Food is very important part of almost every culture. Good food is always a signature of a rich culture and being a good cook is a signature of a cultured man. Therefore, I think, it is really important not just to know cooking but to have your own style of cooking. I was brought up in a Bengali lower middle class family. Even though I was born and brought in a lower middle class family, my parents were always passionate about food. As a teacher, my father might not have earned a lot of money but he was so fond of food. And so is my mother. My father might not have been able to manage smashed potato and lentils at the end of the month, yet he always bought the large fish from the market, when he had the salary. Bengali culture is not just rich in terms of food. but also its people are also foodie. Coming from a cultural Bengali family, I cannot but maintain the tradition. It is my utmost duty also to pass it to my future generation.

Besides, being highly influenced by other cultures as well, I must admit that O, myself also became a good chef. I have also managed to create my own style of cooking. One habit I built up is that I never follow the traditional style of cooking but always create my own style. That is why most of cooking are free style cooking and I love it. It brings me joy to cook food for me and for my family. Not just that, as a cultural Bengali man, I also love to share food with people. I just love it.

However, I must admit, that in my childhood, I was highly influenced by my Bangladeshi Muslim friends. My friends use to invite me to their house. Even though we belong to a single Bangladeshi, Bengali culture, due to religion, there are slight differences in foods. For instance, in my Muslim friend’s family used to garlics in lentils soup which was barely used by my mother. Honestly speaking, I liked it very much when they used Garlics. Besides, my Muslim friends used to make different types of cakes and pithas during the Eid festival that we, as a Hindu family barely made. However, in my village home, my paternal Aunts used to cook those cakes and pithas.

For my higher studies, I moved to Germany. Here I got the flavour of multinational or international cultures. I used to live in a dorm where different people from different cultures and countries and different parts of Germany used to live together. I loved it especially when it comes to food because, we used to share food a lot. Two of my German friends, Leon and David, has always shared food with me and so did I. I remember the day, when I offered David, Bengali style fried rice. He liked it so much that he brought Leon, and Moughat too. So, I had to cook them Biriyani as well. They liked it so well, that since then they became my very good friends and we started sharing food with each other. Apart from it, I used to like the food served in our canteen. That was not just delicious but also uniqe. Because, they always followed the freestyle recipes with pick and mix combos.

After coming to Germany, I had also tried other cultural foods like Turkish Döner and Durum, Greek Pita Gyros, Afghan Samosa, Italian Pizza, and Pasta,French Baguette and Croissant, Swiss Rolls and cake, Czech Gulash, Pakistani biriyani, North and South Indian dishes and so on and on. Furthermore, I used to go to a South Indian temple. I always went there for their delicious. I never missed any big South Indian Hindu festivals. I must admit that I just love their foods:

All these cultural influences do not just made me a foodie but also, a good cook. Because my Bengali taste buds just got better with the taste other cultural foods. It is so delicate that I thought it is necessary that I create my self made versions of it. Just like the Turkish Döner were never Turkish food but invented in Germany by Turkish people, my foods are also something like that. You will get both eastern and western taste of foods yet you will be barely able to say which one actually it is.

However, I have made a personal web book of my favourite common dishes that I gave birth to, mixing the eastern and western flavours and dishes. I hope, you will like it.

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