Picture a young girl, wide-eyed and eager, as she listens to her grandmother recount the ancient tales of kings and exotic ingredients. With each word flavours come alive, tantalizing her imagination. This five-year-old was me with adorable pigtails and insatiable curiosity. The journey of my love for food was paved by enchanting storybooks, rhythmic rhymes, and cozy bedtime stories. These stories always unfolded leaving an indelible mark on my budding palate.

 Five words I feared as a hungry kid returning home "tired and exhausted" from school was " Aaj kuch special bana hai.". This was one of the most cynical replies, my grandmother came up with to the question, "What do we have for lunch today?" but somehow her reply was always followed by me just sitting astounded waiting for another bite of spinach paratha, listening to how I can be as strong as Popeye if I eat a can of spinach every day. This is the power of stories." The Monkey And The Crocodile," a memorable tale from the Panchatantra, still occupies a prominent place in my mind. The image of the monkey enjoying ripe, juicy mangoes is forever etched in my memories, and the sweet aroma of the fruit fills my room as I reflect on it. These folktales carry an essence of culture and traditions through generations that can cultivate a child's imagination to a great extent.

 The playful verses of "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream," and the rhythmic chant of Hot cross buns triggered a craving for something that I have only experienced verbally but felt intensely. The catchy melodies sparked a sense of joy and connected the worlds of literature and cuisine harmoniously. The mere recitation of these poems transformed mealtime into an exciting adventure of flavors where each stanza was transformed into a succulent bite.

 The buttery Dora cakes from Doraemon, the steamed rice fromShinchan, Tuntun Mausi's Healthy Laddoos from Chhota Bheem, Tubby Toast from The Teletubbies, Shaggy's sandwiches from Scooby-Doo, and The KrabbyPatty from Spongebob are just a tiny figment of delicacies we all wanted to try from the whirlpool of delicious edibles we saw on television. Ah, I miss those good old days when Mumbai's Heavy rains were on my side, and together, we won the battle against the school. To celebrate this victory, I used to sit all cozy in the drawing room waiting for Dadi to feed me the Dal rice laddoos while watching Chhota Bheem. The way these television cartoons devoured their scrumptious meals was exactly how I wanted to enjoy my food-with passion, innocence, and joy. I found myself getting lost in the story of dal rice being as sweet as laddoos and those laddoos flying into my mouth like airplanes.

As the sun set, my eyelids grew heavy with the promise of bedtime stories. I was transported to the world where Hansel and Gretel stumbled upon a Candy house with a gingerbread roof and frosting on the walls. The Magic Porridge Pot covered the city with its delicious porridge and I was swept up in the whimsical adventures of these tales. Even now, whenever I am offered Dalia at home, I am reminded of these enchanting stories and the beautiful memories they bring.

Isn't it beautiful that as the chapters of our childhood unfold, the echoes and feelings of those tales remain constant, influencing our relationship with food? So whether it is the aroma of freshly cooked Baingan Ka Bharta or Karele ki sabzi, these familiar flavors can transport us back to simpler times and the sweet memories of beloved folktales, rhymes, and bedtime stories where food and literature intertwined, telling tales one bite at a time.