society in India advances food studies in conversation with issues of caste, gender, migration, and digital culture. Dr. Patgiri’s insights and reflections make this episode valuable for academics, students, and anyone interested in food as a window into the complexities of Indian society.