ginger in my chai + wildfires

ARATA’S FARM, HALF MOON BAY —

i’ll never forget how i used to scream at my mom to light candles in the morning. to me, getting dressed to the smell of fish frying and curry stewing wasn’t the ideal start to a day of school. one time, when i left, the woman next door sprayed room air freshener on me (as if turmeric was intimidated by a manufactured clean linen spray).

but then, after moving from home to boston university dorms, those odors transitioned into nostalgic smells. the first winter break i came back and asked for tori, a squash sautéed and spiced with turmeric and chili powder, which i had notoriously hated before.

college was the first time i realized that the farther i go away, the closer i seem to inch to the culture i tried to spray away. and now, i’m in that place once again.

anyways, more later including what’s new in all this, but first my words:

my words: i wrote about how a san francisco wildfire startup got investment money from a san francisco data startup. follow up to come, but in the mean time, here’s what i’m thinking: the way wildfires are fought is severely outdated (great SF Chron story here), and it is important to see how, and if, the bay area - known for its disruption and innovation - changes that.

etc: i’ll be in boston in less than two weeks, then philadelphia and new york. send me a line if you want to grab coffee: natasha@crunchbase[dot]com.

learning lesson: this week was a wrap for the last episode that i’ll be co-hosting for our mini podcast series, some personal news! listen to the last episode here. i learned that soft launches are important, that nobody knows what they are doing so pretend like you do and you’ll go far, and that podcast, like newsletters, requires more consistency than you can anticipate so shoot accordingly.

anyways,

it’s worth noting beyond food, i’ve had a pretty involved relationship with my culture from a young age.

-i’ve done bollywood dancing since i was 13 (probably younger) and continued that into high school and college.

- i’ve gone to diwali parties, garba as the token non-gujarati friend, and dressed up every opportunity i could in traditional attire.

-i swear i only learned bits of hindi because i watched the film kal ho na ho so much

but now, past leaning into my love for food and traditions, i think i’m onto something new.

recently, my relationship with the indian culture has been beautifully innate. i don’t do it to check off a box, or with any intention at all, really. i don’t feel like a bystander peering in, i feel like a participant, spice rack, wagh bakri chai bags, and all.

this comfort peeks out when i integrate a few words of wobbly, mispronounced hindi into my everyday. or when i ask for more ginger in my chai. or when i celebrate my birthday with spiked nimbu pani, gol guppa, and bhel. or when i show and learn love by feeding. and second helpings. and then feeding some more.

i think everyone has a different journey toward embracing their culture. these days, i’m happy i’m nestling into the subtleties of mine. i think those subtleties are as important as the big, blaring things i’ve associated with for years now. all in all, i feel like i’m scratching at something a bit deeper, and harder. something that, as always, would never be intimidated by a manufactured clean linen spray.

happy diwali all,

n